I AM a new quilter, and appreciate this thread so much!! Unfortunately, I tackled my first full-size quilt BEFORE I read your good advice! But what you are all saying is so true! I had no idea it could be so hard to measure, cut and piece a block, never mind assembling those blocks!
I've been plugging along all summer on this quilt and have learned a great deal --but now I'm despairing that it will never be done! (It's appliqué and hand-quilted in a "quilt-as-you-go" project I created for myself). Many of the problems I've experienced are related to the latter decision -- e.g., didn't estimate yardage correctly, decided to piece part of the backing (stupid!), didn't mark before I basted, etc.
Can someone virtually hold my hand and tell me that it WILL be finished someday? Please?
Jory