Hooboy, all those problems are the reasons I bought my quilting frame and Juki. Even when I did my king size QAYG, I still had to join the seams and blocks together with quilting and it was a struggle stitching in the ditch. I think your quilt could have been more doable with the QAYG method and I know you didn't want to hear that. It's the going in circles that you are doing that makes it so hard to do under the machine. The walking foot is wonderful but dealing with all the excess quilt and the drag still makes quilting under the machine difficult.

Do you have or can you buy an acrylic extension table for your machine? This helps a lot. I couldn't do without mine. It also helps if you can put another table behind your machine for the quilt to lay on. And even better, put another table off to the side if you have it. Anything to lift the drag off the quilt will help. I have the small extension table but if I had the space I'd have the Big Mama. Laura made her own Big Mama and it looks wonderful. How are you enjoying it, Laura?

Kay

Here is a link that might be useful: Clutter Gutter

Okay. Kay had the #1 suggestion of increasing your table size. The quilt hanging over/off your table may be the first problem.

I have found that those quilting clips don't really work that well for me. I prefer to roll the quilt up and use saftey pins really well so they don't pull on the fabric.

Also, I've found myself many times throwing the quilt over my shoulder or elsewhere to raise it up. You can also use your ironing board pulled near to help keep it up.

#2 Are you sure that your walking foot is attached correctly and it's actually 'walking' your fabric?

#3 As for the 1/4". Try finding the correct spacing by where the edge of your walking foot lands...if you can adjust your needle position. I find it easier to follow the edge of my foot along a seam line.

Also, always leave the needle down when you are shifting the quilt around. That helps with the movement a little.

One other thought. I think if I understand your pattern correctly, you only need to form a circle of quilt under the machine. Once you get that 'nest' (pinned that way?)under there you shouldn't have as much trouble turning around that space.

Hang in there. Quilting a larger quilt on a standard machine is not always the easiest, but it is doable. I did it for many many years! Just keep the finished project in the front of your mind!

I have only machine quilted a couple lap quilts and did so much better on my last one with help from this forum. First & most important is to keep the drag off your quilt. I have a machine table extension but I also stacked up my totes to my left side.

I don't roll my quilts anymore. I do the fluff thing. I got so frustrated working with that roll and turning everything all the time. Now I get my quilt under the walking foot by just swishing it around until I get to the spot where I want to quit, smooth it all out nice and then quilt it.

I find if I only quilt a short time, usually the frustration is starting, then I do a better job.
I also quilt in sections (just a bigger QAYG) and works really good. You only have l or 2 long seams to quilt through.

This is all I can offer on my limited experience. It is not easy and it takes patience.

Excellent suggestions so far. I find that I have to RELAX and not try to be in a hurry at all. Stitch a little, breathe while turning (and getting the bulk through the machine's throat, straighten, and go again.

Hang in there!
Cheryl

Welcome to the wonderful world of machine quilting. Lots of good suggestions here and I agree that it is a good idea to not roll your quilt or use clips to fasten it. Easier to just stuff and fluff and concentrate on one small area at a time. I actually find a free motion foot easier and faster to use than the walking foot.

One other suggestion is using a teflon sheet on your machine bed or some other method of making it more slippery. That helps a bunch!

Donna

I find Fluffing is best, just concertina it up through the harp space. It is amazing how much you can get in. Have you tried polishing your machine bed? I found that mine gets quite sticky after a while, and no, it is not with chocolate or cookies!! It is cheaper than buying a teflon sheet.

I am another "fluffer" and do what Love2Sew does. To make my hands less slippery, I wear cheap disposable latex gloves called "Clean Ones." They come in a box of 100 and are "exam quality," so I suppose they were originally for medical use and I must have found them in a drugstore. They are light-weight, so I can feel through them a bit, and just the right size so I don't have to cope with "extra" glove, so to speak. Even having one glove on helps a lot with moving the quilt around.

I use a walking foot for straight lines (Pfaff's is built-in), but use the free-motion quilting foot for everything else. I use gloves, too--the Fons and Porter gloves that are sold at JoAnns. They are about $3.50, and have grippers on the palm side. Wearing them definitely makes a difference.

Cheryl

I do have an extension table...not as big as the ones on Clutter Gutter, but it was designed by Viking & that's what I have. It's better than nothing. I cleared off the table I'm using of debris, but don't have much room to set up any more tables around me...so I gotta make do with the room I got. I don't see myself pushing a Qn quilt through this machine. I think I'll send it out!

I might try the teflon sheet if I can find one.

The "Circles" I'm doing are actually straight sided hexagons & not true circles, but I'm pushing the fabric through like I'm doing a circle. I think it was the middle ones that really made me frustrated. Of course those were the ones I started on. The ones on the edges weren't so bad. 1/2 of each hexagon was easy (being on the edge) & 1/2 I had to wrestle with the bulk. The ones in the middle were wrestling with bulk the entire time. I did 11 before going to bed so far...no puckering in the back!

My walking foot is installed properly with the "fork" attached to my needle position. I found that as long as I was holding the quilt scrunched up between me & the machine...it went through the machine pretty easily.

I finally gave up on the quilt clips. And I do leave the needle down. However, I feel that I'm being rough on my machine because when I pull my quilt around with the needle down...the needle moves around. But I guess it's pprobably good that the machine gives a little

Fran, I just might try the free motion foot on the purple triangles that are left between the hexagons. That might help because I will need to turn the quilt 3 times for each of those & maybe I can stitch backwards/sideways for those.

ShirlUK, what kind of polish do you use? My machine is plastic.

Can't stand gloves. Will only resort to those whem I'm desperate! When I put gloves on, I feel like I'm enclosed in a small box. It's weird.

Wome advice from the experts & a bit of practice. :) Thanks all! Will post a picture when I'm done quilting.

I use the fluff and stuff method also, and have quilted several king size quilts on my home machine. I ALWAYS wear the gloves, they help so much to keep the hands from slipping on the fabric.

Like Fran, I also use free motion to stitch 1/4" around shapes. It took practice for me to be able to do this, but now it's almost easy.

If you're pushing the fabric like you're doing a circle then I think I would not use the walking foot, I'd do the free motion foot.

I have not had trouble with straight lines and a walking foot. but those are LONG straight lines and I roll up either side of the quilt.

Non-straight lines? Well, DON"T GET ME STARTED -- just search the forum for "Rant" (and maybe some curse words!) if you want to read all about it.

You can get the teflon sheet online but it's pricey and small -- I went to a plexiglass store in my area and they sell it by the yard, much more for much less money. You might look into that in your area.

Good Luck -- moving a quilt around under a machine can be extremely frustrating... (That hasn't stopped me from trying, but I sure do feel your pain.) Gloves help too.

Plain ol' Pledge will keep your sewing surface super slick and it's as cheap as it gets! I've used it for years on my plex extention table...I use the white can.
I'm machine quilting my first quilt too!! Started yesterday and I'm half way done already. Stippling here..shadowing there. This is soooooo easy! I wholeheartedly suggest you put that walking foot back in the drawer and free motion quilt. It's easy and it's way more fun. I'm lovin it!
I've dropped the feed dogs and I'm using what my book calls a darning foot. It's an odd thing..has a spring on it so it floats. Hexes would be a snap. I certainly need some gloves tho!!
Bon
:)

Ok I wasn't going to respond, but I just must, LOL.

Fluff and stuff is the way to go if you don't want a frame set-up. I always used the walking foot, I always twisted and turned the quilt. I NEVER, ever, got good with the freemotion stuff. I tried, I really tried. Never clicked with me.

I did get very good with the stuff and fluff, twisting and turning the quilt top, using the walking foot, but I think your life will be easier if you learn to freemotion quilt. I never could.

The difference for me, (and why I bought my long-arm) was suddenly I was "drawing" on the quilt with the machine.

I am so not explaining this at all well.

It's the difference between drawing with a pencil versus pushing a piece of paper under that same pencil, and trying to get a good drawing.

Both can be done, but pushing the quilt under the pencil (needle) is more difficult.

It is not impossible, though, it just takes lots of practice.

Mary, I think I get your point. When you are controling the needle with the handles it feels more like drawing with a pencil. As opposed to pushing fabric (paper) around UNDER the needle (pencil). I get it! I agree with you. No wonder my friend who did my quilt on her long arm does such a great job at stippling. I tried with my accessories & failed miserably. I could do loops because that was one continuous circular motion, but that was about it. I haven't tried following a line though & will have to experiement with that.

I finished all 19 hexagons. I only got 1 puckered area on the back...but I think that was due to poor basting. Oh well!

Now I need to do the purple triangles - possibly with the free motion foot to avoid all the twisting & turning. I have a free motion hoop (with grippy underneath) I will try to use & see if that helps give me control. I will report back!

Then the outer bordering & edges which should be easier with straight lines.

Ahhhh...the hard part is over! I'm feeling a sense of relief & accomplishment. I'll have to take a picture of the back cuz I used a batik fabric to try & match the colors. So pretty!

The free motion quilting worked for my triangles. Although, I found out my machine doesn't like to stitch sideways continuously.

Thankfully I won't have the Quilt Police checking the stitch length cuz it varies a good amount, but not that noticeable since I used the same color thread. It's been a good learning experience. :)

Same as Bonica mentioned, good old Pledge. It really makes a difference even when piecing.

I'll have to try that. Do you spray it on a cloth & then apply? Does it work on plexiglass w/o damaging the surface?