Jump in there and get your feet wet girl! I found a great quote this weekend that is going to be my mantra for this year ~
Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”-- Neil Gaiman

Mistakes are how we learn..and learning leads to Love..and you DO Love your quilting? Right? =)

I completely understand your fear. If you are concerned about ruining your quilts... start with a small simple project that you have not invested a lot of time making. Table runners, placemats, lap quilts or baby quilts are a good place to begin. Confidence comes with practice. Google "free motion quilt tutorials" or check out youtube for inspiration. Don't expect perfection, just do the best that you can. Everyone has to start somewhere. Just relax and enjoy it.

Little Gracie
 

I win! I've had mine for two years and turned it on twice. Sigh! It is intimidating to me. I thought I'd be "smart" and loaded a whole bunch of warm and natural on it so I didn't have to reload too often. Shouldn't have done that as far as I'm concerned. Such a waste of money sitting there. I love the idea of it, but I wish I hadn 't spent the money on it. Sigh! Good luck and I hope your braver than me.

I agree! I got a juki and frame around 1st of dec and it's still in the box. Really need to take the time to learn how to use it!!!

The Juki is a joy to sew with, on or off a frame! I have a Tin Lizzie, four years now, and I don't use it as often as I should, maybe 10 small quilts each year. Everytime I do use it, I kick myself for not doing it more often because it is so much fun! I even try to do stuff after watching a Sharon Schamber video and can come sort of close to what hers look like (if you squint from 10 feet away!). I've given my muslin practice pieces to the dog shelter and our own dog has an impressive number of quilts, but they are like practice sketch books. Every drawing you make doesn't turn out to be a masterpiece, but you will see progress as you go.

People, people, people...it seems that we are all related!! When I got my long-arm it sat for at least 3 months because I was terrified of it. My advice is to jump in and quilt. Get some cheap fabric, make a sandwich and go for it. If you mess up, big deal, it's only fabric. But keep your first piece and look at it in a month, 6 months and a year..you will be so thrilled with your learning progess. And RELAX! Have fun and enjoy yourself..you can do this!

I agree, just take some fabric you don't care about or just some plain muslin (I recycled some old curtains we took down), make a sandwich and just start playing. You can find ideas for stitch samplers on line I'm sure (there was a class included when I bought my LA). Then you could even use the completed sandwiches for pet quilts or as a machine cover (my dealer takes the ones they use for class demos and packs the machines for deliveries (they reuse them until they wear out).

I was that way with my new machine when I got it I was afraid I would wreck it somehow. The lady at the store said just use it that I could not possibly wreck it. But yes I know the scared filling.

OK ! What is the difference between a mid-arm and a long-arm machine. I would like to buy a quilting machine but have no idea what to buy and then there is ...... mid- arm and long- arm to consider too!!!

Try watching some of the many, many videos on YouTube. It might just get the creative juices flowing.