Oooof. My butt hurts.

That might be a leeetle TOO much information for ya 😆

I’m working through a 90-day program by Action Jacqelyn called Barre Definition. As the name suggests, it’s based on dance moves and the goal is strength and definition. (As in…could someone please define my biceps?? I’d be so grateful). I just completed Day 27, and yeah, the butt and the rib cage are giving me twinges.

This is the first in a series of programs she offers, and she tells us again and again, nearly every day, that even as a beginner, strength is built by doing movements slowly.

In fact, she goes so far as to say that we tend to do reps quickly to compensate for the fact that we don’t have enough strength to complete them with control and grace.

You know where I’m going with this, don’t you? 

At quilt shows I see all kinds of folks stepping up to try out a longarm machine, and from fledgling to full-on-expert, the tendency is to race! Zoom, zoom, zoom, with great sweeping strokes! 

I’ve done the same thing, believe me. Somehow I felt like the faster I could go, obvs the better quilter I was.

But over time, I’ve learned I have better control of my machine when I drive at a controlled pace…always, always in complete control of every movement. 

Centrifugal force is a wonderful thing – it can feel like a big help to swing around those curves – but when I rely on that to swing my machine, I simply don’t have the intricate control I really want. As Jacquelyn says in my workouts – it becomes a compensation when true strength or control are beyond me.

The solution? Well, for the workout it’s long and slow moves; being fully conscious of all the intricacies of the movements, and being in total control of all body parts at all times.

Free Motion Quilting with Grace

And for us machine quilters it’s basically the same solution. Slow down the movements and be conscious of every one.

Here’s my challenge to you – can you practice that level of awareness in your quilting? 

Slowing down enough to be completely in charge of your machine (or fabric) movements? 

Not relying on the “swing” to get around curves, but cultivating slow smoothness and control?

Let me know your results! Let me know if you find the deliberate slow-down to increase your control. I expect, like exercising, it’ll take some repetition.

The strength and control have to grow, and it takes time. Much like my biceps.