cmg625

I have started doing this and it makes everything go a lot easier.

My time

My bad habit it not checking my measurements twice before I cut. Do you know how much fabric I've had to throw in my scrap box because of this. Plus fabric is expensive. Makes me crabby just thinking about it, lol.

Friday1961

I'm very impatient about some things (standing in line, for instance; drives me crazy. I abandoned six pots of plants on a display of fertilizer bags yesterday at Lowe's because there were five of us waiting in line to pay while four Lowe's employees chewed the fat a few feet away instead of opening up the other register) and doggedly patient about others, which includes most sewing. I've discovered when sewing it helps to just stop and breathe! Make yourself slow down and remind yourself to breathe. All the other things -- the straight seam, the 1/4 seam, using leaders and enders, squaring the block, it comes with practice. You'll get there.

I saw a great quote in a movie today: "If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you always lose."

I'm planning on making that my mantra!

Good luck and go easy on yourself!

miriam

My bad habit is to stop and start with the needle up but the thread take up NOT all the way up. This can mean that the bobbin is ready to finish a loop and will make a cool knot down there or a piece of thread wrapped around the bobbin shaft to clean up. My habit is especially bad when I use my industrial machine. I've had to pull the shuttle off the shaft and dis-assemble it to get the trapped threads out. I did learn sewing machine repairs though. At least I know what causes it now.

quilttiger

Leaders and enders are perfect for avoiding thread nests, etc. Others have mentioned them and great information is given by www.Quiltville.com. Neat ideas, and you end up with patch blocks, crumb blocks, and so on for scrappy projects while you are making a current project. Be patient and be kind to yourself....quilting is meant to be enjoyed, smile.

misschris

As I progress in my first year of quilting I have discovered the importance of taking it slow and making good habits. As a mender and clothing sewer I could take the shortcuts and get away with it. I have found out that in quilting accuracy and and avoiding shortcuts is a must. I tried it the other way and paid for it. Each quilt I make gets better. I think everyone has been there at some point. And when I have two many projects on the table is when I tend to cheat.

lorli

This is a great thread. Earthwalker put it really well - the opposite of being impatient can be just as bad. I have stopped going to classes because I was always the slowest (by a long way) in every class. Partly because I'm just a slow learner and also because I get obsessed with getting everything perfect and I end up ripping out what I have sewn, over and over again. That applies to both hand and (especially) machine sewing.

BellaBoo

Command strips are a basic have to have in my house. No damage to any surface. I keep a package of the refill strips in my sewing room. I use them for seam guides on my machines too. No residue at all. http://www.command.com

Anne P

Ah, yes, the learning curves gets steep, then flattens out a bit, then gets really, really steep, and on and on. I have, over the process of several projects, learned to cut more accurately, sew that 1/4" seam very carefully, and to press well. It all makes such a difference.! I just finished a couple of placemats (that are going to stay here, by the way, after many projects that I've given away). Because I was super careful at every step (my little 6" Omnigrid ruler is my BFF), they both turned out well!
For me quilting is not a hobby that goes quickly, but I really enjoy it and it's worth the time and effort. I totally agree it does require patience - lots and lots and lots of patience. Hang in there; it will pay off in the long run!

petthefabric

Command Strips is a brand of stick on hooks, stick together, etc. The advantage is they're removable without leaving a mark. Say you want to mount a power strip to the side of your sewing machine furniture; command strips can act like glue. When you don't want it there anymore, you pull on the command strip to release it and there's no residue left behind.

As to bad habits; there are standards in my sewing, but I choose them. Let's say I'm making a quilt block. I prefer the wonky look to all lined up. It's not a standard of points/seams matching I'm ignoring. I've decided that's not as high on the priority list as the artistic statement and might actually get in the way. My bad habit is getting distracted when I hit a bump in the road. Being with other people keeps me more accountable and persevering.