Suggestions?

**quiltjoey** · 10-28-2014, 04:45 PM

Hi Dreaming: I agree with all who have replied to your situation. I'm wondering what happened to you 2-3 years ago (not that you need share with the board) but it seems something may have triggered your loss of desire to quilt. Perhaps a major depression has set in on you and you may not realize it. Sometimes we don't see what's happening to us or we deny it. Please check with your doctor and make sure that is not the issue.
Perhaps you have changed paths in your life and will find you maybe on a new journey.
I'm also wondering about your Mom and if she is still quilting or lives near? I hope all is well in that area.

I have a friend who makes mostly tops and doesn't quilt them or have them quilt as she likes piecing. I like doing my quilting (not queen or king size) quilts. I just do a little at at time and don't put myself on a deadline. I had enough of those when I was working. I find my energy level is a lot lower and slower now so I have to make myself not do as much or I will burn out quickly.
I have way more fabrics than I'll ever use and it can get overwhelming to me. It kinda reminds me that my time on this planet is limited and I better get busy doing something.
Please let us know on the board if you find yourself re-motivated or not as to what you have decided to do. I find myself worrying about people on the board with different situations they have posted and we never hear what they finally decide and that may of course be beyond their control...
Concerned,
quiltjoey....

**LindaM** · 10-26-2014, 07:40 PM

Before I got my longarm, I used decorative stitches in straight lines with my walking foot on my quilts. Finished lots this way!

You may also be overwhelmed by the fabric ... do you have it sorted nicely into projects or colourways? Is it easy to see / find what you want to work with? Maybe a step to pique your interest is working with your stash a bit to 'find' groupings you want to put together into a quilt?

I also agree with the posters suggesting to find a guild or group or cause - working with others who are passionate and enthusiastic is wonderful!

**Onebyone** · 10-26-2014, 07:57 PM

I started machine quilting on my own. I didn't try to be as good as anyone. I did it the way it worked for me. My first quilts were messy with tucks and puckers but that didn't discourage me. I learned about thread and needle size by trial and error not by a book or class. The only way to improve your machine quilting is to do it. Let the bad work be bad work and just keep on going.

**quiltingcandy** · 10-26-2014, 08:05 PM

I have to admit that I do have trouble completing a quilt because I can't visualize it when it is done and begin not liking my color choices or my the pattern - it happens with almost every quilt! I am working on one now with embroidered patches that I will be sending to an LA to quilt because I want it done looking better than I can do on my DSM. I hope to finish it this month since I would like it done before Christmas.

Is your mother still quilting? My mom quit sewing over 40 years ago, she was going to make an outfit for my daughter 30 years ago. She bought the pattern, the fabric, thread and buttons. It never got done, she sent it all to me and I ended up using the fabric for the back of a quilt for my daughter. The rest went to Goodwill. When she gave it to me, she said she finally decided that she really liked looking at patterns and she loved to buy the fabric but she just didn't like the sewing. It didn't help that she didn't have a table to put up for cutting out the pattern and she wasn't able to crawl around on the floor anymore. She had a neighbor that sewed clothing for her missionaries well into 90's. So my mom had the inspiration but never got past that. She was thrilled when I said I wanted her Singer - it gave her an excuse she was no longer able to sew. It was too bad, she really was quite good. But she had CTS and when that would act up, it took her a week to make the flare-up subside.

So don't beat yourself up - just don't get rid of all your fabric until you are totally sure.

**Neesie** · 10-26-2014, 08:12 PM

I just do straight line quilting and though they aren't fancy, my quilts are still warm and cozy. Since being introduced to basting with Elmer's School Glue, the actual quilting part is almost fun . . . and not at all intimidating! I use Warm & Natural/White batting, which simplifies it even further.

**Jan in VA** · 10-26-2014, 08:45 PM

I've gone through these extended 'sabbaticals' twice in 30+ years and continue to comee back to quilting.
A few things that have restarted me:
*joining a new guild
*finding a community/charity quilt/sewing group
*taking on a massive project (for me it was initiating the Military Barracks Quilt Project here 4 years ago that sent 128 quilts to 1 battalion in Afghanistan)
*having to pack up my sewing space and move to a new state/apartment/house
*needing a bedsize quilt for my own bed in a new, colder, location
*finding, without searching, the 'perfect' table for inserting my machine down into it and it was long enough for cutting and basting as well

Jan in VA

**Vicki1212** · 10-26-2014, 11:28 PM

I'm a new quilter and only quilt with a machine, it's super easy! My motivation comes from Google. I love modern quilts so I pick a colour, for example blue. Then I google 'modern blue quilts' and browse through the hundreds of results. Without fail, I will see one I really love and that will inspire me to want to make one of my own. Modern quilt patterns are great to start with as they are not as daunting. Complicated patterns can quickly become very discouraging.

I started by taking six beginner classes for machine quilting to learn all the techniques. They are really easy to do once you have been taught and you will be amazed at what you can accomplish. (Online classes don't work for me as I can never commit to finishing once I have started.)

Other quilters are definitely excellent motivators so if you can quilt in a group, that would be great. I have quilted all my own tops with a DSM too, using straight line quilting, with awesome results. What about 'quilting as you go' if you want to do FMQ? I haven't tried this but have seen some amazing work.

Good luck! I hope you wake up tomorrow and find your motivation waiting for you at the foot of your bed

! If you do, stitch it to your side so that it can never get away!

**luana** · 10-27-2014, 04:09 AM

Dreaming, my suggestion is to try to decide the "what and why" of why YOU like to quilt. I do charity quilts, I quilt on my domestic machine and it's a lot of straight line quilting with my walking foot. I too have taken lots of Crafty classes and I have learned so much from them. My quilts will never be show-stoppers nor will they be in competitions, they will not be stretched out flat for the critical eye. They will be crumpled, wadded, and loved. That's why I quilt! I love to look at show quilts, I admire the work of the artisans, I marvel at their skills, but all of that will not keep me from feeling the satisfaction of making my own humble quilts. Hope you find your way back to the joy of quilting.

**cathyvv** · 10-28-2014, 08:13 PM

Are we twins, separated at birth and maybe a few years, too? Your post expresses exactly how I feel about quilting!

For me, the best thing about making a quilt is seeing a kid fall in love with one. It doesn't even have to be one I made; I just love to see a quilt find it's "perfect beholder".

**joyce888** · 10-27-2014, 04:22 AM

My suggestion would be to do a quilt-as-you-go pattern. There are many simple ones and you could even just start with a rag quilt. Looking at Utube videos and Pinterest always gets me inspired.

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