Fun question - quilting ADD
 

I have been commissioned by my MIL to make a quilt for my niece (her granddaughter). She wants me to make a tulip quilt, and as I am piecing approximately eleventy-million tulip blocks, I got to wondering how others approach projects like this.

Do you work on one element at a time, and keep going until you've completed all of that one; then move to the next one, etc.?

Or do you (like me) skip around from one element to another as the mood strikes you? For this quilt, I have cut all the pieces (I always want to be sure I have all the fabric I need before I start sewing), but then I make some petals, get bored, move on to making some flower centers, get bored, work on some stems, get bored, decide I want to see some complete blocks, make some of those, go back to making petals....etc. etc.

Maybe this is related to all those UFOs in my house...https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images...es/biggrin.png (Although, having said that, most of those UFOs are actually completed tops which are just awaiting sandwiching and quilting, so it's not all that bad!)

I'm interested to find out what other people's styles are! :)

IT depends on how my day is going and what the deadline is. If I"m making something specific for someone, I sew till it's done. If I'm working on something for me, my stitching schedule is more flexible and I come and go with the project as my mood dictates. I rarely work from patterns any more and stop/start has become more intuitive.

You are good to make a quilt for your niece, forget the MIL. (LOL) If there is a deadline, I bite the bullet and get it done. As quick as possible. Cut everything, sew everything, assemble and quilt. Assembly line. But if I am making a quilt that I want to make. I definitely have ADD. Here there and everywhere. 4-5 different projects at a time. Sometimes I cut, sometimes I sew, sometimes a block at a time. Seldom working on the same thing all the way thru.

I like assembly line style ..sew first element the zillion times in a row and then the 2nd piece so all are done same way before moving on to stems ..at the end it’s nice to have all blocks finished at once!

I rarely work on one project at a time. I get bored! Generally I piece all the blocks at the same stage (probably why I get bored)
but often I work on another project as well and then go back and forth.
I hear ya! :)

I prefer to do all of one step at a time. So first I gather and prepare my fabrics. Then I cut my fabrics into the strips, I sew the strips together, I make whatever set of sub-units, and so forth. I much prefer to do assembly line to block by block. Yes, it can cause problems if I make a mistake -- but it's a consistent problem so therefore easy to remedy if time consuming.

It is a lot of what I call "front loading" and yes, often boring since I usually make queen sized projects but then when all the tiny little pieces are made and you start putting things together it becomes a joyous thing.

I'm currently working on a project that I can't really go assembly line. I'm at the block by block stage and it would be easier in many ways for me to work in my normal way, but this is a planned scrap layout and it gets too confusing to work on more than 4 or so blocks at a time and ultimately single block is the way to go -- but it's not the way I want.

Maybe I feel like cutting fabrics, maybe I feel like ironing, stitching or playing on the embroidery machine. I can be a left-brain scatter brain on some days going from project to project. In the end, they get done.

My current quilt is quite involved with numerous fabrics, different cuts, and units to make the blocks. I have to be in brain-on mode for it.

Good luck with your quilt project!

I usually start a project and keep going until it is finished then I work on the back and get batting and off to the longarmer it goes. I used to make some blocks then I would see something else I wanted to try and on and on. My friend called it "chicken scratching"! I would hop from one thing to another

I cut fabric pieces enough for several blocks at a time and make one block at a time. I'd rather have a finished block then lots of half finished ones.

I like to do BOMs so I do each block as I get them; the rest of the time I cut and label all the fabric, then I break down each step and complete accordingly. If I have 100 FG to make I will grab enough to make 20 at one sitting, trim down label and move on to the next 20, etc. . This helps me set mini goals for getting everything done, I also take a short break between each “round” so I don’t get so fatigued. Usually, my break involves a quick cleaning chore so that nothing has a chance to get too neglected.

I'm unlikely to jump around between steps on a quilt, but I do jump around between quilts. At any given time I'm likely to have several quilts in progress not counting what is ready to go on the LA.

The exception is that I really do like to cut out everything before I start if possible, but then cutting is one of my most favorite parts. The other issue is I'm often going off a picture and using stash, so I'm sometimes not sure if I'm going to have enough fabric for a specific element, and may need to use a couple of fabrics, so then I want to make sure I can randomize the use and not have it look like I ran out at the end and had to switch to something else.

This is one of the reasons I love participating in the Boom swaps, doing one block at a time as they are all different.

I like to move around and work on different aspects, otherwise I get bored, and when I get bored, I lose motivation. I used to feel guilty about this because I have a couple of friends who don't allow themselves to work on more than one project at a time. Then I met award-winning quilter Cynthia England, and she said she can't work on the same project, she moves around. That made me feel better and I gave myself permission to do whatever interests me in the moment. 😊

I also do a bit here - do a bit there - sometimes I even finish something!

Depending on the pattern I am working on is how I approach it. If I am making a lot of the same I will make 10 - 20 of each section and complete that many blocks before moving on to more. The pattern I am working on now has 20” blocks done in different colors. These I am sewing one block at a time.

I like to see how it's going, so I'll put together everything for a few blocks, sew those up and put them on my design wall, put together everything for a few more, etc until I have the whole thing done.

Watson

I suffer from quilting ADD, sometimes it can be such a pain, lol.

I actually don't cut all my pieces at one time, I found out that my cutting accuracy suffers if I sit down and cut everything out all at once. So, I'll cut for about half the quilt, work on that until I run out of pieces, take a break, then cut down for the rest of the quilt. If it's applique, though, I do tend to cut for only a couple blocks ahead of where I'm at, work that, cut down for a couple more blocks, etc.

I think as long as the quilt gets finished, there's no real right or wrong way to do it.

I quilt for fun. Short bursts work best, or long ones if the mood strikes. I whipped up a list of current projects-each one at a different stage of completion. 7!

I definitely have ADD and tend to jump around in life as well as in quilting. Lately I have had deadlines and have worked to stay the course, minus time out for mask making. If I don't finish the quilt I am working on right now in time, I will have to pay postage to Japan - Ouch! I actually pressed twelve big blocks all at one - yay!! That being said, I did cut out a baby quilt a few days ago.

When piecing a quilt, I complete all of each stage before going on to the next, but if the quilt is complex and the units are difficult, I will take a break as necessary to work on an easier project that doesn't take so much mental energy.

ADD here. I seldom use a pattern, but when I do I’m likely to do some, go play with another quilt, do some more, go play with yet another quilt, do some more, etc. Working on Bonnie Hunter’s On Ringo Lake a few years ago taught me that I do not like making all of one unit before doing something else- I found it to be excruciatingly boring trying to make 100 subunits at a time.

Rob

My mother used to say I was a true Gemini - because I could never do just one thing at a time. I have since decided as easily distracted as I am that it was ADD all along. It's been so long that I have finished a quilt without interruption I am not sure if I ever have. When I am putting blocks together I do usually put it together and not piecemeal it. It's the satisfaction of finishing something that keeps me going. (I may need to make 150 blocks but making one at a time works for me. So when I get a 1/10th done, then 20%, etc.) It's a mind game - but it works for me.

I love all the answers to your question Pied Piper. I'm in the ADD sector and get bored repeating the same block over and over again. I won't count the number of WIP's I have, but oftentimes I will have several finishes one after another in a short time..Just in the last week I have quilted 2 long time quilts, have a third on the LA and the fourth ready with backing and batting cut. Work gets in the way....ha, ha!

Mind games are how I get a *lot* of work done. I start the washer, then race to get the previous load folded and put away before the washer finishes filling and starts agitating. Makes the laundry go a lot faster! 🤣

This is the way I do it too. If I make a mistake, I'm more likely to catch it in the first few stitches of the new addition than later on, like when trying to figure out what's different (wrong). Does that make sense?

I'm with the "easy to distract, and/or bored with the same block" over and over crowd. So I have a bunch of WIP's that someday I hope to get done.

I rarely cut all the pieces for a project out at once - and yes, I often run out and have to get more fabric! But I like to make a few blocks first to see how they go together and try to find the easiest way to do them assembly line style. If there's a deadline, I do work on one quilt at a time, but I usually have several going at once.

I cut out the project like you to ensure I have the fabric required. I assemble block units that can be chain pieced to save time.
I like to press the units at the same time. Next, I store the sewn units labeled in zip lock bags. Once I used the clear page saver sheets that go in a binder to organize the sewn block units. I work on different steps of a quilt pattern based on what time of day it is...mornings work best for me to cut and piece. Evenings are for pressing and pinning. Have fun!

I'm with Rhonda K... it depends on my mood, my pain level, what else is on my plate that day. I do just about any craft known to man, and I'm involved in a lot of volunteer advocacy, so... yes! I'm definately ADD. As long as you work toward a goal, it doesn't really matter how the process evolves. "How do you eat an elephant??? ONE bite at a time"

My husband and I are complete opposites. He can only concentrate on one thing at a time and gets flustered if you ask him to do any multi-tasking. I like to do many things at once and get completely bored just doing one thing over and over. Maybe it's a gender thing...I don't know.

As for quilting, I happily have about 7, or 8 projects going right now, all in different stages of completion. It's really fun when I finish one and check it off my list. I will finish the binding today on a quilt that I started several years ago. Yay!!! I like working on many things at once, because it gives me some time off of each project to think about it and how I'm going to do the next task on that project. New ideas pop into my head when I give them time to, "marinate." I'm always on the prowl for more projects to add to my list.

My son has always had serious ADD and I always wondered where that came from. Now that I quilt, I definitely know. :D

What does ADD mean?

I like to do a block at at time on larger projects that have a lot of detail. If I am doing applique blocks that is the easiest way for me. I am big on chain piecing blocks together too. Depending on your tulips and how they are formed is how I would decide. I tend to have a bit of ADD too So I will do bit by bit.

It's Attention Deficit Disorder.

Depends on the project - but if it's not just dead simple, I will cut and sew a block to make sure it goes together well - then if all is good will cut everything, but then like to sew my blocks in groups. I'm working on one right now that is a big, somewhat fussy block, and I prepare them about 3 at a time. I'm a one project at a time person, however I help a good friend who visits often with a disability which requires my help quite a bit, so between us, we may have several projects going on.

Thats how I prefer to do it too. Of course if you make an error on the vey first one, you've carried that error over onto *all* of them. So I tend to make one first as a test block and then assembly-line the rest.

Here's your answer Molly