I am learning to do Foundation Piecing
 

Hi Everyone

Its been a long time since I posted on her but my life has had a few interruptions so that is why I haven't been on here for so long.

As of yesterday I am learning to do Foundation Piecing. It is different than Paper Piecing. Foundation Piecing you can leave the Foundation on and you don't have to take it off after you get your pattern made. I love doing this.

Last year a Quilter brought in garbage bags full of Quilting Stuff...Material, boxes of scraps, patterns and all of that stuff. I found a box full of scraps and Foundation Piece Patterns so yesterday I got that box of scraps out and I started to cut my strips for the Foundation pattern. I pretty much fiqured out how to do this on my own except for one thing. I couldn't fiqure out how to close the one end up on my strips so I went to my Quilting Group yesterday at my church and two ladies showed me how to do that. I know how to sew them on the Foundation Pattern but I just could not fiqure out how to do the other end. I think I got that now...LOL....I hope....LOL....

I was so proud of myself because like I said I had it all fiqured out by using one that this other person did long time ago and had two of them done except for the one edge of the scraps after I got them sewed onto the Foundation Pattern. I was so happy and so proud of myself because I had it all fiqured out how to do something on my own except for the one thing. Well instead of being happy about it she literally screamed/hollered at me and told me that I wasn't doing it right and that it wasn't Paper Pieceing and all of this other stuff. I was almost in tears. I am trying so hard to do learn to do this and here she screamed/hollered at me and it was another Quilter by the way who does not know anything about Paper Piecing or Foundation Piecing but yet she screamed and hollered at me and told me I was doing it all wrong and etc. I felt so stupid and that everything that I did was all wrong. There was another Quilter that came in and I showed her what I did and she also explained to me how to close up the other end of the strips so they won't stay open and she was so nice about it and she understood what I was doing after I showed her what I did. It was a very rough afternoon yesterday. Here I am learning to do different Quilting Techniques but yet she had the guts to scream and holler at me and didn't know anything about Foundation or Paper Piecing. I was pretty upset.

We have a really nice elderly lady who is a excellent Quilter and she has been teaching Quilting at my Library on Tuesdays every other Tuesday so when the weather is nice I am going to start going to her classes on Tuesday. I need somebody that is willing to work with me and teach me and not being hollered at or screamed at. My Wed Quilting group at my church has been split up and its sad because we use to have a roomful of Quilters that stayed from 2 until 7:30 p.m. but now most of them come early and than they leave right before we go downstairs to eat supper so there are only a few of us left than for the evening. I have a Bible Study Class after we eat our supper at church - we have Triple F at my church - Food, Faith, Fellowship and we have a meal every Wednesday Night during Triple F at 5:30 p.m.

I have decided that I will get my help from all of you and on Tuesdays when I go to my Quilting Class at the Library. I have also decided that from now on I'll wait til 4 p.m. to go to Triple F and I will take a Stamped Embroidery project with me and leave my Quilting stuff at home. I am not going to be criticized or put down by this lady again. I will work on my Quilting here at home and at the Library.

Next Wed we don't have Triple F because it is Ash Wednesday but the following Wed we do and I won't get to my church until 4 p.m. I can't stand to be hollered/screamed at by somebody that doesn't know what they are talking about or know how to do something. If I have a example to go by I will get it fiqured out sooner or later and I was so proud of myself for getting as much done on it as I did yesterday.

From now on I will be more active on this board since I have more time now and get help if I need it from all of you.

I did finish a Quilted Pillow a few months back - a friend of mine bought the material, quilted the top of it for me, and than I had to finish it so I finished it a while back. It is a Christmas Pillow. It is real pretty. I will take a picture of my Foundation Piecing sometime between now and the weekend and I will get it posted on here. I want to finish the one that I started first. Its easy to do and its not that hard and I like it a whole lot better because you don't take the foundation off. You can buy the Foundation stuff at JoAnn Fabrics and its behind the counter where they cut your material at...I think. I am going to buy more of this the next time I go to JoAnn Fabrics.

Do any of you do Foundation Piecing? I was just curious. Its fun to do and is relaxing and this is a good way to use all of your scraps up. Oh I have also been cutting out 2 1/2 Size Squares as well too and I'm going to make a Quilt out of my 2 1/2 size squares someday.

Well that is all from me. Like I said I will be more active now on this board.

Thanks everyone

Sad that someone would do that but it takes all kinds in this world. I personally would not let this woman stop me from doing what I enjoyed. I have found that folks like this are unhappy with themselves so they belittle others to make themselves feel better. Keep on keeping on.

Please don't let anyone discourage you, and don't be afraid to take your work to your group. I'm sure there are a lot of nice helpful people in the group. Just don't make the mistake of asking the "quilt police" woman to look at your work again. Watch them for a while and you can pick up on which people are helpful and which ones are bossy. Good luck and have fun quilting.

and don't be afraid to stand up for yourself. Talk back in a gentle way. Fight back and don't let others tell you what is right and what is wrong. Perhaps you can take a sample and ask her to show u how to do it and see what he does. You might even say "if you have never done it, how do you know what is right and wrong.
Was the foundations printed with the designs? Benartex makes a product called "Foundation By The Yard" which is the design printed on muslin and you sew the strips or shapes to it, trim and leave on. Quilters love it as you don't have to remove paper. It basically is an old technique. I have several vintage blocks made with a fabric foundation that is still on the blocks. Stand up for yourself and don't let a "know it all" interfere with your enjoyment of the group. Don't give in.........Am I getting a message across to you. Similar situations have been discussed here on the Board and the recommendation has generally been "stand up"..... Say a prayer before you go in and you will have the inspiration, insite and courage to deal with it.

I applaud you for taking the innitiative to learn this on your own. Please remember that there are many ways to do different techniques. I find that most people have their own way of doing things. This is a GOOD thing. The unfortunate part is that some people think that their way is the ONLY correct way. I'm sorry that this woman was so rude and inconsiderate to you. These are the type of people who discourage people that are trying hard to learn to the point that they give up. DON"T GIVE UP!!! I completely agree with Holice ( who IS, by the way, a renowned expert), to stand up for yourself, in a polite way, of course. There are MANY wonderful quilters that LOVE to help beginners learn in order to keep this wonderful art alive. Keep your chin up and continue to learn. Good Luck and Happy Sewing!!

I like to use June Taylors's "Perfect piecing Foundations Sheets" for my foundation/pp quilts. Since i figure they will be small/wall/mini quilts i don't mind the foundation staying in. it will stiffin them up to hang on the wall too. Don't let the quilt police get you down. I had a friend that someone did something similar to her about points not matching or being cut off. She put away her quilting and wouldn't do it. i have been to quilt shows where some people have been quilters for 30+ years and they quilts are not perfect. ONLY GOD CAN MAKE IT PERFECT! My motto is just "SEW ON!' and enjoy what you do!

All the above advice is so good. We are all here to learn. We are all at different stages in our quilting and just want to enjoy what we do. Don't let her get to you, maybe she was having a bad day. Another thing you could do would be to take one of the blocks and ask her to show you from the very start how she would do it. Maybe she is really very talented and needs someone to acknowledge her talent.

What a curd of a woman to do that to you. Don't give up your group because of her. She isn't worth it so don't let her feel she is by leaving. She'll be dead one day and out of everyone's way so don't give her another thought.

If it were me that this had happened to I'd .... Not really. I wouldn't know how I would react. Just so sorry you had this happen.

Sometimes it just seems someone is having a really bad day or life and lets it show in inappropriate ways.

Maybe you could tell a few of your Wed group friends what happened and how you felt. Then ask them to back me up with good Christian comments and prayer. It may be that your presence and prayers will help this group become what it should be. If that doesn't work, then only go to Triple F.

When something happens to me like this I try to act like a genteel southern lady wearing my gloves and say something really nice .... Though I do admit it is hard to do. I do best when I already have a squelch ready to my mind.

ali

I'm so sorry that happened to you. There is NO excuse for that woman. Maybe she was having a bad day, but that doesn't excuse her behavior. We have all run into people like that, but please don't let her defeat you. You sound like a very nice person, and show a lot of potential. Don't forget, everyone here will help you if you have a problem. Paper piecing and foundation piecing are very similar and I am thinking that Carol Doak's website has a lot of pointers for you. Keep on quilting, and don't let that woman get you down. If she ever screams at you again, simply walk away. Don't let her get away with it.
Sue

Don't let those kind of people get to you. there always seems to be one person that spoils it for everyone else. You should have told that women ( in front of everyone) to zip her mouth. It is so great for you to try this all on your own. I have never done foundation piecing and I would like to learn also. it sounds fun and relaxing. We love You and just talk to us anytime.

Good for you to challenge yourself to learn a new technique. I've never done f. piecing. sounds fun. Every church group has to have one of those "police" persons, it seems (maybe in a circle, kitchen, etc.) Happens, doesn't it. Try your best to be kind to the "beast" as she's not as superior as she's acting. God bless you in your hobby!

Beginnerquilter, I LOVE foundation piecing, almost all my quilts are done this way nowadays, it is accurate and as I love minis, they are much easier to do. Well done for learning this technique - you will love it.

Do not let the woman that yelled at you stop you from enjoying your quilting group. You go to the next meeting, hold your head up high and let her see that her ignorance and rudeness is not going to get the best of you. If she comes up and trys to starts a conversation just smile, say excuse me and walk away. However, if she tries to start something or is rude to you, take up for yourself but do so in a calm, polite way so that all of the attention will be on her and everyone can see her for the nut she is. Good luck.

I would try to get an experienced quilter to teach the group a new way of doing something - maybe paperpiecing on a roll of adding machine tape, and then making a 12-1/2" patch out of it. This may be new to you and to the lady who yelled at you. Maybe each one could bring scraps of fabric, maybe you alone could bring a roll of the adding machine paper, that way you are sharing the idea too. In teaching her this new method of paperpiecing, she is learning something new, you are too, and maybe all the other ones. I hope you are having prayer before and after the meeting. In fact, tell the group when something like this happens, that you take a break and pray for each others and help with the feelings that are being shown. That way everyone will have the decency to pray about it. Please go back to the group and establish a friendship with this lady. She may need a friend very badly at this time in her life. Things happen to every family that no one outside knows about. Hang in there, the Lord may want you there as an example.
Hope this makes you feel better! Thanks for sharing.

Take this (((((HUG))))) with you to your next meeting.

Thanks everyone...I am not going to let this woman get the best of me....I love doing what I am doing and I will just have my other Quilter Friends that knows how to do things help me and I know they won't scream/holler at me. I need encouragement not being put down.

We don't have Triple F on Wed of this coming week due to Ash Wednesday but the last Wednesday of this month we have Triple F and I am going to take my Quilting stuff and work on it and I will get there the same time as I have always have which is around 1 p.m.

Thanks once again and all of you made my day...thanks.....

Thanks everyone.....