quilter1943

I'd imagine we can all relate to this happening at one time or another over our quilting lives. For the past 10 years I've found that I like to have two projects in the works - one that is complicated and one that is a simple pattern. The simple pattern for me is Linus quilts. I also do a lot of fmqing and that breaks up the piecing and complicated patterns. Try some different things - I do a lot of repurposing - jeans to tote bags, stuff like that - so will clear out all of the quilting and just do totes and other denim items from the jeans for a while. You'll figure it out - just don't give it up.

TheCloser

It usually takes me forever to decide on a pattern and fabric. Sometimes I have to make a block or two to satisfy myself. We just have too many choices!!!

nangars

Take a break from quilting and do somthing else, like pillowcase, cassarole carriers, iron travel bags, coffee cozies, or something small and simple.
Right now I have over flo of fabric, and sometimes don't know just what I want to do with it.

babyboomerquilter

I believe at one time or the other everyone gets a little discouraged or frustrated. I just walk away for awhile, take a break for about an hour then go back to it, and it seems I can focus better on whatever the problem is.

Patti Mahoney

I, too, go on sewing binges. I work on something until I've had my 'fix' and then I may not work on that particular project for a while or I'll not sew at all for a week or two. Don't get discouraged, walk away and wait until the time is right again. You'll know when it's time to start sewing agian. I have a king size, completely hand stitches Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt top that I just finihsed about 6 months ago. This is my very first hand quilting project and now I'm terrified because I have to, some how, get it sandwiched together with the backing and batting. I don't have anyone to help me and I have no space to spread it out. I'm so afraid that if I try to do this on my small dining room table that it's going to shift and be crooked or not turn out right after all the time it too me to hand stitch all of those hexagons together, there are over 3,000 hexagons. But, I wait patiently untill I can figure a way to get this done and I've gone on to other projects. I want to baste my hexagon quilt with needle and thread and that presents another problem, how to get that done, I know it's going to take me about 3 days to do just that. But, I'm patiently waiting until I can figure that out as well. I might go to my local rec. center and ask if I can use one of their rooms and push a few of those big tables together. I have bad knees and I can't crawl on the floor like I used to when I was younger. So, just hang in there and wait patiently but don't give up. Like you said, you have too much time and money invested to give up. And besides, I don't know about you, but for me, quilting has been a major stress reliever for me in the past 7 months. I've been through some major health and family problems and if I didn't have something to take my mind off of the other things in my life, I think I could have easily lost my marbles. lol Good luck. Step back, take a rest and see how it goes.

angelwingz

I think everyone gets like that sometimes. I get together with a few friends on a weekly basis for a morning of sewing. We have a great time together and really help each other with patterns, ideas, and encourage each other all the time. I would suggest getting a few friends together and starting a small group... its good for the soul

Sheila_H

As you can see we've all been there I got into a slump just before Christmas due to depression and medical issues so I wasn't near my machine until just week. There's no point in us forcing ourselves to work on something because we will just make mistakes and be even more frustrated. Like the other's have said "just walk away" sometimes we just need to recharge and get the creative juices flowing again.

Nolee

This post cracked me up because it is so honest and like me. I've put more projects in the Goodwill bags than I care to think about because they just seemed icky to me after doing them. It is usually smaller projects this happens to.

To your original question about discouragement, we've all been there so you are not alone. It is impossible for me to work on pink fabric and enjoy myself. I absolutely hate the color pink, in any shade, so when I have to do something in that color, I hate the project from cutting to finish and after that, I either go back to crocheting for a few weeks or stop all together. (I am so bad with pink, I get rid of any flowers in my garden of that color. A childhood trauma? LOLLLLLLLL, I didn't have any!!) We are all so different, so don't worry about these lapses.