Originally Posted by katier825

Gloves definitely help. I started with the gardening gloves, but didn't really like them. They were too hot. I tried on a pair of Machingers and love them. They were less than $10 and worth every penny for me. I don't have to take them off to rethread, change bobbins or anything. I also bought an acrylic table to surround my machine. That's very helpful too. I would have loved the foam table to go around my machine, but it's hard to find thick foam here in FL, and didn't want to deal with multiple sheets, so I made my own out of priority mail boxes and a sheet of vinyl. Total cost about $5 for the vinyl, boxes were free. I assemble my table when I'm quilting and butt my small table up to the dining room table and cover the whole thing w/the vinyl. Different things work for different people. Trial and error is the way to learn what you do like. I took a class and the instructor brought many gadgets to try.

I do so much better when I'm home alone. I screw up alot if the family is around disrupting me. The big thing is to relax and enjoy it - try not to stress over it. Lots of practice sandwiches. The first time on a "real" quilt is a little scary, but it builds confidence. :)