Originally Posted by
quiltingcandy
I believe new quilters should learn to make what appeals to them. If you don't like the pattern or the fabric you will never finish it. And when you want to learn something, then ask at your local quilt/fabric shop, look on the internet and ask questions here. Is a guild near you? Maybe join a guild or find a group to join. If possible, take classes - but sometimes that isn't possible.
This is a good point. I don't know if I could finish a whole quilt with a block I dislike, but I could complete a few blocks for a sampler quilt. If nothing else, I would learn which blocks I enjoy making and which I don't.
There is a local guild, but they meet once a month on a weeknight, and I have a time conflict. I might be able to join later this year. I can afford to join the guild, but I can't afford their workshops/classes or the classes through the LQS. The prices are reasonable, but they're still too much for me. I think I could still learn a lot from the guild even without the classes.
As for why I don't want to just make what appeals to me... I don't know enough to know what I like and don't like. I know what I aesthetically enjoy, but not what I enjoy making. Aesthetically, I don't particularly like traditional log cabins. I do like piecing them. Aesthetically, I love pinwheels. Practically, the bulk in the center drives me up the walls. I like them aesthetically enough to make them anyway, though.
And thanks to an injury, I can't do what I'm really drawn to (paper piecing and applique) for at least six months, and probably a year. I'd like to use that time to start to learn basic quilting skills.