Hi all, I have just spent a happy afternoon quilting but have had to stop now as it is too dark to see in my sitting room. (Here in England we have just completed the annual ritual of "putting the clocks back" which means it gets dark an hour earlier :-( )

I wasn't happy to begin with, as my quilting wasn't going well. I am hopeless at sewing (so taking up quilting as a hobby is a little wild, lol) and the tension on my machine was playing up, and my stitch in the ditch wasn't quite in the ditch! But suddenly, midway through, the piece of patchwork started to look like a proper quilt. It's seems like there is a magic moment when your piece of work suddenly "plumps up" and starts to look like it is going to turn out OK! hurrah! Now I just have to figure out what to do with the borders and the binding.....

Keep trying and don't let your mistakes get you down! You can do it!

I know exactly what you mean.. I am fairly new to qilting and feel like giving up then.... magic, its going to be okay. Isn't it awful getting so dark early, I forgot to do my clocks until this afternoon.

We'll soon be turning our clocks back, too. I always like to finish projects because they usually do come out better than we expect. It seems like a long time until spring, at least in the northern hemisphere.

I do understand what you mean. I, for one, have always been one who can't get things straight or measure with accuracy. And what hobby do I pick?--Quilting!

It has forced me to be accurate and like you I feel so proud when a project actually takes shape. Honestly, though, it is a continual challenge...........(but I feel like I'm making progress)

I had the exact same thing. I'm making a quilt for my DGD and I really struggled with it. I really had to push myself to keep going. While I was stitching the final strips together, it was like a door opened and all of a sudden I could see the end! Only thing is, I have to make another one just like it for the other DGD!

When I was a beginner, I always found it was easier to stitch a quarter of an inch away from the ditch. You can use the width of your foot as a guide, and you don't fall off the edge!

Well good for you! Nice to hear! Post a picture when done.

good idea Lesley thank you. anything which makes quilting easier and therefore more fun is very welcome.. I have got so much help from this site. Thank you all

Welcome to a fellow Brit :-) My family used to go to Devon and Cornwall a lot for holidays when I was younger and it is such a beautiful part of the country.