5 Tips for Practicing Machine Quilting (Without Losing Your Mind)
Back in January at Road to California, I had a conversation that stuck with me. A woman came up to the booth, clearly discouraged. She had just taken a quilting class, and instead of feeling inspired, she felt defeated. Her teacher had told her that if she wanted to become proficient, she needed to practice at least an hour a day. Her reaction? “I guess I might as well give up.”
Not because she didn’t care. Not because she didn’t want to improve. But because an hour a day felt impossible. Between life, responsibilities, and the physical strain on her shoulders and arms, it just wasn’t realistic. Then she asked me if I agreed. My answer?
Yes. No. Maybe.
What Does “Proficient” Even Mean?
Before we talk about how to practice, we need to talk about why.
What are you actually trying to accomplish?
I love Japan. It’s my happy place. And because I believe you shouldn’t expect other countries to accommodate you, I’ve been trying to learn Japanese. For three years!
Now, if I had studied an hour a day for those three years, I’d probably be able to conjugate verbs, build proper sentences, and hold a decent conversation. Instead? I study maybe an hour or two a week, if I’m lucky. So what can I do?
- Ask where the bathroom is
- Find out how much something costs
- Order another sake
In other words… the essentials. And honestly? I’m perfectly fine with that. So I asked her:
Do you want to be fluent?
Do you want to get by?
Or do you want to land somewhere in between?
Because not everyone needs to be an expert quilter. If you’re having fun, you’re already doing it right. That said, if you do want to improve, there are ways to make the time you have count.
Here are five practical, stress-free ways to practice machine quilting more effectively.
1. You Don’t Need a “Real Quilt”
Let’s start with the biggest misconception.
You do not need to practice on a full quilt sandwich.
Fabric is expensive. Batting is expensive. And loading a quilt just to “practice” can feel wasteful.
Instead, use felt. I get mine from Hobby Lobby.
- It comes in wide widths (up to 72”)
- It’s inexpensive (often under $5 a yard)
- You only need one layer
Load it on your longarm just like backing fabric. No batting. No top.
Is your tension going to be perfect? No.
Is it going to be good enough to practice? Absolutely.
If you’re working on a domestic machine, same idea. Just a single layer under the needle.
Bonus:
- Use light-colored felt later as batting
- Or donate it to an animal shelter for bedding
Practice without pressure or waste. That’s a win.
2. Give Yourself Guidelines
One of the biggest reasons quilting looks “off” isn’t skill. It’s scale. When people are learning, they tend to make their designs too big. It feels easier at first, but it actually makes things harder:
- Curves get wobbly
- Lines get uneven
- The design looks out of proportion
The fix is simple. Draw 10–12 inch squares on your practice piece. Then quilt a different design inside each square.
This does a few important things:
- Gives you a defined space to work in
- Helps you learn proper scale
- Builds consistency
When you move to a real quilt, your piecing can function as your guideline. Bonus: When you do this, you don’t have to mark!
You’re no longer guessing. You’re quilting with intention.
(Want more info about this? Check out my ebook/book Stress Free Quilting™ Quilt as Desired: I got it Pieced, Now What?)
3. Quilt, Don’t Just Draw
This might ruffle a few feathers, but here it is: Drawing is not quilting.
Yes, drawing can help you understand a design path. But the physical motion of drawing with a pencil is completely different from moving a quilt under a needle or guiding a longarm.
Different muscles. Different resistance. Different coordination.
I hear this all the time: “I don’t understand why I can’t quilt this. I draw all the time.”
So I ask: “How often do you quilt?”
Answer: “Not often… but I draw a lot.”
There’s the problem.
If you want to get better at quilting, you need to quilt!
No Machine? Try This Instead
If you don’t have access to your machine as often as you’d like, try this:
- Print or find a quilting design
- Place a piece of clear plastic over it
- Put a small dot in the center of the plastic
- Rest your hands on the plastic like you would on your quilt
- Move the plastic to “trace” the design using the dot
It’s not perfect. There’s no resistance. But it mimics the feel of quilting far better than drawing ever will.
4. Use Panels for Practice
Cheap printed panels are great for practice. I like the ones designed for children. I use a monopoly or blending thread and outline and add details to the panel to make it look pieced.
This kind of practice builds multiple skills at once:
- Following lines accurately
- Creating smooth curves
- Scaling background fillers
Maintaining even quilting density
And when you’re done? You’ve made something usable. Gift it. Donate it. Give it to a child.
Organizations like Project Linus are always looking for quilts.
So instead of practicing and tossing your work aside, you’re creating something meaningful.
5. The 80/20 Rule
This one is a game changer. When people start quilting, they often try to learn everything at once. New filler. New motif. New layout. New technique. It’s overwhelming. Instead, follow this:
80% familiar. 20% new.
Use designs you already know for most of the quilt. Then introduce something new in the remaining 20%.
This approach:
Builds confidence
Reduces frustration
Encourages steady growth
You’re not drowning in new information. You’re expanding your skills one step at a time.
And that’s how real progress happens.
A Final Thought: You Get to Decide What “Good” Looks Like
That conversation at Road to California wasn’t really about practice time. It was about expectations. There’s this idea floating around that if you’re not practicing constantly, pushing yourself daily, or striving for perfection, you’re somehow falling short. That’s simply not true.
You get to decide:
- How much time you want to spend
- What level of skill you’re aiming for
What brings you joy
If you want to quilt an hour a day and master every technique, go for it.
If you want to quilt when you can, enjoy the process, and make things you love, that’s just as valid. The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is to keep quilting. So use felt. Draw some squares. Quilt instead of just sketching. Play with panels. Try something new without overwhelming yourself.
And most importantly? Make it stress free.
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I love your suggestions. I’ve been practicing by quilting charity quilts (top made by others), practice panels, and just trying out new border (or block designs) on each of my own quilts as I do them. The last thing I quilted was a tree skirt…bought the completed top at a garage sale for $1, and custom quilted it. You’re absolutely right that you need to actually quilt to get better. Drawing can only help so much.
Thanks, so glad you like them.
AWESOME POST! So much good info here. I have been practicing. I tried the cheapest batting and the BSR shines through it. I am heading out for felt now!
I use the method of tracing with clear plastic and it has been a game changer. I bought a couple of panels, too.
Thank, so glad you liked it. Let me know how it goes with the felt.
Spectacular post Kris! Your perspective is just what every beginner needs.
Thanks Joy. Glad you liked it.
Great suggestions, Kris. I make quilts for donation, and quilt on a domestic machine. Probably very few of the premmie babies, the kids in wheelchairs or the seniors in aged care facilities are experienced quilt judges. They will enjoy the quilts for the warmth, the fabrics and the patterns. Slowly but surely my skills are increasing. Learning by doing is surely the best way.
Thanks so glad you liked them. You are quite right. The people that get them don’t care about any imperfections. Keep up the good work. 🙂
All these suggestions are spot on. I finally got beautiful feathers on my last quilt. They are even, curve correctly and fit the space I needed filled. Lots to still improve on, but all in time. Thanks for all your encourgement.
Glad you like them. I’m sure your feathers are beautiful. Happy Quilting
Not sure that I can add anything to the above comments that hasn’t already been said. Kris’s book is great and I have found it very useful for ideas. If you ever get a chance to take a class from Kris in person, do it. She makes it fun. Advice she gave in a class that has helped me not have a melt down, “if you make a mistake, do it a couple more times throughout the quilt and then it looks intentional”. I have tested that theory several times (LOL). It works.
Thank you so much for all your kind words. So glad you liked my class and book. Hope to see you again sometime soon.