ManiacQuilter2

I don't think there is a line in a sand when one is improving on their quilting skills. I have been quilting for almost 30 years but I don't want to do the real complicated quilts.

dorismae904

I agree with UFOsgalore. When my daughter said she wanted to learn to quilt, I bought her a machine, stressed the importance of a 1/4 seam and showed her how to do a jelly roll for her first quilt. Since she lives in Michigan and I'm in PA, we do a lot of quilt talk by phone. She goes right into a project I would have reservations about and it comes out beautifully. I never discourage her when she talks about the pattern she's working on. She doesn't know it's supposed to be difficult and for her it's not.

toverly

You are at the level you are willing to tackle. If you read thru the directions and can understand them then go slow and give it a try. Usually by the time you are finished with the first quilt, you have mastered that new technique.

Feather3

I spent many years from the age of 8 to my early 30's making my own clothes. I learned to make every thing from dresses, to jeans to drapes & beyoond. I had a great teacher in my Grandmother, who was born in the late 1800's. She grew up on a farm & later worked in the silk mills back in the day. I feel so blessed to have had her raise me & teach me so many things. I also worked 11 years in a garment factory. When I decided to make my first quilt I was in my late 20's/early 30's. I bought a kit. It was a Lone Star. I love a challange. I can sew anything & have tackled so many items, excluding socks & under clothing.

I have found if I want to try something new I don't let difficulty stop me. I go all the way to the hardest & start there. I read the directions & then lay it out on paper step by step, making drawings ( I can't draw a straight line to save my life, LOL). I may do some ripping out, like who doesn't, but I refuse to let that discourage me from finishing a project. I look at a quilt like a jigsaw puzzle. All the pieces fit to make a beautiful picture.

Today, due to health issues, I would not be able to make a quilt from start to finish if it weren't for my husband helping me to shop/buy fabric, measure & cut the fabrics. The Lone Star is my favorite pattern & my "go to quilt". I have yet to make one for myself. I give them to family & have several waiting to be started. I'm working on one now that will go to a friend in Sweden.

The key to a Lone Star is perfect 1/4 inch seams. I mark all pieces, which lessens having to rip them out & sew them again. It's one pattern that has no lenience when it come to the seams.

I feel if you really like the pattern give it a go. You won't really know if you can do it unless you try. The world won't end if it doesn't turn out perfectly square.

quiltorelse

You are as advanced as you want to be. If you think you can do a pattern, take some scraps and try making a block or two. You will know when you are ready to make it. My second quilt was labeled advanced. I won first place at a quilt show with it!

ube quilting

Being self taught, there was no limit as to what could or couldn't be done. Falling into the Monkey Wrench of "can't" or "don't" just stops most people in their goose tracks. There is no pattern that won't fit on my Dresden Plate! I may work at a Snails Trails pace and have a few Kansas Troubles getting through the Window Pane but every attempt at making a quilt has taught me something new and I am always Moon over the Mountain happy to have tried.

Keep on quilting!
peace

nativetexan

I think I"m an advanced beginner too. it kind of sneaks up on you and I doubt I will ever be top of the line quilter. So I"m happy where ever I land.

GrammieJan

hey! I like the way you talk!

Taughtby Grandma

I've been quilting for many years and have decided I don't rate myself. It depends on the current pattern I'm working on. I have gone out of my comfort zone quite a few times and really liked the result, but I don't enter my quilts in competitions. I have quite a few books to look at to get patterns and I like to try different ones, but there are some I don't know if I will get to or not. Quilting for me is not a job, it's a relaxing hobby that occupies most of my time since I retired, but that was my plan.

mary r

After you made a few quilts it's fun to try a harder one or one with a new technique. I found some ladies in my quilting guild that helped me when I had trouble. They were very kind and helpful and enjoyed helping. Please don't put patterns away that seem too hard. Give yourself some time and find a helpful friend.