The FMQ tip that noone tells you

I intended on blogging this a while ago, but I kept forgetting to share my secret with you.

Now, I AM NO professional, and my free motion quilting (FMQ) still needs plenty of practice before I go giving out other tips, but when I began using MS paint to draw with the mouse at about 5 or 6 years old*, I quickly realised something:
I had better control whilst drawing in one direction than another. I mean for example, from top left to bottom right is easier to control than trying to click and drag from bottom right to top left.
So where possible when drawing, you'll get better results if you begin at your best point and end at the other end.

I believe this principle can be useful when FMQ because you're going to find you're better with some directions than you are with others.
It might not have to do with how your palm sits on the mousepad, but it may have to do with being able to see your quilt moving away from you, rather than guessing what shape you're making behind the needle.

I tend to have a think about this at three different times:

1. When nearing a corner or part that might stand out (near an edge or a centre)
2. When you've just stopped for a second to scratch your nose and you're about to restart
3. When choosing how your pattern will go. I mean, that chick on youtube smashed those shadowed hearts out like "nobody's business" but if you quilt them upside down (IE your whole quilt upside down so they end up the right way up) are you going to have better rounded peaks at the top and cut your losses with the points at the bottom being hard to visually follow?

Just a thought I wanted to share...

Have you come across this before? Have you discovered this yourself? What other rare tip have you heard?

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*I remember computers BEFORE they had a mouse. Yes, really. The F1 - F12 keys were our saviour in Norton commander! Short live the 5" floppy hehe.

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