Honey

Years ago I made "quilts". When I look at them now I think OMG :!: :!: but at the time they served the basic purpose. When I decided that I really wanted to quilt, I took a class and it made all the difference and I have been learning every since. The owner of our LQS has been wonderful about giving tips. I also joined a quilt group and found that more heads are better than one. We bounce ideas off of each other all of the time. I also agree that the 1/4" rule is imperative and pressing and squareing each block as you go makes all of the difference. The blocks just go together so much easier. I also pin everything. It keeps the fabric from sliding even that little bit. But first and foremost, don't give up on yourself. We are always our own worst critics and whatever you make, it will be filled with love.

medots

Karen I have found that Starching the fabric and accurate cutting are a big part in piecing. Keep practicing

Linsoblu

Hey I still have times when things don't turn out right and I've been quilting now for 5 years. Just keep going best thing I did was join a quilters guild in my town they have been great at showing me how to get things better, plus this website is great too. Hang in there

mollyoldham

i'm discouraged as well with the sid process. since that is supposed to be the easiest way to machine quilt, i feel really dumb. perhaps some of you wonderful quilters can give me a tip or two. my problem is when when i sid sashings, where they meet is all wonker-jawed. how can that be eliminated? i just love all the encouragement you guys offer!
molly oldham

hereca622

I think that you have been given all the advice that I would give you, so I won't repeat. I had rotator cuff surgery January 2007 and was told that it would take about 1 1/2 years to get over it. I had arm and hand therapy. I did not quilt for about 8 months afterwards. I feel like it took closer to 2 years to really feel normal. Don't give up, if you love to quilt. It will get better. You could try the friction dots that go on the bottom of your ruler to help with sliding and always use good lighting when cutting and sewing.

Roberta

Don't give up. I've been quilting about five years and still don't seem to have the knack of it all. My latest one I just finished was supposed to be 10" squares. No two blocks were the same size so I just trimmed them all down to 6 1/2" and sewed them together and it worked. :oops:

hereca622

Molly,
I am going to take a stab at this. It could be in your ironing. You usually SID on the side of the seam that does not have the fabric bulk. Maybe, you need to make sure that your sashing strips are all ironed in the same direction (All seams ironed toward sashing strips or all ironed away from sashing strips).

Hope that this helps,
Helen

Chele

I've found that practice and not being too hard on myself are the best remedies for discouragement. Quilts shouldn't be perfect. If I ever make something perfect, I'm quitting! LOL! :roll:

burnsk

That reminded me of me - I bought serger and it sat in its box for a year. I was too intimidated too take it out. But I can take a computer apart, build one from scratch, replace parts, fix parts, but was intimidated by that darn serger. Finally got over it when I took a class with Linda Lee and I had more fun than I ever imagined. Now I love it.

Check with your local Sr. Center and see if they have a quilting group. You don't have to be a Sr. to join and the ladies that meet usually have years of experience and are so glad to share and help. Also, some church's have quilt groups that meet and you don't always have to be a church member to meet with them - sometimes it's just that they have a place to meet.

trolley station

DO NOT GIVE UP.....Try a very simple four patch first. I have been quilting for 20+ years and still have problems with quilt-as-you-go. Do something small and tie it instead of quilt as you go. A tablerunner, table pad or placemats. You will get a lot of satisfaction finishing one small item. I still use this trick when I a really fed up with a large project I am working on. Please let us know how you do in the future.