Originally Posted by rob529

I've not heard the term "frogging" before. I like that. Thank goodness your fingers weren't in the way when the lamp started to run your machine for you. We had a lab puppy, a huge lab puppy, who was very clingy. He would sew for me. Couldn't seem to stay off the peddle. Never got me either though.

Originally Posted by keesha_ont

Hubby bought me an Inspira frame and Pfaff grand quilter for Xmas. I have been practicing FMQ and am not too bad it. However, I just can't seem to get myself to load a quilt top on it as I'm afraid I'll mess it all up with my quilting. I have about 6 tops to quilt and they are screaming at me to get on the frame!! Could someone please tell me how to get over my fear of quilting these tops before the pile of tops increase significantly.

Originally Posted by omak

F alse
E xpectations
A ppearing
R eal
I can't tell you how often I have found myself stopped because of fear of failure - - only to finally decide that if I don't try, I will never succeed. And, then I find - - it wasn't as hard as the time of thinking had led me to believe. My imaginations (false expectations) had enlarged the task so far beyond reality that I then spent the next long amount of time beating myself up for being so easily intimidated.
What you want to do is: logical, legal, ethical, and moral ... therefore - - get to it! You have every reason to begin and no reason to hesitate.
I am not an artistic person, frankly, nor am I particularly creative, but I found that when I started I began to branch out - - further than I would have if I had never started. <wave>

Originally Posted by feline fanatic

I can so relate to your post. I just got my LA this summer. I had one practice sandwich loaded on it and quilted the bejeepers out of that practice piece. I tried all the things I wanted to do on a real quilt, stencils, panto, pebbling, spirals, animal doodles, fm flames, flowers, leaves and vines. By the time I got done with that one yard piece I was really chomping at the bit to load a real quilt top but I too was afraid I might ruin it. My solution was a top that had languished as a UFO for 10, yes I said 10, years. For a top to be a UFO that long I had finally come to the realization that I just didn't like it. So I figured what the heck, I don't like the top who cares if I ruin it. It turned out great! Quilting it made all the difference for me on that top. Still not crazy about the colors but not liking the top gave me the freedom to just go crazy on it and not worry about ruining it. That old UFO gave me tons of confidence and my intimidation of my LA is completely utterly gone. In fact I feel so confident I am quilting someone elses top right now and it is coming out great, well at least I think so. You always have that nagging feeling that your customer may not like it as good as you. Anyway if you don't have a top you don't care about start haunting your local thrift stores or good will. You would be surprised at how often an unfinished top turns up there. You just have to go for it. Here are pictures of that very first quilt I did on my LA. I am now on #3. You can do it and don't be afraid of ruining it. I am sure it will turn out great.