Easy Machine Quilting: Best Free-Motion Sewing Machine Settings

Oct 31, 2010
Christine Mann

Choose the Proper Sewing Machine Settings to Make Free Motion Quilting Easier - Photo by Flickr.com User Polapix, CC Attribution License

Before you start free motion quilting, adjust the settings on your sewing machine for quilting and make sure you are using the proper attachments.

Free motion quilting is quite a different experience from other kinds of sewing you do on your sewing machine. The feed dogs that move the fabric under the needle during ordinary sewing are dropped down out of the way, so you can move the fabric freely with your hands and "draw" machine quilting designs with the needle as if you were doodling on a sketch pad.

Newer sewing machines have a number of special settings designed to help you produce smooth, even free-motion quilting or embroidery stitches.

Seven Sewing Machine Settings for Free Motion Machine Quilting

Here are seven items to check before you start free motion quilting:

Drop the sewing machine’s feed dogs. If they can’t be dropped, you may be able to cover them with an index card or piece of cardboard.
Use your machine's walking foot, if you have one. Otherwise, put a darning or free-motion presser foot on the sewing machine. The ideal free-motion foot gives you a good view of the needle, so you can easily see the stitches as you make them.
If you have a needle-up/needle-down setting, set it to needle down. This means the sewing machine drops the needle into the fabric whenever you stop sewing, so you can stop and take a break without losing your place.
Set the stitch length to zero. When you free motion quilt, your hands and your sewing speed should control the length of the stitches. If your machine has a stitch regulator, though, turn it on. Stitch regulators keep the stitches at a constant length, no matter how fast or slowly you stitch and move the fabric.
If the sewing machine has a speed control button, set it at medium speed. If that turns out to be too fast or too slow, you can readjust. A speed control makes the machine sew at a constant speed, so you don’t need to worry about maintaining a consistent pressure on the foot pedal.
Test the thread tension by making a test run on a quilt sandwich scrap. Throw in a few curves to make sure your thread tension isn’t too loose or too tight. Free-motion quilting usually requires lowering the top thread tension. If little flecks of bobbin thread show up on the top of the fabric, the top thread tension is too high. Don’t be afraid to reduce it all the way to zero – you won’t hurt the machine.
Put in a new sewing machine needle. It's a good idea to do this at the beginning of every project. For free-motion quilting, a size 80/12, 90/14 or even 100/16 quilting, denim, or topstitch needle is usually strong enough to handle the added stress of going around curves without breaking or skipping stitches.

Optional (but Helpful) Preparations for Sewing Machine Quilting

I find that the weight of larger quilts or quilts backed with polar fleece really tends to make the quilt drag on the bed of my sewing machine. This can make free-motion quilting feel like a chore. Putting a Teflon-coated silicone sheet called Sew Slip II on the sewing machine bed makes the quilt sandwich slide much more freely over the quilting surface.

If you are quilting with the sewing machine set on a table top, a portable sewing extension table also helps support the weight of the quilt and keep it from dragging against the needle. Internet sewing machine suppliers such as Allbrands.com offer portable extension tables for many different brands of sewing machines.

With your machine set properly and the right attachments and accessories, you are now ready to try your hand at free-motion machine quilting.

Essential Machine Quilting Supplies. Quilting your own tops can save a lot of money and be artistically satisfying. Here are the sewing machine supplies needed to machine quilt your own handmade quilts.
Use Fabric Panels to Perfect Free-Motion Machine Quilting. Pre-printed fabric panels offer the perfect canvas for practicing free-motion machine quilting or free-motion embroidery designs and techniques.
Thread Breaking Troubleshooting Guide. A step-by-step guide to figuring out why sewing machine thread is breaking and solving the problem so you can get sewing again.