If she ask for help and the instructor can't help her at that time. Tell her you are trying to catch up too and when you get a chance you'll help her or she can wait for teacher. That's what I do even at work when Im in the middle of doing something and we have a co-worker who does the same thing and it causes you to lose your train of thought. I understand how you feel. But maybe if she knows you don't want to fall behind she'll understand. Good luck.

Don't be afraid to talk. We all chat and ask questions.

The person in our guild will see someone cutting and will go up to them with her fabric and want them to cut hers too. She will say her machine isn't working properly and she needs you to stitch it for her. She has a lot to say about lots of subject and if you don't agree with her she gets loud.

I have added earplugs to my "to go" tools for guild and UFO's.

Don't be afraid to say anything. Just take the posts here as advice of what NOT to do to make the experience unpleasant for the other members. I think it may be different for someone in a guild or a group gathering on their own time rather than someone paying for a class with a limited amount of time.

Well my first Beginner's Machine Quilting Class Starts tomorrow morning. I'll let you know how it goes. I certainly will write down my questions rather than interrupting.

Don't be afraid, we have recently had about eight new people join our club. Most of us are more than happy to help anyone who needs it. However, in any group there may be a couple of individuals who consistently require constant attention. We were all the new person one time or another. There is so much information available. I have acquired an enormous amount of assistance on line, and on this board. You will find all of it helpful.

Relax and enjoy the process.

Leader should say something like: "If you need assistance or don't understand, please see me before/after class (or during break, etc)." And clarify by saying "You may not be able to finish this in class (or this weekend/retreat) and may need to finish on your own at home."

I'm a slow quilter/piecer/sewer and never seem to finish during class, so I reach out to the instructor to see if I can at least do the cutting prior to class.

The retreat was grand and the lady we were concerned about did ask lots of questions and some just stopped and helped her. Knew we would but would like to help her do things for herself. As it turned out she was the least of the difficulties we had expected.

A member of the quilt police joined us. We know her (well we thought). She has been quilting about four years and it is always an easy pattern. Anyway she decided since there were new people attending she would "help" them by telling how they did things wrong and they needed to rip it apart and do it over. She didn't bother those of us who have been sewing for a longer time. Mine were full of things I should have done better. She made one think she should just give up and try something new. Another was in tears. Unfortunately I didn't hear her and we received the information at the end of the retreat.

The retreat was grand. Food delicious, accommodations great, friendliness abounded and blessed with the gift of fellow quilters.

If you haven't been on a retreat, try one. You don't have to go far, spend money or do much special. Just get together with other quilters whether you know them or not. After a whole day you will know them.

Jo

This is one of the reasons I quilt alone.....

There's always someone, it seems who is disruptive or rude. The rude ones have been difficult for me to handle until I learned to respond in like manner respectfully.
there are those who need one on one instruction...group instruction may not be the place for them. It may be a habit or actually necessary for someone to continually be disruptive, but, if I can, I would help her.

Me too! I've tried groups, but they just don't work for me - too many agendas, too much point-scoring, too many personality clashes. Or maybe that's just the ones around here! I quilt alone and come on here for company.

I'm never afraid to join a new group because someone may not like me. There are always a few members I am drawn to and a few members I stay away from. The ones that bother me I probably bother them so it works out.

O.M.G. I am laughing so hard I got the hiccups! I LOVE that and will use it myself! Duck tape fixes everything ;)

My sister had a similar situation at a retreat. The woman, who was a guest and not a member of the guild, talked incessantly about anything and everything and also had a nasally voice which made her prattling worse. My sister put on her headphones and turned the volume up so she would not have to listen. The woman was asked not to come to another retreat. I stopped going to a sewing program at the local sewing business. It was monthly and there was always a teacher/presenter who reviewed new patterns and books and actually made projects from them. Instead of losing my cool and telling them to "shut the hell up" I did not join again. We paid a yearly fee for this and so it was not worth it to have these rude women yacking through the entire presentation - rude to the audience and disrespectful to the presenter who put a lot of time into making the samples. I would be firm, but not nasty, and tell the person that everyone at the retreat paid for their spot and their time there was their own.

I totally get this happening at a retreat where everyone is working on their own projects at their own pace. We have a retreat attendee do this and it's annoying. Since there is much chatter and helping going on with everyone, her's stands out cause she generally has no idea how to get started on the project she brought and wants someone to get her going on it instead of just giving an opinion or helping to problem-solve. Some don't mind this, but most are trying to catch up on projects that have been sitting for awhile. And that is what we've started to let her know-that we are trying to play catch-up on our projects and feeling "crunch time". She decided not to come to retreat this past time.

Oh my gosh...I love it! LOL!!!

What? And miss all of the life experiences you can't find anywhere else but with a group of quilters. Some funny, some rude, some really far out there and some nice as pie. It's worth it. Don't wear your feelings on your sleeve and hand out your scrap fabric. You will be accepted for life. LOL

Earplugs! I can still hear the important comments while filtering out those that are annoying!

Become "deaf" - ignore the requests like you can't hear her.

We had a woman who was like this, we all told her to do her own work and we would help her after the class. It took several times to get the message, she finally worked it out on her own. Yea!!

Just a suggestion -- careful what names you use -- one of the posts actually contains the handle/name of a member of this forum --

Well, you may be right about the helpless thing, but I know people who are just obsessive talkers. Or is that compulsive talkers. It is truly difficult for them to be quiet. They are usually good people, but cannot be quiet. It must be hard to live that way.

When I was new to my group, I knew nothing about quilt sewing techniques. I soon realized I was asking too many questions of the person next to me. So I made a plan for myself and stopped trying to do the same projects as the group. I picked basic projects to learn techniques. Now years later I still follow this plan. I do projects that help me grow. When someone asks for my help, I can smile and say, "I'm sorry I am not working on that project at this time, I am working on something else." I plan my own projects that push me to learn new techniques or skills. I am always looking for new projects to push me out of my comfort zone. That is what I like about this board. There are so many here doing different projects that I am frequently ahead of the trends and get my own ideas about doing projects. Quilting has helped me find my creative self. I am so happy I found all of you. Thanks for being here.

LOL, my shirt says I quilt so I don't choke people. Oh the looks one gets!! I actually bought it because of my boss.