Well, I suppose I am giving you a good chuckle then RST because yes, from your posts I would percieve you as someone who is direct or forward to some extent...and possibly someone who boasts a little bit of ego. ;) Not because you don't care what people think but more from the tone of what you write. But it's always possible I am misinterpreting your words. Much is lost in conversation over the internet.

From the sound of it I don't think Cherri from Cherry House Quilts is threatened in anyway by your question. She sounded happy to explain her methods to you even though you don't prefer them. Personally, I think it would have been more appropriate and respectful to approach one of these designers directly rather than post about them on a board like this, and not rude at all. It would have been easy to write a little email simply stating, "I love this pattern, but I'm curious why it calls for cutting individual pieces when it would lend itself so well to strip piecing? Thank you!" Coming here is like an indirect jab at them, under the guise that you are looking for discussion. Kind of comes off like you're trying to make a fool of someone. Maybe that's not how you intended it, but I think that's how it comes off to many of us reading.

Although I'm sure you don't care what we think. ;) Good for her coming here to address you directly and publicly put to rest any questions about her choice of methods.

I haven't been quilting for 40 years as you have, but to be quite honest I don't know how much stock that really holds at the end of the day. I know women who've sewn their entire lives but never progressed their skillset any. Which is fine, because we all are quilting for different purposes. Some of us are really motivated to learn new techniques and fast cutting methods while others are perfectly content and even enjoy more sewing in the ways that their Grandmothers did. Like spinning yarn for example...wouldn't it be much faster to buy it prespun? LOL* But it's the process many of us enjoy, and if you don't, that's ok. There are lots of big name quilt designers out there that are geared towards people like you specifically, who are concerned with efficiency and speed.

I do agree with you that the internet has really allowed quilters and designers to be much more accessible than they once were, and I think that's wonderful. Since I began blogging I have been able to connect with Mary Ann Fons and Liz Porter, Eleanor Burns, Bonnie Hunter, Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree Quilts, Karen McTavish, Gail Garber, and many others on a person to person basis. Alex Veronelli, owner of Aurifil thread even recently added me on Facebook! Lol* With what other hobby can you connect with big names in this way? It's amazing. But you don't have to have a blog to get people to become fanatics of your methods either. I know many many ladies who learned a specific technique from their friend or their family member and refuse to attempt any other way. But you know what? That's ok too. Sometimes it's how you approach these types of people that puts them on the defensive. You say the woman at one of your quilt guilds was "rabid" about pressing her seams open. Maybe she was a bit offended at the way she was approached? To be quite blunt if you'd come at me with the attitude you have carried here, a sort of, "well why the heck would you do that when this is so much better" attitude, I wouldn't have listened to you either.

I think a valuable quality of a good teacher is to be able to accept that not everyone is going to want to expand their skills, not everyone is going to be open to new techniques. You just have to kind of meet people where they are, sometimes you can push them out of their comfort zone, but some people you just cannot. There are lots of ladies on this board alone who have no interest in learning paper peicing, though they might be incredible at it if they tried. That doesn't make them any less of a quilter.

I am not saying that I oppose discussion either, I am ALL for learning. I'd like to think I already know quite a lot about quilting, but I came here to learn more because there isn't one of us here who knows everything there is to know about quilting. There is always more to be learned... and I can't get enough of it!!! But, I am however incredibly turned off by a bit of a "my way is the right way" sort of attitude. Being the veteran that you say you are of the boards I'm sure you have experienced what I'm talking about, because that attitude has a tendency to spread like wildfire in these semi-anonymous settings. I'm sure you'll disagree that you sound that way...but to me, you do a little bit, and that's not me trying to be nasty, just trying to be honest.

I think what's interesting is that quilting attracts a variety of different people. I have noticed that there is this one specific set who are very linear in thinking, technical and who really get their enjoyment out of efficient construction of their quilts. Then there is another huge set who get immense satisfaction out of the creativity of quilting and are less concerned with how long it takes to make something, but the emotion involved in making it. Yet another set who simply enjoy doing something that connects them with their heritage. There is room for all of us. ;)

Yes, I'm Cherri House, designer of Silk Tempest. I hope you'll send a photo of your silk quilt when you finish!

I'm not a sprinter when it comes to quilting, I'm a marathoner. In other words, it's the journey I enjoy, not rushing towards the finish line. But when it can be done easier or quicker, I'm all for that. :-D

Pumpkinpatchquilter -- you're making very nice strides in being forward yourself. But in my world, that doesn't equate to rude, nasty, or proud.

I don't have time to respond to all your points, but I can tell you another hobby/industry in which there has historically been that kind of interaction with the "big names" -- that would be scrapbooking. And it got pretty silly over time. I personally think it would be nice if quilting didn't go down that road, but shrug, what will be, will be.

My rabid fellow quilter actually approached me at the ironing board, not vice versa -- I have eyes only for my own pressing. Just want to help you adjust your vision of how that exchange went down.

Have a nice day.
RST

When I first read this thread, I really thought it would die out rather quickly! I was very surprised to see that it is still being discussed.

I happen to own Cheri's book "City Quilts". I bought it for inspiration more than for the patterns or the instruction as many of the quilts in the book are simple pieced blocks that anyone with any quilting knowledge (beginner or experienced)could sew.

When I first read the original question posed in this thread, my thoughts were that's exactly what I was thinking. Many of the patterns available now have what I perceive as "hard instructions" when I can look at it and know that there is an easier way. With that being said, I also know that there are many quilters who don't have that ability and that's okay. We all have "our easy way" of doing things but that doesn't mean one way is better than the other.

I believe the question was posed for discussion only and I might be considered forward, but I didn't see any malintent on the part of the RST nor any of her responses. In fact, I believe the name of the QAL or the author wasn't even mentioned by her.

RST: I will say that when I attempted to press my seams open as directed by the anonymous blogger/pattern writer, my tops did seem to lay flatter. Do I do it that way all the time? No because it's tedious and time consuming and like you, I like the easier/faster way. I'm all about instant gratification and I have no problems admitting that about myself! I have to see the finished product asap!

Leslie -- While I was taught to press seams closed always, I have, over the years, sometimes chosen to press open -- if it works better. I have no dog in that fight. I'm also very wishy-washy about always prewashing (tongue twister, anyone?)

But when I buy a pattern (which is very rare) or a book or mag, I really, really do expect the author to give very clear, concise, efficient directions and yardage requirements. A big part of why I don't buy patterns and books is that this expectation is not always met. It's also why I won't do mystery quilts and am leery about quilt-alongs (unless they give full info from the get go). However, there is obviously a market for them, and people who like working that way, so good for them. And I hope that in their travels through the world of quilting, they learn some very useful tips and tricks and techniques that will help them through the frustrating parts -- which, I would like to think-- this thread has actually done for at least one person.

RST

Does it really matter how you do it as long as the method is the one you prefer? I do not think that strip piecing suits the needs of a hand piecer but I could be wrong. Perhaps someone will enlighten me. I enjoy cutting my fabric----but then I have never cut 1000 1 inch squares either.

I too have noticed this. Are they insane? Who would cut 300+ 1 1/2" squares and sew them all back together for a 4 patch or a nine patch.

to each his own...whatever makes you happy. Quilting is a personal creative expression and experience. Enjoy!

To have a preference, one has to have the awareness that there is an option. Hence my question in the first place.

I too am surprised that this thread continues -- though I would have thought it would go in different directions, say, that certain publishers encourage or discourage their authors from promoting methods that require the purchase of rulers and cutting boards. Do they? Sometimes I have wondered.

Or that it could be a regional thing, with people in the midwest holding fast to the venerable traditions of the craft, while upstarts in the West, and Australia, for pity's sake, take to doing wild things and slapping quilts together with no regard for the decorum of process. Oh, wait, I learned to strip piece while I lived in Michigan, and that's pretty midwestern. And unless the quilt board folks are fibbing on their location statuses, that doesn't hold true.

Maybe a generational thing? Hipsters follow the bloggers?

Whatever. That's apparently not the direction the conversation was destined to go.

To above poster -- you are correct. Strip piecing does not lend itself well to hand work. It could be done, maybe. But it would not be fun or pretty or very efficient. It's a technique that is born of the modern world of tight, regular, quick machine stitching. But that's not to say that you can't piece some very tradtional looking blocks out of vintage fabrics using the method.

RST

So what if you wanted to do both? Say you do the strip piecing on machine then finish block by hand? Probably sounds awful but I love the hand work and also see that the strip piecing could be valuable when working with small pieces. The thread is interesting as long as posters do not become negative with those who do not agree.

RST:
I bit my tongue when it came to the mystery/qal topic! For me, I spend too much money to not know what the end product will look like! Yeah, so I'm a control freak!
(just shoot me now! lol)
And I don't even go down the "to prewash or not" road. I don't, but I happen like the feel of unwashed fabric and I find it easier to cut but that's just me. By all means, if someone wants to spend the time and energy to prewash, more power to them! Besides, I hate to iron it after washing.
In general, I think we're a lot a like in our methods and thinking when it comes to quilting.

Like you I rarely buy patterns or books and have gotten to the point that I will open a pattern/book/magazine in the store prior to purchasing just to see what type of instructions are given. Unfortunately, I learned this lesson the hard way.
Next time you have a question that might set the world on fire, shoot me a PM and we'll have our own discussion!

Mamafrank-- I've never done a hybrid block as you describe, but I don't see why not. Give it a try and report back to us : ) It might become the next big thing in quilting, meeting the need for both authenticity and speed. Or you might find that the block was not uniform - I know my hand piecing (and yes, I have handpieced full sized quilts, though I prefer not to anymore) has a "softer" look. Could just be my handwork, or the fabrics I was using at that stage, or any number of factors I suppose.

Leslie -- give me a day or two to come up with a worthy topic to dish on : )

RST

RST

To each his own is right Neena. ;)

If you're going to put a thought or idea out here in a public forum, you're bound to encounter people who disagree with you. You're right RST, LOL, I too can be forward, when I feel so motivated. :)

I see that there are a number of people who think you are just in your line of questioning, and a number who like me, were a bit turned off by it, and that's ok, I'm not here to convert the masses! Lol*

I think this hit a nerve with me because I personally have encountered a lot of quilting ladies with big egos who sort of critisize and walk around as if their voices carry a lot of weight - or they feel it SHOULD carry weight among those who dare to stand in their presence. LOL* When I was new to quilting some of those ladies really discouraged and intimidated me. Now I'm a little older, a little wiser, and much more confident in my own knowledge and skills.

While I truly don't believe you intended it RST, and I mean that sincerely, I do think some of your comments did come off with a bit of that huff and puff ego. It got under my skin a little, and probably much of that has to do with my own lingering feelings of resentment from personal experiences, rather than your posts.

I would some day love to teach quilting, and I think the most valuable thing I can take away from this discussion is that we are all diverse in our way of thinking. That doesn't necessarily make any one of us wrong, but just, different. I think I can handle that...

and I think I also have learned you just can't please everyone. ;) So I'm off to do some actual sewing just to please myself. Lol* :)

Interesting, pumpkinpatch. I may have an ego, but it's not wrapped up in quilting. I am strictly a hobbyist, and I do it because it makes me happy. I have no aspirations to teach, blog, design, instruct -- nada. I've quilted for a long time simply because I found my love of fabric and design at an early age. And I still learn new techniques and ideas almost every day. I even try out new things on a regular basis, and sometimes fail spectacularly at them. But even when I end up making the quintessential ugly quilt, I still love the hobby.

You suggested that it would be better form to privately email the bloggers /designers. But the thing is, I was never commenting about a single individual or even two or three. I was commenting on a trend that seems to be widespread. To me it would seem quite obsessive and odd to email each and every person who I see giving directions that seem overly labor intensive or inefficient. My goal has never been to "set anyone straight" -- just to contemplate what factors might play into a swing of the instructional pendulum towards less "efficiency" and toward more "dang, that's a lot of tiny pieces of fabric".

I'm sure you'll bring a great deal of passion to your teaching, and with your background of experiencing what you felt to be condescending attitudes toward you, will be much more sensitive to your students. Maybe you can also encourage them to be confident enough in their own skins to not feel threatened or attacked by diverse opinions and approaches.

Becoming older and wiser myself (as a quilter and as a generalized human being) I have learned never to take discussions of ideas and things as personal attack. That, and I wear my big girl panties each and every day.

RST

I take online tutorials the same way as anything else on the internet - with a grain of salt and a tablespoon of common sense.
There are Youtube videos on how to quilt that show the user using dull scissors to freehand cut out pieces, and then pin together with a handful of pins and then sew over them.
Just because there is a video - doesn't mean the maker is an expert.
Now, for a well known quilter to post a technique like piecing so many small parts, I would think it was about learning the process, rather than the final product.
IMHO

tradj -- why I believe I've seen that self-same youtube video. Did the poster claim to have invented the 9-patch block and announce they were getting it copyrighted?

Bless their hearts.

RST

I'm in the midwest but I have no attachment to the traditional ways and I will take any shortcut I can think of (or others can think of). However I am actually from California and before that, military bases (aka all over the place), so maybe I'm not really a midwesterner after all. :p

After reading every post, I have to add my thoughts -

RST, I got no sense of 'ego' from your posts. I think you seem confident. And I think that's great.

I think it is a valid question you asked. It is hard for me to imagine that anyone would choose to do things the slower, less efficient way. I don't think that because I am strapped for time (although I am :P ) but because there are so many quilts to make that I will never make all the patterns I want. I am going to strive to make as many of them as possible and so I want efficient processes. I can and do enjoy the journey more driving 65mph than I would at 35mph. So I get where you are coming from, even if many feel differently.

And I must say that it has been an amazing thread to read. Clearly there are differing opinions and the question hit a sore points for some but the tone has remained civil throughout. Congratulations to everyone who posted for the level of discourse even while disagreeing. :thumbup:

I have enjoyed this thread also, and I too feel that RST had no ego agenda when she posed the question.

When I teach my quilt class at the local college, I constantly remind my students that there is more than one way to do everything. The 'right' way is the way that works best for YOU. As our classes are limited in space and time, I teach methods that are fast and fun. If you don't like the first way I show to create XY, I'm sure I can show you another way or three to make the same XY.

Throughout this thread, I never felt that anyone believed 'my way or the highway.' If you really want to cut hundreds of small pieces, for whatever reason, no one is going to stop you. There is something to be said for basic skill building. There is also something to be said for setting people up to succeed, rather than fail. Now before that statement is mis-interpreted, I am talking about making a project easy for a beginner to complete, and not get bogged down in the process. How often have we heard (or said) that a first project became boring or overwhelming, and was set aside for years while the maker pursued other, less frustrating interests? If a beginner can complete all phases of making her first projects, and feel a sense of accomplishment, then she may feel challenged and confident enough to branch out and try other things.
Enjoy the process.

Interesting thread

I just came up with another reason not to strip piece ... for the effect.

Some patterns can look pretty cool with individual squares rather than long strips of the same color - just depending on the pattern. I just designed a new quilt myself and decided to do individual squares rather than strip piece. It's a process - a journey that's just more fun for me.

But a strip pieced quilt doesn't have to have long strips of the same color...

Love bug -- as Gale says -- strip piecing does not result in a quilt with long strips of color. Yeah. I'm not a fan of those (though occasionally that can be a nice look, depending on the fabrics).

I'm not convinced that you and I have the some idea in mind when we use the term strip piecing.

RST

Small squares yikes!!! I'll strip any day :P

Well i cut 2 Inch squares by hand and sew all the 2 inch squares together one by one ,,,my scrappy quilt tops take time but i love doing them this way as it does make me feel i have totally made this item by hand and no machines are involved

I've only been quilting for about 4 years, so I'm relatively new to it. But I've been surrounded by it my entire life. My mother taught me and is still teaching me. She has been quilting for 48 years and still is.Mom has always told me that to never let someone tell me that the way I'm making a quilt is the wrong way because it is my quilt. I read all of the posts first and then came back to yours. Mom was a member of this board for quite a while and then quit suddenly for personal reasons but won't tell me why. If the posts on this topic are an example then I don't have to ask her anymore. Please don't leave,I'd like to know I have a friend on here who doesn't put down other quilters.

I am new to this quilting board but not new to quilting. My mom has been quilting for 48 years and is still quilting and running her own quilt shop. She would never criticise another quilter or quilter's techniques the way you have.She would have more respect for her fellow quilter.That said, we would never criticise your technique.Every quilter has their way and their own talent.

I have been quilting for over 2 years and i do know how to quilt in different ways but i chose to cut squares individually and sew one by one and that to me is not BORING it is my choice of quilting

As for choosing to do things the hard or easy way...when I was a newlywed learning to cook, I wanted to do everything the "old-fashioned" way, or from scratch. I thought that made it better. Now, I do things according to my time constraints or my mood. Sometimes I bake a cake from scratch, sometimes I use a mix. i remember asking my grandmother how she made cornbread, and being a little disappointed when she told me, "honey, get you a package of martha white cornbread mix!" . So.. strip-piecing sometimes, sewing squares sometimes... whatever! The end result is a quilt I made myself! :D

I wonder the same thing. The first quilt I ever attempted on my own came out of a book. It told me to cut tons of little strips. I didn't check the math and it was wrong. One strip was cut 1/4" to short. When I called my grandma she couldn't believe that I cut all of those strips instead of strip quilting it. So that quilt is still in a bag not finished because I got so frustrated with it and the strips being to short. That was the first and last time I followed instructions out of one of those books.

Bev -- I understand making a choice to approach a hobby in a very traditional way, and I've never criticized anyone's informed choice to make a quilt in whatever way they prefer. I too have made quilts every step by the old-fashioned way. It can be fun, though I might be still on quilt #2 today. With rising fabric prices, maybe going back to slow-stitching would be a good way to save ; )

Going back to my original post -- The quilters whose work triggered my questions are not setting out to be "authentic" or traditional. They tend to be "modern" quilters, they use rotary cutters to cut their hundreds of squares, they use machines to piece them. They just are apparently not choosing (not knowledgeable about?) a fairly well established technique that would make the process faster, and my most people's account, easier and more accurate.

Samsews -- I am sorry that you and your mother have taken offence to my posts. I'm not sure what was rude or disrespectful in your mind. I don't tend to take offense from other people's questions or perceptions, and by the same token, I am certainly not setting out to offend anyone else.

I would assume (possibly wrongly) that people are confident enough in their own skins to be able to answer a technique question (falls into the realm of ideas and concepts) without feeling personally attacked. I think overall the thread has been interesting and informative. Clearly, several people in fact did not know about strip piecing, and they may actually find they prefer to look into and use that method. Others have given solid personal reasons why they prefer to use piece at a time construction, which is also interesting and food for thought.

Again, sorry to hear you find me offensive, but I really don't see anywhere in my posts where I have been disrespectful or rude. As a matter of fact, I'm inclined to think that if we were sitting side by side at a quilting get together, we'd have a grand old time chatting. Possibly it's the nature of internet communication, with the lack of voice inflection and body language, which is leading you to read my tone awry?

Have a good day--
RST

I learned it a long time ago with the quilt in a day books and her show. Look at the trip around the world book. That was the first quilt I made. Honestly if a quilt pattern says cuts hundreds of squares, I am making something else.

I would go to my great-grandma's with my mom to quilt with her and she always told us to not rush when we made a quilt,and to always put love in every stitch. That's what my mom does and that's how she taught and how she is still teaching me. My great-grandfather made mom a plaque for her quilting room that says,"Quilting is like a trip.It doesn't matter how fast you get there if you don't take your time to appreciate getting there and learning something at the end ." I have not rushed through making a single quilt and I won't,ever.

Here is another philosophy with 2 valid schools of thought:

1) Finished is better than perfect; and
2) Finishing is overrated.

Merits to both, and some days I'm in with the first, and other days it's the second.

It does not have to be an either/or resolution.

The tradional method is one that I prefer.I have never cut 1000 1" squares either. But last month I did cut 3000- 2" squares for a quilt that was ordered.The recipient was a lovely 80 year old woman.Her 4 daughters gave me their wedding gowns to cut up for it and chose the "trip around the world" pattern. She enjoyed watching the Geographic channel and they wanted to give her and their father a real trip around the world but couldn't afford to. They gave me a dvd of the anniversary party and everyone in the room was crying when that beautiful lady opened her quilt. So for the quilters that choose to sew fast and knock one out in 2 or 3 hours,go ahead. I'll keep doing mine the tradional way.

It wasn't your lack of voice inflection and body lanuage or internet communication. It was the constant underlying thread of superiority that existed in all of your threads. Quilters should respect each other.I read my Mom's posts each day at work and she never had a bad word to say about any quilter on this board.

Well, alrighty, Samsews. Not quite sure how your mom plays into this thread, but she sounds like a very nice lady.

You have a nice day.

I'm off to make a quilt in which roughly 50% of the stitches are done without love. And which nobody will cry over. Works for me ; )

RST

Samsews:
I have read every post written on this thread and my personal feeling is that the entire subject was/has been discussed to the nth degree and taken completely out of context. I have not been able to detect any "thread of superiority" from RST, in fact, she has been more than respectful to all responses. She simply posed a question. I certainly never thought this thread would require 8 pages and still be a hot topic 7 days later.

This is not a blog. It is a forum; a community; and - we hope - a gathering of friends.

I'm embarrassed by the apparent tone of some comments in this topic. It does not create the best impression of us as a group.

We do bicker from time to time. That's to be expected. But we usually do it with humor and good nature.

Something about this thread is ... disturbing. I agree with those who are unhappy with the direction in which it's been moving.

Back to the fun, please.