Quilt in a Day Forums

I too, have done it both ways, after recently hearing about this. I like doing it with them up, lots more control & my stitching looks nicer. I use the free motion foot when doing this way too...works for me & how about on some older, or less expensive machines, where you can't lower the feed dogs, now we don't have to worry about it! I would say, try it both ways, on the machine you have, & see what you think....

If you can't put your feed dogs down, you can punch a hole in a thin piece of cardboard, put the hole over your hole in your throatplate of your machine, and tape the sides of the cardboard down. This will keep your feed dogs from moving your fabric in the wrong direction. Some of the older machines and even some of the newer machines come with a throat plate cover to put over the feed dogs to cover them when free motion quilting.

Sewbug, I too have been wondering about this... I've never yet used free motion quilting on a real quilt, but have made a few practice pieces, and also found that I liked it better with the feed dogs up (and a darning foot).

I've tried to figure out why, because it really doesn't make sense to me, and the only guess I have is that when the feed dogs move up and down, even if the stitch length is set to 0, it gives a slight, tiny, indication of when to move the fabric. It is the only theory I have so far...

I seem to have more control over my quilt with the feed dogs up than with the feed dogs down - I get better results

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the feed dogs up does not hinder the movement one little bit - in fact I swear it gives me more control and that is so necessary for the type of quilts I put on my small machine they are art quilts with multiple media - I was leaving the feed dogs up though long before I got my long arm - try it you may find you love it and if your machine is like mine you will no longer have to lift it up to switch the feed dogs

It is sounding like feed dogs up or down, depends on what is working best for your situation....and that it ok either way as long as the stitches are not distorted. I just read that you should put your stitch length at 0....but that doesn't make any difference if you are the one with the foot pedal and are the one moving the fabric....have also heard of some quilter's using a zig-zag stitch for free-motion quilting when they are doing artsy design work...I think I will stop reading books and just try new ways and methods...then if it works, I will write a book!!

on my small machine I will on occasion set it to zig zag it give a wonderful effect in the quilting -