Free Motion Quilting on Pfaff sewing machines

Autumn is here! It is still warm, but you can sense the change in the air, the light, and nature. I don’t know about you, but I always tend to stitch more in autumn. Maybe it’s because it rains more often, and you simply cannot spend as much time outdoors as you do in summer.

This month, for the Quilt Calendar with PFAFF Finland, I invite you to try Free Motion Quilting (FMQ). FMQ is a technique that almost every quilter who wants to quilt their own quilts would like to master. I think of FMQ as drawing with a needle instead of a pencil. Your “pencil” (the needle) moves only up and down, while you move the quilt with your hands to create different patterns

Many quilters struggle with inconsistency in their stitching. Coordinating the speed of the stitching with the movement of your hands takes a lot of practice. Other challenges, such as thread breaking or stitch quality, are more technical and can often be solved by adjusting the settings on your machine, or using a certain type of needle and quality thread.

I have been doing FMQ for 10 years, and it remains one of my favourite techniques for adding texture to a quilt.

I started FMQ on a PFAFF Quilt Expression 4.2, then upgraded to the PFAFF Quilt Expression 720, and now I have the PFAFF Quilt Expression 725. I think PFAFF sewing machines are perfect for this technique!

Let’s get started!

Ohjeet suomeksi löytyy täältä

What You Need for FMQ

Here are the accessories that I personally find the most useful for free motion quilting.

1. Extension table

For FMQ, we need a large, flat surface so that we can comfortably place and move our hands as well as support the quilt and control its movement.

Pfaff Quilt Table

2. Quilting gloves

Quilting gloves give you a much better grip on the fabric. They help you move the quilt more smoothly and give you more control, especially when working on larger quilts.

3. Silicone slider

I use a silicone slider on the extension table. It creates a smooth, slippery surface, which makes it much easier to move the quilt.

4. Quilting feet

PFAFF sewing machines, such as PFAFF Quilt Expression 720 and 725, offer four free motion quilting options:

• Dynamic Spring - Dynamic Spring Foot 6D (available separately)

• Spring Foot - available separately

• Sensormatic Foot 6A - included with the machine

• Ruler Foot - available separately

Why are there so many FMQ modes? The main difference is how the foot moves while you quilt.

Spring and Dynamic Spring Motion use a hopping foot. There is no need to adjust the foot height. The foot moves up and down with each stitch, keeping the fabric pressed firmly against the machine bed. This is particularly useful when quilting uneven thicknesses, such as appliqué or trapunto, or when working with high-loft batting.

Sensormatic and Ruler Foot modes use a hovering foot. You can adjust the height of the foot to the thickness of your quilt sandwich. The foot hovers or glides above the fabric, it doesn´t hop. This works beautifully when your quilt has a consistent thickness and allows for smooth movement across the surface.

From my experience, the PFAFF 6D Dynamic Spring Foot works exceptionally well for free motion quilting on PFAFF sewing machines. I used it with great success on both my PFAFF Quilt Expression 4.2 and PFAFF Quilt Expression 720/725.

Last year, my friend Uta gifted me her favourite quilting foot - the Open-Toe Foot. I tried it, and now I actually prefer it to the 6D Dynamic Spring Foot. The open toe gives you a much better visibility of the needle and the area you are quilting, making it easier to see your stitching and follow your quilting design.

Since I do both free motion quilting and ruler work, I have also been using the PFAFF Ruler Foot for both techniques, in Ruler Foot mode. It works fabulously! There is no need to change the foot between the two techniques, and it gives me much more flexibility when choosing quilting designs.

5. Needles

I prefer Topstitch needles for FMQ. They have a larger eye, which makes them particularly suitable for quilting threads.

If you would like to know why I prefer Topstitch needles and which ones I use, you can read more about it in my blog post here.

6.Thread

Thread is a matter of personal preferences. For FMQ I highly recommend using a quality thread. It not only contributes to the look of your stitching, but it can also save you a lot of frustration. It is much more enjoyable when your thread isn’t constantly breaking! Quality threads tend to produce less lint, which helps keep your sewing machine cleaner.

Personally, I mainly use Aurifil 50 wt and 40 wt  for my free motion quilting.

How to adjust your Pfaff sewing machine for FMQ

1. Choose the FMQ mode

Select the appropriate free motion quilting mode on your machine. The feed dogs will automatically drop.

2. Attach the correct foot

Attach the presser foot that corresponds to the FMQ mode you have selected.

3. Adjust the stitching speed

I recommend setting the stitching speed to medium. This gives you good control while you are learning to coordinate the movement of your hands with the speed of the needle.

4. Make a small quilt sandwich

Before starting on your actual quilt, make a small quilt sandwich using the same fabrics and batting as your quilt. You can use this piece for practice or as a warm-up before you start quilting the actual quilt.

5. Adjust the foot height

If you are using Sensormatic or Ruler Foot mode, adjust the foot height according to the thickness of your quilt sandwich.

The thicker the quilt sandwich, the higher the presser foot should be.

The perfect height: when the presser foot is lowered, you should be able to slip a business card between the foot and the quilt sandwich.

6. Adjust the thread tension

In most cases, you only need to adjust the top thread tension.

For easier troubleshooting, thread the top and bobbin threads in two different colors. Stitch a straight line on your practice sandwich and look at both sides of the quilt.

• If the top thread is being pulled to the back, increase the top thread tension.

• If the bobbin thread is being pulled to the top, decrease the top thread tension.

On my PFAFF Quilt Expression 725, I usually decrease the top tension to around 3.8 when using Aurifil 50 wt thread. Please, keep in mind as this is not a universal setting but my personal setting. The ideal tension depends on your thread, needle, fabric, batting, sewing machine and even the particular quilt you are making.

Now we are ready to quilt!

Free Motion Quilting

1. Hold the end of the top thread with your left hand, lower the needle into the quilt and then bring it back up. Gently pull on the end of the top thread to bring the bobbin thread up to the surface.

   Hold both thread tails with your left hand and lower the needle again (needle should be always in the needle down position while you quilt). Place your hands on either side of the needle in a comfortable U-shape, and press the foot pedal.

2. Start moving the quilt slowly and smoothly as the needle moves up and down. Start with simple straight lines, then gradually move on to zigzags, wavy lines, loops, and echoing lines. This will help you build confidence and develop coordination between the movement of your hands and the speed of the needle.

   
   

   Remember: don’t worry about making perfect stitches at first. FMQ is a skill that improves with practice. The more you practice, the more natural the movement will become.

Happy Quilting! ❤