Thread: Suggestions?

often the problem is that it stopped being fun and became work - a super motivation killer! If you were concerned about doing machine quilting, that may have been your trigger. My suggestion is do something fun again. Maybe it is a small project ( a placemat), a seasonal item (a Christmas stocking), a simple baby blanket to donate or a table runner to give to the local senior center. These items are all small, they go together quickly and you could practice some straight line quilting without too much difficulty. While it isn't instant gratification, it is fairly quick gratification. With every pat on the back you give yourself, you will be encouraged to do something else. Just don't jump to a big project too soon. And please remember, no one else is going to notice the imperfections in your item, don't be hard on yourself!

If you want absolute perfection it takes practice so if you are bored with the practice you might be better off making small projects to use up your stash? Try table runners and bed runners, place mats, mug rugs and bags. If that fails, perhaps your interests just lie elsewhere, and there is no shame in that as everyone has different likes. Perhaps you just haven't found your niche?
One thought is that you may gain new motivation if you were prepared to show a younger person the basics?

Hi Dreaming -- The same thing happened to me several years ago after my husband became very ill with pancreatitis. He survived better than I did, I think! At the time, I became severely depressed and it took me a few years to overcome that. The depression really did a number on me and I am so thankful that today, I am well and happy again! So perhaps you have a medical issue that needs to be addressed. In any case, I am now retired from fulltime work and am enjoying quilting again. I started by listing all my UFOs and have been completing them (as well as other gifts or items that have been requested by family and friends). When I wasn't well, I thought perhaps I would never get back to quilting, but I am glad to say that is NOT the case. I am enjoying quilting so very much these days. And I have made a decision that if I don't particularly want to complete a project I started earlier, I will gift it to someone else in my quilt group or donate it to a thrift store. I will only work on those projects that I really want to work on.

I hope you can find what the problem is and get back to enjoying sewing and quilting. But if you decide that it is no longer something you want to do, that's fine, too. It's your life and you must do what is good for you and what makes you happy! Since you have all that fabric and have an interest in quilting, perhaps you can start by just practicing free motion or walking foot quilting on your DSM. I do that myself because I cannot afford to send quilts out to be completed. There are some excellent tutorials on the internet/you tube to help with suggestions for methods of quilting on your DSM. I have learned so much from this free information and also I have learned so much from posters on this board. There is a wealth of knowledge to be gained from reading and researching on the internet!

I wish you the very best and hope that you can find whatever it is that makes you feel best!

Blessings,
Barbara