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Practice Techniques


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I recently purchased a 2007 Freedom SR. I attended Dawn's 2 day class in Des Moines as well as the maintenance class in Carroll. Both were excellent.

I feel comfortable meandering simple loops and stippling. I know that the machine takes practice. I would like to know your practice techniques. I have charity quilts to practice on, so that's not an issue.

Yesterday I grided a piece of muslin in a 3" grid so that I could practice continuous quilting. I know that people doodle to practice. What else would be helpful for a beginner?

Kate

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When I got my millie, I also ordered a set of Darlene Epp's little books and practiced most of the patterns for freehanding that she has in those...(on paper while waiting to set up my machine, then on the machine once I got her up and running.) they are very helpful little books and can help with creative ideas and the confidence to freehand when you start doing quilts for others (if that is your plan).

Until then, try throwing in some stars (remember the ones you would do as a child with one line), and some hearts with the loops. I also would try writing my name, etc...

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Congrats on your new toy. For me I just tried all kinds of things and worked hard on those designs that seemed easier and then I just kept building on them. Pick a design and keep working on it until you have it down. Charity quilts are a great way to practice. A really good DVD that will give you some designs that start at the beginner level and move up is Jamie Wallen's Cotton Tracks DVD. He is a great teacher and this DVD set is awesome.

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Hi, Kate! It was great meeting you at the maintenance class. :) I find that using a sketch book helps, and you are able to see progress. Some people use a white board to practice sketching. I have several DVDs that are very helpful, and all good. They are by Dawn Ramierez the Pajama Quilter Reloaded, Myrna Ficken's Just Do It - Freehand Design, Fowlproof Feathers, Borders, Sashes & More, and Creating Spaces. After you've worked up to feathers I recommend Kim Brunner's Twirly Whirly Feathers and Claudia Pfeil's Pfun Pfeiling Pfeathers. There are other DVDs and instructors that are good, but this is just what I have at the moment.

And PPP does makes the difference. Get some practice on real quilts, not just muslin. And if you have a lot of practice muslin you can cut it up, serge the edges and donate them to the local animal shelter. If you want to practice on something that looks like a quilt then you can get cheater cloth. I think that taking hands-on classes helps to boost confidence - at least it did for me. If you can possibly get to Road to California there will be a lot of good longarm classes and instructors. Keep at it and you'll see improvement in no time!

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Hi Kate,

It's me Janet from your class. Your question helped me as well. I came home and couldn't wait to try some of the things that I learned from Dawn. I tried doing a charity quilt the last couple of days and picked a few easy designs. In fact I thought of you when I looked at that quilt and thought "Boy! Does my quilting suck!" So I guess we have a lot in common. LOL I just ordered a bunch of DVD's and books that are recommended on here. Now I anxiously await my UPS man because I'll probably be seeing him a lot this week. At least four times. This is harder than I imagined and I'm determined to get good at this. Know that you are not alone in your struggles.

Good Luck,

Janet

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Hi Everyone,

Thank you so much for the tips, advice & encouragement! I practiced for about 2 hours this morning trying to get consistent arcs and curves; it's a good thing that they aren't tires because I'd be driving on some flat ones. I ended with time on flowers and leaves. I'm fortunate that I've been able to get the tension set correctly with minimal tweaking so that my time can be spent on the motion of quilting.

A shout out to Janet and Carmen, my classmates from last week.

Kate

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Nothing will ever replace "doing" as far as learning a new skill. The great beginner books and DVDs will ease your jitters and guide you along.

But push that machine around!

You are on the right track to grid some muslin. Also draw parallel lines to represent sashings and borders.

Practice the exact same thing over and over.

You will be delighted to discover that you will see progress immediately!

Pretty soon--I'm talking hours, not days--you will be very comfortable stitching certain designs. These will be the bones you build upon for the next step. That stipple or loopy design will teach you how to maintain even density and control. You will slide into peacock feathers filler since you now know how to make even curves and "hit the mark".

Quilt a top from top to bottom using your favorite filler design. Wow! Look how great that looks! You are now a confident beginner--not a scared beginner!

We were all where you are now--you are on your way and asking all the right questions!

(Darlene Epp's three books are a must-have investment--you will refer to these books forever!)

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  • 1 year later...

A few things that most of us use, is to :

Remember to breathe.

Remember to relax.

I would Recommend the two CD's mentioned above.

Jamie Wallen, DeLoa Jones. both are very patient, and leads you to the learning. They make sure everone understands.

There is a vast amount of info out there, I'd still stick with the ones you are most comfy with. Meaning designs. you might develope a new design.

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Have you all read the book "The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: A Course in Enhancing Creativity and Artistic Confidence "? I am, it is suppose to help a lot in learning to draw. It teaches you how to look at a design and understand its elements of space and direction etc. It looks like it's going to be great.

I'd love it if we started a post on free hand examples. What do you think? We could post our favorites.

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Don't be afraid to try some pantos - I didn't for about a year and a half, and now love them! In each panto are the elements of basic LA 'lines' that you can practice - yes you work from the back of the machine, but it is good to do both!

And, try to move out of stitch regulated - I used pantos to do that. You have more freedom with the machine.

Just my opinion - there was a previous post on pantos you may want to refer to.

I also try to improve one weakness on each quilt I do.

Remember the 3 foot rule, and the 24 hour rule. I don't rip out (the minor points) until I have gone 24 hours, then decide.

Above all, have fun! This is a great place for ideas, encouragement, inspiration.

Joanne Flamand

Artistic Quilt Design

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I think Heidi might have suggested this on another thread but practice free-handing circles. My circles are always round on the left, and tend to be flat on the right if I don't focus! I can only offer what I have learned so far and that is to relax, keep a light touch on the machine (no death grips on the handles) and consistently practice. The most important thing is to have fun!

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