I spent the entire day wrestling with a twin bed quilt. I have never been so tired or miserable. Come on quilters... is it always this bad? It's not like I was doing some fancy FMQ... it was simple quilt in the ditch. I read every tut I could find, I have been sewing all my life, I got sewing gloves (which I love) I covered my sewing machine and area with plexiglass (which I love)Yes my sewing area is large, yes I went out and got a walking foot. Yes I used good quality thread, and yes it was cotton, and yes I spray basted it.
I had quilt in my lap, quilt on the floor, over my shoulder, I felt like I had a big bear in my lap that had a mind of it's own and wanted to go anywhere other than under my machine needle. Tell the truth. Will I ever be comfortable doing quilts, or is it ALWAYS like this? If this is what I have to look forward too... I think I will go back to doll clothes. I hope and pray this is just due to my lack of experience. The only quilts I have made in the past were rag quilts and little pieces are SOOOOO much easyier to sew. I am sending a pic from my phone... I need to put on the sashing, and it is done and boy am I glad! Here I was going to FMQ a few little mice around the cats in the white areas... well forget that... Unless someone can honestly tell me it will get better, this is my first and last real quilt~

It will get better. Patience and practice, practice, practice will over come these frustrations. The quilt is beautiful; thank you for sharing.

Oh honey! I feel for you! It is very hard to wrestle all of that fabric and batting around -- I agree.

But don't give up! There is still quilting in your future! Read up on 'quilt as you go' and think about breaking a quilt down into sections to complete. One hand quilter on this Board says that even she does that.

Please post a large picture when you're all done and we'll all admire it.

Every time I see someone say, "It's just stitch in the ditch," I think, "There's no "just" about it - stitching in the ditch is HARD!!!!"

I'd rather take a beating than try to stitch in the ditch - I only do it when I absolutely have to. With all that quilt pulling and tugging against you, your stitching wanders around all over in the vicinity of the ditch. Keeping it straight is insanity.

Yes, you'll feel like you're wrestling a grizzly for a while. And dealing with a large quilt on a domestic machine might never become a walk in the park, exactly, but it does get easier. Instead of trying to sew straight lines, use a serpentine or rippling stitch to wander back and forth across the seam - that's what it wants to do anyway, so make it look intentional. ;)

The only time you can't get away with that is when you really need that straight line - to stabilize borders before FMQ, for instance. Then, you just have to bite the bullet and sweat it out.

Good luck - I feel for you!

It look wonderful and when you have finished the struggling memory will probably disappear. But you did great. So you have no need to give up. Start smaller if you have to next so you can keep the inspiration going. I hand stich in a ditch to avoid the wrestling . :)

LOL! Yes, it's always like that. Quilt over shoulder, in lap, puddling on floor. But, it's like birthing a baby. While you're in labor you swear you'll never do it again, but after the trauma and you admire your lovely baby, you can't wait to get started on another one!

That is so pretty! You can always sent your next one out to be long arm quilted. Thats what I am going to do with the one I am working on now, its a King size!

It's a huge adjustment, going from fiddly little pieces for doll clothes, to yards and yards of fabric you have to wrestle like an alligator.

It DOES get better, though. You get used to it, the way you got used to the tiny work you have to do for doll clothes. The size of the quilt becomes part of the experience, part of the challenge and the triumph when it's finally finished.

Beautiful quilt! Just keep on keeping on :)

THANK YOU ALL SOOOO MUCH !!!! I feel better. I wondered how in the world a woman could possibly do a quilt if it was so hard... if nothing else it gave me a deep respect for my 85 year old grandmother that made quilts for everyone in the family... LORD I HAD NO CLUE how hard it was. I WILL look into making smaller pieces and quilt as you go, and not doing the next one with stitch in the ditch. And yes, because of you, when this one is done, there will be another. You are all so great! Thank you

Doesn't it feel good to have wrestled and won! To calm that beast into something so pretty?

It get better, it won't happen over night but it gets better and starts to be fun.

Your quilt is very cute! I have been watching Home machine quilting videos on U Tube for the last couple months, trying to get up the nerve to try it! Good for you for actually doing a quilt on your machine. I do love doll clothes making though, when my girls were little.

Ya gotta try. I figured if I screwed it up I could at least say I gave it a shot. But trust me on this one, if you think you cant, come here and read a lot... ask a lot of questions. These people are so helpfull they should be paid for it! Good Luck To YOU!

I now exactly what you are talking about. And that is exactly why I hand all larger than a 45 by 45 projects to a quilter.... ahhhhhh. Yes, it costs more, but for my sanity and to keep the joy of quilting--priceless.

I dont know. The quilting part is what I wanted to do. Thats what drew me to this site, and I think I will keep trying for awhile longer to see if I can do it myself. I hate for anything to get the best of me... if someone else can do it, why cant I? If I have to let someone quilt it then I do all the baking and they get to put on the frosting and I just dont like that idea...

It looks great. Sometimes you have to walk away and start back on it later. Do it in little sections. You are doing a great job!

Hang in there my quilting friend. It IS hard to manage a quilt and try to stitch with a regular machine. This is my unfavorite part of quilting. I save my $ to get anything larger than a wall hanging quilted by a longarm quilter. Saves on a ton of fustration!

Reward yourself next by doing a much smaller project that is easy to handle!!

Yes! Yes! I so agree! And HATE SID!!!!! I never do it! I'd much rather do patterns or swirls or anything than SID!
Hang in there! It gets easier!

Yes, it will get better. And your quilt is really pretty!

You're just the kind of person I want for a neighbor.... someone who would gleefully take my tops and finish them!! :wink: I'd even be happy to bind the suckers, but the layering and quilting--Bleck!

OK! So where do you live? When I get good at this (not "if"... "when".) We will make great neighbors! HAHAHAHA

:) I know exactly what you mean. I don't like the piecing much - I LOVE the quilting!

I've even bought quilt tops so that I have something to quilt.

If there were someone nearby who loves piecing and hates quilting, I would probably trade tasks with them in just about a heartbeat.

It will get better!!! I promise!!!

I have quilted a couple hundred quilts, at least 24 of them were queens and the majority large lap/twin size all on my regular sized sewing machine!!!
You can do it. Now, my quilting is not fancy, it is my least favorite part and I sure am tired and sore when I am wrestling a queen size on the machine but it can be done.
My dream is to some day own a Long Arm machine. As of yet, I have never sent out a quilt to be "quilted" for me.

I think it is so wonderful how God made us so different. I wonder sometimes if He did that so we would learn to work together as a team in order to get things done.
If no one liked to piece but only to quilt, there would not be this wonderful site where I have met such sweet and helpfull people. Maybe we should start a new section... I will piece for you if you quilt for me, and the other way round. The only cost would be shipping, and we would each get to do the part we like. HAHAHHA

Oh GOSH--YOU are just what I want for a best friend! But, I see you live on Mars, so I will have to wait for LMB get better.
:lol: :lol: :lol:

I bow to you casting dozens of roses in utter admiration. :-D

Jims Gem/ You are a Gem. I am the little train...I think I can, I think I can...

Yes, roses and a bottle of wine. I said with great admiration!

I loved making doll clothes!

At the same time, not every aspect of quilting comes easy for every quilter. I love machine applique, but don't like hand quilting. It might be that you just aren't one to do your own machine quilting, but you are probably excellent at piecing or picking out colors or teaching others or something else and machine quilting just isn't your cup of tea. The good thing about that is there there are a ton of long arm quilters ready willing and able to do that for you on their fancy machines. Don't be discouraged, but rather focus on what you're great at! :thumbup:

That's why I love to hand quilt. It's on the frame and off my body. LOL. The larger ones go to a longarmer. ROFL. I can see you wrestling with that quilting cat-bear. Love your quilt.

NO, No No, don't admire me!! My quilting is not that great. But it gets done, most of the time. Though most of my UFO's are quilts waiting to get quilted. I am not good a deciding the best way to quilt something and I usually pick a fairly easy way to quilt it (ie diagonal quilting, along the ditch with a fancy stitch, all over meanders etc)

Oh yeah it was a riot. I am so glad my husband didnt have a video camera... he stuck his head in the door a couple of times and laughed at me... finally I threw one of my shoes at him and he left for good. It was all in good fun.

It's the layering that drags me down... I'd never get it quilted by stuffing it under my machine (and mine has a 9" throat!) without a field of puckers as a result.

Not admire you?... from where I am right now... getting it done is just about the best thing in the whole world! LOL

Well--maybe you could consider it a work out--you worked up a good sweat, right? There you go, no sit-ups or jogging needed for today. :lol:

oh my goodness! Even from that tiny photo I can tell that your quilt-making gifts are special. Oh don't give it up. Your eye for color is a Gift (& one I do not possess). Your frustration may motivate the eventual purchase of a Long Arm. wouldn't That be fun? :-)

It's the layering that drags me down... I'd never get it quilted by stuffing it under my machine (and mine has a 9" throat!) without a field of puckers as a result.[/quote]

Well that makes me feel better because mine has a 7" throat and darn it I did it.

Layering is not my favorite part either. But I have wonderful husband who just happens to have the keys to our church which is walking distance from the house. We go over there, push together tables and he helps me spray baste all my quilts. He's so good at it that he's even done quite a few of them with me just watching because my shoulder wasn't working to well at the time.

Well that makes me feel better because mine has a 7" throat and darn it I did it.[/quote]

Well then, see..you can kiss those doll clothes good-bye! By the way, I would NEVER be able to make those!!!