:( I'm really sad sad and disappointed in myself....I think to date, I have made 12 or 13 quilts... and I have to say that at this point I just want to quit, give up and rid myself of my stash, 2 new sewing machines and longarm...Really, I just can't seem to not struggle with every quilt I make, it's either cutting, measuring, sewing to assembling the top to borders...it's just plain everything...who knew that quilting would be so frickin hard...I'm soooo disappointed in myself...That wolf song quilt is kinda like the straw that broke the camels back....I'm tired of things not measuring properly and going to together right....OOOOOOOOOOOOH just fed up....My fiance said what will you do, I said I'm going to go out and get a job...currently I don't work outside of the home as we are farmers and I work at home....I'm sure some of you have experienced this, but I don't have anyone close to help me....my closest person is over 2hrs away.....So once I get this Wolf Song finished...I'm seriously looking to set up a paypal account and sell it all of....
Thanks for letting me vent.......

Don't give up!!! Just set it aside, go to your stash and lovingly caress it, then pick out an "easy" pattern, pull some of the fabrics that just sing to you and whip up a nice lap quilt that will be just all about the fabrics, not the pattern. That will help you!! It does me.
I love to work with beautiful fabrics. Sometimes we just need to play with the ones we love and we get a sense of renewal!!

Take a deep breath. I understand how frustrated you are. We all get there. When you get this way nothing you try will work out no matter how easy it is. We defeat ourselves. What patterns have you been useing? Maybe you need to take a step back and pick a really accomodating pattern. Or perhaps you are just looking for perfection? Let me tell you there is no such thing. Give us a bit more info Please.

I like you have the same issues with cutting, does not matter what tool i buy to help me or how i do it, something is always wrong so lately i have been paper peicing with alot of success although I still have a few issues with cutting some fabs to big often i can use the other peices somewhere else. I have thought of giving up also but i still continue and at times I see blocks on ebay that i will purchase because i'm so bad other times my LQS will cut my strips for me I'm sorry for your fustration i share it also.
Sandra

I feel that you need a couple of weeks off to reflect.

You are pushing yourself too hard, this happens...believe me it has happened to me too.

Take a break and sleep well; within the next few days or weeks you will feel much better.

Then your work will be progressive.

Oh my, so sorry hear of your misery. Are you trying to quilt to sell them and make some extra income? I'm new to quilting and just sorta messing around at this point. I see such beautiful stuff and some real "works-of-art" and I don't think I have to talent, patience, time , etc to ever do that kind of quilting. But I keep at it because for me it's just enjoyable and relaxing. Such a shame that most of us are loving it and do it for pleasure and there you are having a terrible time. Wish I could help you feel better. Go ahead and vent some more if it helps! Sending good, happy wishes your way for better times ahead!

NO!!! YOU CANT GIVE UP!!!
Is there somewhere you can take some classes?? I love taking classes and you always learn something. Even experienced quilters are always learning. Sometimes its just something so slight that you could be doing causing your frustration. Also if possible, you may want to try to join a quilt group. I hope you can find someone to quilt with really, you'd probably enjoy it more. please hang in there...someday it will be better :wink:

This too shall pass! Give yourself a great big pat on the back for perseverence. Then give yourself a little time before you decide anything. You are too hard on yourself. Give yourself and the quilts a break and then maybe you will realise how much you have learned and how much you have achieved. (hugs)

While I hate to see anyone give up quilting...I also don't believe in spending a great deal of time doing something you don't love.

Have you taken any classes? I sure learned a lot in my couple of classes that took a lot of frustration out of the mix. Quilt University has some fantastic online classes that can give you some of the shortcuts that make things easier.

Plus - leverage the experience on this board every chance you get. If something doesn't measure right - ask the experts. They were fantastic in helping me get to accurate half - square triangles.

What made you decide to get into it in the first place?

Why don't you make a couple of really easy quilts for a child in crisis. The children don't check patterns and seams, they care about colors and texture. Sometimes I just sew together a bunch of 12 inch blocks, or grab a premade panel, and make a quickie--either envelope style or with binding. Then, while making the quilt picture in your mind a little boy running around his backyard with the quilt as a cape, or a little girl using the quilt as a tablecloth for her picnic. DO NOT think about your seams, if the colors are the right shade, etc. Relax and enjoy. That is what quilting is to me. If I attempted to make any of the quilts I've seen posted on here, I'd be on meds. Good luck, and check in with us in a couple of weeks.

Everyone has already given you such good advice I don’t have any new suggestions for you. Just wanted to 2nd a couple things.

I think you are being waaaaaay too hard on yourself. We quilters tend to see the goofs on our own quilts that others don’t see. I like the suggestion about making easy quilts for children in crisis. The children will love them.

Go back to the parts you enjoy and do that for awhile. In the beginning I couldn't make anything work properly. You wouldn't beleive the number of UFO's that I gave away because I just couldn't bear to look at them any longer.

My first attempt was a double wedding ring quilt... yes, all the knowledgeable people are quietly laughing at me right now.

Then I didn't pay attention to the bias lines on my templates because I could get more pieces from the fabric if I just lined them up...go figure, there's a reason for the bias edges helps with the easing around edges

and then I used sheets because that's what my grandmother said she did, but I negelected to trim off, or rip out the decorative pieces at the top of the sheet and only needed just a little bit more and it wouldn't matter.

And then I wasn't very good at cutting or sewing straight lines so my pieces sometimes didn't fit quite right.

Needless to say, it's sitting on the top shelf, I'm not sure it will ever be finished.

A few other disasters occurred. I made a quilt for my nephew and after the first wash there were a bunch of seams that needed to be fixed because my 1/4" seam wasn't quite 1/4". I had to fix that.

I made a photo quilt for my aunt and uncle's 60th wedding anniversary, fortunately they didn't try to wash it. My uncle framed it and then told me that the quilt wasn't square. He had to fiddle with it some to make look good in the frame.

I finally got better when I went back to basics, read a lot of books from the library, check out a lot of good videos on youtube and just listening to others and learning as you go.

Take a break if it's driving you crazy. And honestly, even now that I can make pretty decent tops I don't feel like I make them good enough to sale.

I agree that if we don't truly love or enjoy a hobby,it's fine to pursue another that we do,but that said,you may just be too hard on yourself! Choose something simple and use fabrics you love,get it completed and you'll feel wonderful!I promise you everyone can pick out many personal mistakes that others never see.I'm cheering you on!!

HUGS! Brenda you are not alone. Please don't sell everything off or you are likely to really regret it down the road.
Right now I suspect you need to take time off from trying to quilt. Go outside if the weather is getting springish there. Go watch movies you love, eat your favorite food, just do something that is totally unrelated to quilting.
More HUGS!!! Take a big breath and take a long break.
Kat

Quilting is just a pleasure craft for me, I really don't have any plans of trying to do this for a living....If you go to my blog and go to the archives starting in 2009...there is a few of my quilts....They may all look fine, but the trials and frustration that went into each and every quilt doesn't show.....thanks for listening......My Fiance' says I'm just having a moment, maybe he's right, then maybe not....The closest place to take classes is 1hr 30minutes away..... :-(

Please don't give up! I always have something go wrong with each quilt. I take is as a learning experience and go on from there. I have often made the same mistake more than once, several times in fact.

Maybe take a couple steps backward and make some really easy project to get your confidence back. Relearn the basics and you might find a step or two that you skipped at the beginning, thinking they weren't all that important at the time, or they didn't apply to what you were doing at the time. Now a couple of those beginner steps might make all the difference.

Use this board as a sounding board for each of your problems and I'm sure there will be 10 or 20 people with 10 or 20 different ideas on how to fix things.

Good luck!

I think you need a vacation. Set back with a glass of wine and stare out the window. Go see a good movie. Have dinner in town.


Close the door on the sewing and let it set for at least a week.

You sound just plain TIRED and need a rest.

Then I think you could go back to sewing and enjoy it.

Someone asked what made me get into quilting...The mother of an exboyfriend...She was a wonderful wonderful quilter plus she sewed clothes....I grew very very close to her and am still very close to her...she was my inspiration and still is....but unforunately, we live over 2 hrs away, so I don't get to see her very often and when we do meet it is usually in a coffee shop and do lots of show and tell....I love her to pieces for sure....maybe I will call her tonight.....

So with my current frustration with the wolf song quilt, I'm on the last borders that will be 5inches wide...I've read on this forum that some rip the borders....so in order to do that do I just measure 5inches, make a slice and then rip????I just want to finish this stupid quilt, thank heavens the person that is recieving this quilt isn't judgemental at all and just wants a homemade quilt....

Ripping the borders? I had never read that here. I have read when some fabric shops used to rip the yardage you bought. I would not take chances with ripping a border, I would cut my 5" strips then measure your completed center at the center for the border length measurements. I like to attach my side borders first so measure the length of the center of your quilt from the center (do not measure the edges). Cut your side borders to that measurement then pin them in place easing in any fullness.

Once those are on do the same for your top and bottom borders.

Good luck.

I agree ... don't give up. Given your geographic area, it could be SAD (that sunlight deprivation syndrome).

Suggest you either wait it out, or if you really do think it's technical in nature - go back to basics. Do some simple blocks in fabrics that you adore. 9 patch, simple sashed squares ... something that will give you confidence again.

Good luck.

If you are going to rip the borders, do not just make them 5 inches. I would make them more like 7 inches, then cut off 1 inch from each side to get rid of the raggedy edges.

A better solution would be to pull a thread to get very even edges that would be straight of grain. To see my tutorial on this method see: http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-114232-1.htm

Using this method, you will not waste the torn edges. It may be a bit more time consuming, but it will be much better for the edges of your fabric, and you won't have to cut any waste off.

You are just having a moment...as you've read we all have them. Sometimes they last just a few hours and other times, well it is more like months. I agree go to something simple, children's charity quilts are a good idea. If quilting is truly something you love, it will all come back in time. Don't be so hard on yourself right now. Take a rest, breathe and just let it go for the time being. Most of us have plenty of quilts full of blood, sweat and tears on top of frustration. I think it is all part of being creative!

Brenda, it's been a loooooong winter. Wait 6 months before you decide to get rid of anything. This past winter has made most Canadians plain nuts. I speak from experience. LOL

Maybe if you allow yourself to NOT be perfect, you'll enjoy it more. Take a break but don't sell off your stuff until you're 100% certain.

Don't give up, sounds like you need a break from quilting and another idea is to start a pda and have others to help you online here on this board, post your ? and concerns and others can help you

You have invested to much time and $$$ to just give it away.

Hang in there!

Craftybear

Oh, please don't give up!
I've been known to 'burn out' on quilting every now and then and back away for a few months. My last patch lasted more than 3 years, so when I finally got that 'excited' feeling when looking at my fabric, I knew it was time to jump back in again.
I equate it to writer's block...kind of.
The urge will return, problems and all, when it's time! :) Just take a break and a deep breath for now. I'm betting you'll be missing it in no time.

Perhaps you can start a small group where you are and there might be an instructor willing to come to you.

Please know we are all sending you great big hugs.....and that we know your pain and frustration....and just smile and take a breath, it will get better.

I would stop trying to make things fit neatly inside the lines. Sounds like free form piecing is perfect for you. Throw away the rule book and start having fun and enjoy the process.

Dear Brenda,

I can totally relate. I've made about 500 quilts and there are some of them that would scare wild cattle. Even tho I consider myself somewhat skilled, I still have days where I just want to scream. When that happens I unplug my iron and just back away from the machine. There's no better medicine for me.

Now if you're questioning your passion for quilting that may be another story. I think passionate quilters will often go to bed thinking about their next project and run over their stash in their heads a million times. They look at fabrics on line until their butts go numb. If you go to sleep thinking about quilting, wake up wanting to head for your sewing machine, and go nuts over all the wonderful fabrics out today, I would advise you to just take a little break and come back to it later.

My husband is also a quilter and he absolutely goes insane when he has trouble with a quilt. His method of shaking the cobwebs out is a little different than mine. This is what he does: When he decides that the project is no longer worth doing, he pulls out a kazoo, takes the project out in the garage, plays kazoo "taps" at the trashcan and gives the project a decent burial. Then he comes back in the house and says out loud "it never happened". From there he starts another project because he felt he brought closure to his last project in a respectful way and it's all behind him now. LOL!!!!

I guess the point is, we all have a different way of coping with a bad quilting experience.

Thanks for sharing your frustrations with us. I am glad to know I am in good company.

Mary

Hang in there, take pictures when your stuck and I'm sure someone on the board has a suggestion to help get you thru it. Set the hard one aside and go for a quick and easy, feel the satisfaction of getting something done, breath smile, it suppose to be fun!!

Just checking your blog and you have made some beautiful quilts. And so many in a short period of time. Like so many have said, take a break, don't sell your supplies and just relax a little ( I know you did in Hawaii) but I think a little break will bring you back into the fold. {{{HUGS)))

Brenda, just walk away from it for awhile. You have the stash and the machines and supplies. I can promise you that if you sell it all, you will probably regret it down the road. Try easier projects - think about starting off as a beginner. It just may get you back on track - and you are not alone - you have us!!

Hi Btiny. Sorry to hear of your aggravation..... if anyone has been quilting very long and is honest... we all have our moments of utter frustration!

I totally agree with the advice from charity-crafter. When I first began quilting, I could very easily jump into a project that was wayyyyyy over my head. At that time, I did not know anyone who lived close to me that quilted.... so I was on my own and on a one way path to major frustration.

Also, after reading your recent posts regarding the lady who is your inspiration...... perhaps you are being way too hard on yourself by setting your expectations to be equal to her level?? Just a thought.

Take some time off and step away for a few days and give yourself some time to just relax. If you love it, you will be drawn back to it with a renewed passion.

Best wishes!!!

I have never taken a class and I make "artistic" changes aka errors frequently but everyone loves the quilts I make. We are our own harshest critics! I quilt for the relaxing space it puts me in, I hate the basting - the spray makes it easier. I try to work on something with each quilt to try and "perfect" a technique and will repeat a quilt to try and get it right. Even a beautiful "persian" rug has a purposeful mistake because we are all human. Relax and give yourself a hug. Maybe it is being from Saskatchewan that makes us (I was born in Moose Jaw) want to do the best that we can.
Keep up the beautiful work!

I think you must be a 'contemporary' quilter - or have a look at the "Gee's Bend" quilts - not 'perfect' seams, but celebrating colour and loving the fabric.

Try some 'wonky' designs!

Is there a guild near you? You may find mentors with them - or at fellowship with quilters, and often - inspiration.

But I also find that even though I never lose the passion for quilting, there are lots of period where I just can't get myself to the machine.

Hang in there, Friend! I agree with everyone when they say it sounds like you need a little break. I've had many moments like this as well. My last one was with my quilting. I bought tons of stencils (at Joanns using coupons)with big dreams of the beautiful and innovative designs I would quilt. The first one was a disaster! So were many, many more. I spent more time ripping out stitches than I ever did doing the piecing.

I decided that I had enough and put them all in a bag to be sold. I did sell a couple to test if people would really want them. They did. Then winter came and I didn't do anymore sales

Then I had a short hiatus from quilting. When I came back I did some basic outline quilting and it went pretty well. I decided that I would try adesign in the border instead of just random squiggles. I bought another stencil (should have used something I already had but I wanted a little retail rush) and got to work. Night and day! I took my time and it came out great. Now I am so glad that I didn't get rid of my stencils. I can see so much more possiblity in them now. And I could never replace them for what I paid. Especially with money the way it is for us now.

Give yourself sometime to step away from everything. Especially now that Spring is trying to get here. I think you'll find yourself refreshed and renewed and so happy that you didn't give up your gear!

Peace!

Make something simple where seam and meeting points don't count. A string quilt fits the bill perfectly. Here's instructions for string blocks, you can use any color for the center you want. May in Jersey

http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/MKLBTeW...StringsRed.pdf

I totally cracked up over Mary's comment that some of her quilts would "scare wild cattle" hahahahahah

I love the idea of calling your ex's Mom.

And I also have been in your shoes. I've looked around at all my things related to quilting and thought of just giving it all up.

I hope you do what works for you. You're the only one who knows the answer ultimately. The answer for me was and still is to walk away sometimes or do something easy and brainless.

HUGS,
Sue