I seem to get a lot of answers from this wonderful board and I hope yall do not mind my questions about your style. I don't know anyone who quilts and I find the community here wonderful and helpful. A lot of my questions are questions I ask my self - is this the only way or are there better ways and you all give me great hope of one day being a good quilter. Anyway-- My question is....

Do you stick to a handful of blocks or are you always trying new blocks, new techniques, and new patterns.

I made 2 baby quilts (tied, no batting or binding) when I was starting out, and then I did an Irish chain. The Irish Chain seem to make itself and just flowed and so I made another Irish Chain and added a Block with the Initial of the baby I was making it for again it just flowed. Now I am working on a quilt "Let’s play baseball". Ok it did not flow. I have one boarder left and it has been sitting there for a week. I just can't seem to get to it...

So do you have a favorite block/pattern that you seem to go back to over and over or are you always trying something new??

Sorry I was wordy...


Hapy Quilting,
G

Over the years, (as I have quilted a long time) ihave tried many techniques. Applique, hand piecing, hand quilting, tieing my quilts, and everything in between. But to answer your question, I sometimes get hooked on a pattern and make many of the same using different colors. The one that comes to mind is the Bargello Heart. I have made about seven of them in various colors and sizes. All have been sent to the long armer to be quilted. Its always fun to try different patterns and ideas and some will become UFO;s cause for some reason you can't explain you just don't want to finish them. Marge

some blocks ... like rail fence, log cabin, and irish chains ... are so convenient when you need to get something done fast that it's hard to "retire" them. others i've used were such a huge pain in the sit-on-it to assemble that i'd rather stick a fork in my eye than repeat the experience. :shock: :lol:

in between are the blocks that work and play so well with others ... like classic star blocks, that i use them over and over in combination with new blocks. it doesn't feel as though i'm repeating myself. it's also easy to take a classic block and give it a whole "new" look by throwing in minor variations.

there are many hundreds of different blocks in the public domain alone. i try hard to use something "new" in every quilt because i want to try everything someday.

add the different styles, such as applique and all the different ways to do that, and i have a list so long i'll never live long enough to get to all of them. :lol:

p.s. as you can see, i have no personal objection to "wordy" posts. :lol:

I try something new with every quilt that I make. I'm still so new to quilting that I feel like I'm still trying to "find" my own style. I like to learn new things and challenge myself with every project. (otherwise I get bored)...some I do like more than others, but I like that I learn to do something new every time.

I'm still new to quilting and with the exception of the quilts I've donated, I try to do a new block for every new quilt. But whatever works best for you, is what you want to do.

There are a few patterns that I would like to one day make another quilt from, but there are so many new ones that I want to make that I have yet to start repeating them. Too many patterns, so little time!!! :D

G,

I have been at this a long time. What I like most about quilting is the hand quilting part. I have done all of the rest, blocks, applique, paper peicing etc. etc. I have mastered relatively well every method but I am happiest when I am handquitling a wholecloth item or a cheater's panel. I find that I tend to zone out when it is necessary to do the tedious parts of quilting like cutting, basting and ironing. As a woman there are a lot of things I do in that manor. As a child I hated housework, dishes etc. I have learned to do eveything even the unpleasant tasks like cleaning up after a sick child or animal with my mind kind of tuned out. I love the feel of soft beautiful fabric and enjoy collecting. I have more fabric for more projects than I will live to complete. I am going shopping today to get more storage for my collection.
I like to have somekind of handwork usually quilting when I watch TV. I wish I could read while I do handwork as it is my second love.

My advice is to figure out what part of quilting you like best, perfect that skill and do as much of the other things as it takes to get you there. Sometimes I am amazed at what I have accomplished one minute at a time.

I find that I get truly bored with a quilt if I have to use the same block throughout, so I guess I'm a sampler type quilter. The LeMoyne Star is my all time favorite block and will use on occassion, but now I am into designing my own blocks and rarely will use a pattern.

I like a challenge so I don't get bored with it so I try to do something new.

Have you tried audiobooks? It's hard to concentrate on a book while cutting or sewing blocks (machine noise gets in the way), but listening while hand quilting would work really well. I listen to some of my favorite audiobooks over and over again.