I know sounds funny. The sewing and peicing don't bother me, especially since I started with simple design. Now I have one twin size and two baby quilts waiting to be quilted, but i'm afraid to put needle to quilt. I've bought the books have a machine that will allow me to machine quilt, have done some practicing, but I have no confidence in how to mark and sew the quilt. I put so much work into the tops, i'm afraid that I will mess them up and then all that work down the drain.
Any suggestions on how to get me out of my way so I can do some quilting on these tops? Thanks for any suggestions.
Tammy

Welcome from Ireland

Practice on some scrap sandwiches! You'll be quilting those beauties in no time!!
:)

Welcome from Louisiana!:) I'm just learning to machine quilt too. The first few I have done I have done a grid or stitch in the ditch. Start with the smallest and take your time. I have found once the quilt is washed many errors are not noticed. Just have FUN!!

Just practice a bit before you start, then just go for it! You will surprise yourself! Oh, Hello and Welcome from Arizona!!!

Welcome from England.

That is good advice - practice and practice until you feel good about it.

Welcome from Ohio! I feel your angst!

Welcome from South Carolina, Practice on some scrap sandwitch pieces

Do you have someone near that can hold your hand as you step trough the process? Some LQS might help. Church friends? Family?
You asked: "Any suggestions on how to get me out of my way so I can do some quilting on these tops? Thanks for any suggestions."
My suggestion: Do you have 2 old sheets that you could live without? Pretend one is the top of your quilt, pretend the other is your backing. Draw squares with a marker on the top sheet. (I wouldn't waste batting to just practice so skip the batting.) Follow the steps of creating your sandwich. Pin Top to back just as if it were your quilt. Take it to the machine when you are ready and quilt it like you are going to quilt your real quilt. When you get tired of practicing just put it to the side and start on your real quilt.
I stitch in the ditch on a domestic machine. I make mistakes, learn by trial and error and finish most of the time very happy with my quilt. On my Bargello I went back over my stitch in the ditch with a decorative stitch and everyone loves it.
I would suggest doing the baby quilts first. Good luck.
We have many members in Oregon. Maybe there is a QB member near you that can coach you. ?. Welcome to the Quiltingboard. PM me if I can be of any help. My skill level is beginner plus.

Hello and Welcome to the board :D:D:D

Maybe make one more quilt top, a practice one. We all have made our first quilt, and mine had a few oops, but is still loved anyway :D

A busy, multi colored backing that matches the color thread you are using, can help cover up a few boo boos too :D:D:D

Hello Tammy!
Welcome from Minnesota!

Welcome to the board from Southern California!!

As stated above. Grab some scraps put some batting in between and just practice!

It's the second greatest book written:

1 Quilter 1:1 Thou shalt not fear the thread. :lol:

Easier said than done. :-) The thread terrifies me.
Thank you everyone for your suggestion. I have been trying the scrap sandwich and it is fustrating me. I think maybe stitching the ditch will be the direction I go on at least one of the baby quilts. I think that is probably a good place to start. I really want it to turn out good because it is for a new grandbaby expected in September. Thank you and I am glad this board was suggested to me.

Then read on to
1 Quilter 1:2 Thou shalt accept the help of thy friends.

A trick I learned in my quilting journey - use a busy-print back. Mistakes won't show :)

Welcome from Maine.
I would tell you or anyone in your position to start with straight lines. You can sew In the Ditch or draw lines on the quilt with the appropiate marking tool and sew on them. I would also tell them that they should do at least one of the tops they have done before starting any others. It doesn't take long to end up with a pile of tops and no quilts finished.
Don't be too hard on yourself and don't expect perfection. I also agree to putting a fabric on the back that has a design to it, that way the quilting will blend in much better.
JMHO

I can so relate! My first quilt top, a sampler, languished for over a year before I worked up the courage to quilt it. I started by machine and it was a disaster so I ended up hand quilting it. It turned out great. In between, though, I made a bunch of wall hangings as they are soooo much easier to manage in a DSM (Domestic Sewing Machine) than a bed sized top. I did a lot of stitch right next to the ditch as I found that easier and looked nice than SID when I ended up coming out of the ditch more than staying in. Then I progressed to crosshatching on the machine. Anything I wanted fancy quilting on (read anything other than a straight line!) I hand quilted. I combined hand and machine quilting on quite a few still sticking to straight lines by machine where I could use walking foot and feed dogs and anything with a curve by hand. They turned out quite nice actually. It took me decades before I braved FMQ and I never really cared for my results. I got OK at it but it always felt so un-natural and jerky to me. I now do all my MQ on my LA and I love it. I still hand quilt too.

I am a handquilter who is afraid to machine quilt so I do understand how you feel. thanks for asking and I'll be watching to see the advice you get.

Dorothy, I like your suggestion of 2 sheets for practicing. I would not be afraid to give that a try.
Melody

If you have a detractive stitch sewing machine I would use a simple one and just follow your seam lines. Thats is what I have done in the past on baby quilts.

Ditto, that is how I learned. I used fabric and batting I wasn't crazy about. It did not matter what it finished looking like. Breath and jump in! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Hello Tammy and welcome from northern California!

Hello, and welcome from Idaho!

They tell you to practice and when you first start, you'll think, "no way in hell"

as you go on you'll think "well, maybe.." and then "damn machine :x " and then "no way in hell" again

walk away, watch some youtube vids. Check out some photos from the long armers here on the board, go back. Try again and you'll eventually come to the point where you think "holy crap, I'm doing this, yay me"! :thumbup:

welcome!

Welcome from Michigan.:)

I'm just getting a Long Arm quilting business started so send them to me and I'll take care of it for you!

Hello, and welcome from Michigan!

I am with you.. I love doing the tops. I did 2 practice quilts on my frame with machine. I guess I was not confident with the machine or the frame set up. It just takes some practice. So I put one of my real quilts on it.. it sat on the frame for about a week before I could do anything. I just rolled my machine over it with out it running to get a feel for it. Then I took off.. I made lots of mistakes. I ripped some of them out and did them again. My 1st quilting job was not that good, but true when you wash them most of what we saw as flaws and not such pretty lines diappear when it is washed. It is a very nice quilt. I know in my mind it is not the greatest but anyone else does not see them. It is not one I would enter in any contest.. hehehhehee.. So on to the next. Just go... with each mistake we learn, and nothing is ruined.. it can all be ripped out if it would have to be.. hugs to you. I feel your pain.

I feel the same way! I think I am a 'tooper" I am so intimidated by it all..Unable to move forward....HELP

I'm in the same boat, Tammy! I've always hand quilted and am just starting the MQ process.
Lots of good advice here and also in the Search at the top of the page.
Good luck! :D:D

Welcome from SE Michigan!

Hello and welcome from Michgian :lol: :lol:
Sorry no advice, I have 13 tops in a tote that need to be quilter!!

Hello from Natchez, Ms. Everyone had to start on their first, BUT every one get better as you go.

Hello and welcome from Ontario Canada

lol welcome Tammy. I am that way too. I love piecing, but quilting isn't my forte, although I do get it done with small projects. I've had a project sitting for two years and haven't done any quilting on it yet.

BUT...I found the batting that you can iron to the pieces and hold it still. It'll need some pins, but if you take it slow on small projects such as the baby quilts, it'll do fine. Just start in the center and move your way outward. Good luck!

I know how you feel. As others have said, practice on scrap sandwiches first. And remember, it doesn't have to be perfect.

Altho I am still not good at it...it takes a lot of practice. My suggestion is to make children's donation quilts and practice on those. Good Luck..don't give up!

welcome from se TX

Welcome from Kansas