I most definitely am very critical of my abilities. You would think that at 58 I would no longer hear my dad's voice in my head, but I do. If I didn't do something perfectly (even the first time) he would scream at me that I was stupid, a failure, couldn't do anything right, blah, blah, blah. It takes me a long time to work up the nerve to start a project and I usually only sew when I am alone so no one can see my mistakes. Quilting is especially intimidating since my mom's work was so beautiful.

I'm with you, Stephanie! Gotta have a challenge and learn something new. I don't care if it takes a year or even two to complete as long as it keeps me challenged.

I consider myself still a newbie at quilting as I have not done alot of various patterns yet. As I see photos of quilts done on this digest I'll save the pic to my "Future Quilts". If I can find the name of this quilt that just helps me more later. I've been trying to do a different quilt each time so I expand my knowledge instead of doing the same thing over and over though I might like that particular pattern. Sometimes I also can look at the photo and figure out how it was done but dissecting the blocks, sometimes I'm totally lost. I find a lot of info from all you that keeps me trying to improve myself and my skills. If I goof up which I do a lot of times, I just consider it a lesson learned and move on. I refuse to let it get the best of me as that means I've let it beat me.

Just my thinking on the subject.

I have a wonderful friend here on the QB that challenged me to make a quilt to put into a show. No pressure to be chosen, but just the process of applying and then sewing and quilting a quilt for the special purpose to enter into a competition show. I know my quilt would never be accepted, but that doesn't stop me.

Now something about me is that I've NEVER challenged my self to do anything like this for fear of failure.....or embarrassment. I'm fine with doing just good enough for me.....and that is ok.....but I would like to improve my skill set....never too old to learn new things especially about something I've loved to do all my life!

I've learned so much more than I ever thought. From fabric and color value choices, piecing correctly, batting types, sandwiching methods, best quilting methods, practicing FMQ, which thread/colors to use, which needle size to use, tension issues/how to correct, walking foot or not, how to square and block correctly to avoid wonky hannging quilts, best looking binding methods, how to photograph a quilt for a show application....I've learned little idiosyncracies about my machine...but most of all I've ENJOYED the process.

Never doubt your abilities if you want to do something, all you have to do is take the first step and decide you want to learn. You will gain so much from the experience .... and nobody can take it away from you.....and you have a beautiful quilt and experience to share and show to the world.

My biggest problem is the "procrastination bug"--I see, and can handle most of the cutting and sewing aspects of any quilt that I see and love, but getting the fabrics and mood together at the same time are very difficult for me. Any little thing (laundry, reading, reading this forum, road trips with the DH, anything) can distract me into the middle of next week and I still haven't started it. The last quilt that I created and finished was for my son's 50th birthday last November.

I have rearranged the furniture in my bedroom and put my new FW in there so that I'll maybe go in there and make a couple of quilts that are weighing on my mind. I want to make one for MYSELF (I do not have one quilt that I have made for myself) and one for my SIL who has asked me for a hundred years to make her one (her birthday is May 2nd, suppose I'll get it done?). I did send her a picture of one that I might do for her, if she will look at it and send me the picture to copy. I found one on the forum here a couple of days ago and I want to try it. Maybe, maybe, maybe.....

for me, if it isn't complicated I'm not interested. If any of the pieces are cut bigger than 2.5" I'm not interested.
Guess that is way there are so many quilts and patterns.

You're not lazy, you just prefer making the tops instead of quilting them (I have a similar problem).

I think just needing new challenges.. or thats what i tell myself.

Since I began as mostly a self-taught quilter (you should have seen my hand quilting-one stitch at a time), my first class was one to learn how to machine quilt, after making several quilts, so I just fly by the seat of my pants, telling myself that I can do it, so I mostly make intermediate to somewhat challenging quilts. I generally use a pattern though, and occasionally I'll have to read and re-read the directions many times before I get it, so just do what you are comfortable doing.

I think it's a balance between being bored and being challenged. Sometimes I just want to do something mindless that I don't have to think about much....but less than half way through I tend to grow impatient because it is so mindless, and so then I just want to be done with it.

For me the perfect project is one that is complicated enough to have to use my brain --and then feel I've accomplished something when it's finished--but not so complicated that it terrifies me or makes me want to throw it across the room. I've just been working on a quilt with pinwheels which are not difficult for most of you, probably, but have given me fits because I didn't really know how to make them work. I've learned something, having to figure out what I was doing wrong when they didn't go together as perfectly as I wanted, and that has been satisfying (and more than a little frustrating!).

Bottom line is I usually fluctuate between these two--mindlessly simple or reasonably--and doable-- challenging.