Must NOT do's for new quilters
 

I have been an off and on quilter for years. Lately more off than on. Reason being - my sewing room was a complete wreck. I had brought in more and more fabric, batting, threads, ect and they were just piling up!
There was no joy in trying to sew anymore. All this happened in a very short time actually.
SO....I am attempting to correct all that now. I gave away 4 HUGE boxes of fabric that I knew I would never use for anything. Most of it knits and jersey type materials that someone gave to me - that I *might* use someday.
Then I started in trying to sort things out and organize, which I hadn't done from the very start.
I have started rotary cutting all my scraps in different size squares, and the scrap bin just keeps multiplying!
And more disheartening were all the beautiful UFO's that I know will never get finished! Aye Yi Yi!
Hopefully I will be ready to start sewing again in the near future, but I was thinking as I was cutting all those scraps up_________
New quilters - Always ALWAYS cut your scraps up immediately into useable squares, triangles, strips, ect. DO NOT ever throw them in a bag to do later!
What about you? What tips NOT to do would you advise?

My first thought was, don't save scraps if you really don't intend to use them. I have shipped away a lot of scraps that I was saving to something with "some day". Before you realize it there is a mountain taking up space. I do not advocate getting rid of them if you intend to use them. I would sort by color though, not cut them up unless you have a purpose.

Do not use tools that are worn out. Get rid of tools/blades/needles that wear out. They do wear out and that is okay. i.e.: seam rippers. They wear out - get a new one, they are cheap, or have them sharpened if you have one that can be sharpened. Same with needles - put them in an old medicine bottle and treat yourself to a new needle - you will be so glad you did. And the same with rotary blades - they wear out. Did you know more people are cut by dull knives and such than properly sharpened tools?

I never intend to cut my scraps in squares. It is too limiting and once they are cut you can't uncut & make them bigger.

If your UFOs are beautiful why don't you finish them?

I make a lot of scrappy quilts and actually use a lot of squares. I still have my stash to use for when I need bigger pieces.
The UFO's? I start one thing, and then see something else that I'd rather be doing...lol. That is another change I am instituting!

Don't buy incase you need it in either fabric tools or rulers. Many of us have a wide. Selection of each of these and rarely use never use some.
Mountain of I might needs that is the result

Don't let other quilters tell you there is only one way to do something! If you want to try something, try it. If it's a new block, or new technique, you don't have to try it with your good fabric. Try with paper first, try with muslin or scraps that you didn't like anyway just to see if you get the intended result.

You need to find what works for you. If someone gives you "sewing fabrics", you can either accept it and then pass it onto any resale charity store where it can be "recycle" to someone who can make use of it. I don't precut smaller leftovers of fabric but have a drawer for them. I don't keep anything less than 1.5" in width and they go into the doggie bedding container. It is just finding out what works best for you. Some quilters post on the free offer section on this site giving away scraps for only the cost of shipping. Good Luck with getting organized.

I try to avoid the words "always" and "never" in my quilting and my life philosophy in general. Keep an open mind and a creative spirit, learn by observing, sharing, and doing. There is a lot of information readily available and it is easy to find oneself overwhelmed with conflicting advice.

Another tip--face the fact we are never going to make every pattern in every magazine we see and download for free. Get rid of saved forever patterns. I took a whole shoe box full of patterns to a quilting group and let them go through them. They were glad to get them and i was glad to get rid of them.

I remember as a new quilter the fun was buying new tools and pretty fabric. My don't do is don't listen to others about what not to do! LOL

What not to do?

1. Don't listen to (or offer) 'always' and 'never' statements. There is no place for those absolutes and it's grossly unfair to attempt to limit someone else's quilting (or life) experiences. Personally, I would rather cut off a thumb than chop my small pieces into smaller ones. :eek:

2. Don't focus on the negative. Play to your strengths, reward your accomplishments, accept that you'll occasionally fail, aim for growth and improvement, follow your own path, and try new things without fear. :)

What works for one may not work for another. When I get small scraps from somewhere (i.e. I did not generate them myself) I wash and iron them (no matter how small) and store by color in plastic shoe boxes. They don't get wrinkled up that way, and they are available to be cut into smaller pieces when I know what size pieces I want for a particular project. That system works for me, but someone else may find that the Bonnie Hunter system of keeping pre-cut scraps works best for her.

The only advice I would offer a new quilter is to have confidence that you will succeed and patience when you're struggling. Quilting is a big world, and there are many ways to approach it. Getting advice from other quilters is helpful, but realize that if you ask a general question you will get 10 different answers, and probably 9 of them will be right. You may wind up trying several ways to do something before you settle on the one that works best for you.

Don't point out your mistakes. Only the quilt police will notice them.

Don't feel like you have to keep scraps, unless you like scrappy. I give my scraps away or I sew a yard of fabric into a sack and throw all my scraps into it for a doggy bed.

Don't give up on your UFOs, WIPs, PHDs. I am slowly whittling down my UFOs by picking out one and working on it at least 30 minutes a day for one month. If it isn't finished by the end of the 30 days, it goes back in the UFO box and I pick another one to work on the next month. Sooner or later, you will get them finished.

Don't force yourself to finish a quilt that you have come to hate. Package the pattern and all the fabrics, pieces, etc. and take it to your guild (if you belong to one) and give it away. Someone will love it. If no one wants it, put it all in the doggie bed bag.

I can identify with Alderdweller going into my sewing room makes me sad .......cluttered, messy, unorganized, just a mess. I have been taking items for donation however my progress is too slow. And those free patterns sheesh.......in addition those magazines...I have to accept that I will never make all of those. calla

Hmmm I know this started as a whats your best "not to do" advice column. I didn't think I really had any till reading this and threads in the past and what struck me was some of the sadness too messy, too much, too overwhelming, too crowded..etc etc etc. what I have to say is if it makes you sad, overwhelmed or anxious, if you have to much stuff it's time to go in and clear out the things you are done with even if you never used them. Do it without guilt sell it, donate it if no one wants it trash it, even if it was a gift is it important to keep it just because great aunt Ida or cousin Mary gave it to you? Would they want it to cause you grief or pain? sometimes we just have to make room for ourselves to feel comfortable in our space and to do that sometimes we must part with things. Nothing should be safe from you looking at it and deciding if its something you want to keep, will you use it in the next 12 months? Does it bring you joy? Is it useful in your quilting/sewing space? does it work? if your answer is no it need to go.

So I guess my advice is never allow the "stuff" associated with quilting bring you down.

There is no one size fits all for quilter's. What works for one may not work for someone else. Some are happy and productive working in a seemingly unorganized space. Others are stifled in that kind of space. My advice is to find what works for you. If you aren't enjoying your quilting experience, it is time to evaluate. For me, a stash other than leftovers from completed quilts or fabric purchased for a project that didn't work makes me nervous. I buy fabric for a project and finish the project. I don't have fabric that doesn't have a specific project to nag at me. My small serendipitous stash serves me well for applique. That's just me and it keeps me happily quilting. Others find great pleasure in a large stash with no anxiety whatsoever. You don't have to be like anyone else. Find what works for you.

I learned to NOT cut my scraps up into little pieces ahead of time.

Don't be your own worst critic! Do the best you can at the time, learn from it and move on.

When starting out -

Do not offer to make something for everyone you know!

You all are probably right. Maybe *Always* is a word I should strike. I will just say in my own case (because I let my scraps get out of hand), I need to do something immediately with small scraps as I make them.
Since my favorite quilts are scrappy ones, I tended to hold on to everything, but my use of them was far less than their ability to multiply.
After some time in my sewing room, I am starting to see results that I love. Containers that I have labeled with appropriate size scraps, needles, bias tapes, assorted tools, ect.
What I thought would really hurt me in giving away so much, has actually freed me. I feel lighter and happier!
So, yes....we need to do what is right for us, but just be open to another method if the one you have isn't working :)

I agree with you Genden....I like lots of fabric and buy a good deal if I find it at good prices and always love it when other quilters want to share thire stash with me....I'm a happy scrap quilter and since I moved a few months ago from Tn to Tx, and had to leave the most of my fabric I am feeling lost....but I'm sure before long I will get my stash back at ceiling level...lol..... It really depends on what each one likes....

This is so true. So many methods that work for so many but not for all.

I don't cut scraps. I have scraps but if I have a fat quarter size piece it stays that way until I need it but in a smaller size. I save the bigger piece. Just because it looks like an "L" shaped piece doesn't mean it needs to be smaller. Which size are you going to use out of it? the more square, rectangle (long or short). You just may need that whole piece for an applique.

I know just how you feel. When I first started quilting, I never said no to fabric or any quilty thing. My quilting mentor told me she only bought fabric for specific projects, and she unloaded a lot of scraps on me (which I loved, don't get me wrong). I understand people who say you can't have too much fabric, because that was me once.

Now I am further along in my journey, and I have so much fabric that it paralyzes me at times. I have given lots away and felt freer. My goal now is to stop myself from saying, "I could do something with that fabric some day," and setting it aside. Now, I want to say, "I love that fabric and it will be perfect for this project!" I already have enough fabric I love to last a long time, so I want to move away from "some day" stuff.

And scraps, I put in a box and offer up for free here on the board. Some people don't have access to fabric as easily as others, and they love scrappy, so it's a match made in heaven and makes me feel good.

There are no don'ts except don't have your finger too close to your machine needle! It really can hurt!

That said, do what works for you! Someday I know I won't have the budget that I do now, I am stocking up on fabric, but when I first started out, I stuck to one quilt at a time. Just because it worked then doesn't mean it always has to stay the same!

Don't let anyone else tell you what and how to do something -- find the way that works well for you!

There are a couple of "always" that I do try to remember -

1) always make sure the rotary cutter blade is retracted when setting the cutter down
2) always make sure the iron is cool or unplugged when leaving the room

Okay - I will change them into "don't"

Don't leave the rotary cutter blade exposed when setting the cutter down.
Don't leave the iron on when leaving the room.

I think my quilting dos/don'ts correspond to my dos and don'ts for all areas of my life.

- Try not to get hung up on being perfect! Precision is important, but not if it is stopping you from moving forward.

- Ditto on expensive equipment, fabric, etc. Sometimes you don't need the top dollar thing - sometimes you don't need that thing at all. Other times it is worth the investment to buy the best quality you can afford.

- Remember that you are not in competition with Quilter Jones.

- Pick projects you love, and only do those. If you don't love it, stop doing it. Sometimes that means you're working on a quilt you don't particularly care for that's a gift for a PERSON you love - that's okay - but if you're only lukewarm about the quilt AND the person, just buy them a gift basket and go on to the next project.

[QUOTE=bearisgray;7231907]There are a couple of "always" that I do try to remember -

1) always make sure the rotary cutter blade is retracted when setting the cutter down
2) always make sure the iron is cool or unplugged when leaving the room

These are two things I agree with wholeheartedly; otherwise, I go with the idea that there are no quilting police and no laws to enforce. You can't put 3 quilters in a room and get a majority answer as to what those rules would be anyway (the more quilters together, the more diverse opinions).

For some reason, I am getting a note telling me that the message is too short--to use at least 10 characters. I am so far above that I don't know what is causing that to show up.

One of my few "don't" rules for myself is -- don't stock up on random, very specific colors of thread and don't be beguiled by the assorted color thread packs. I buy large spools of threads in basic, neutral colors when it is on sale. And if I need a specific color for a project, then I will buy for that project, carefully choosing color and type of thread that will be most appropriate. But I really don't want to mess with the gazillion smaller spools which often aren't quite enough to finish, or that are just the right color but not the best type or weight for the application.

I also don't buy patterns or books unless I intend to make that quilt very soon. Chances are quite high that it will go down in price, not up. And if I don't intend to make that quilt soon, I probably will never make it, because there will be something else that is much more appealing to me later.

I'm another who does not cut scraps smaller. I will remove unusable strands and maybe square up the scrap, and I will press it before storing in a zip lock bag of like colors.

Here's what works for me: I have a bin in which all my zip lock bags of scraps live. When I have too many scraps to fit in there (no stuffing and squashing), I either have to make something with the scraps or get rid of them. Some of my most favorite projects have been from these forced scrap reduction frenzies. See my avatar quilt. I have a pinterest board of very scrap friendly projects in case I run out of spontaneous ideas. I've become kind of known for trademark gift sunglasses cases and zip pouches that are made with a ton of scraps. I've also made wall hangings, table runners, pillows, entire full sized quilts.

Don't be afraid to ask questions then take what you need from the answers given and move on. As a young quilter I was pretty inexperienced and appreciated much of the advice I got when I asked questions. For a very long time I got hung up on "rules" people told me at the local quilt shop when I asked questions. Imagine my surprise and delight when I realized I could do whatever I wanted and the quilt police weren't going to come and take me away! :)

I piece with all colors of thread even bright red. Of course if I'm using all white fabric I use white thread. Purple, green, yellow, blue or orange thread blends in just as good as any neutral when piecing scrappy quilts or mixed fabric quilts. I like pretty colors of thread.

I really don't see the need to spend time to cut up scraps into squares. Not all of the shapes I use are square in any case and I would rather leave as much of the fabric as possible so that I don't waste anything. Any material that is not used for quilting can be made into interesting yarn.

I keep scraps for applique' which often only needs the small bits. They're jumbled in a shoebox. Who cares? If I need it, I'll iron it.
Larger scraps don't get cut into squares. Tried that. They're still squares. And probably will be for a Looonnnnnggg time! My larger scraps stay together...all colors...I sort through when I'm making a prayer pocket quilt.
I do try to make my quilts the best I can.
Instead of following 'don'ts,' try the 'dos.' As in do:
enjoy quilting, keep learning new ways, get rid of things you're not going to finish, take pride in your work, enjoy meeting other quilters.

My major "don't" for new quilters is Don't be intimidated by others telling you this project or that project is too hard for a beginner.

Another don't for me is don't let other quilters scare you away from things like curves, bias edges, too small or too large, hand vs machine, etc.

And don't feel like you have to buy every gadget you see that looks cool!

I go to a UFO camp evert July. That's how I get rid of my UFO's.

I don't follow rules in my quilting, I do that in the rest of my life areas (pay my bills, taxes, obey laws, etc.) My quilting and sewing is for fun and relaxation, I do things the way I want to!! I put my scraps in a big round tub I got at Walmart, it just slides under my quilting frame out of the way, I pull it out when I want to use it.

Be sure your cutter is sharp enough for the amount of fabric you are cutting. Much less chance of a slip and nasty accident.

NEVER say never

and

ALWAYS keep an open mind to different ideas and techniques

Don't be afraid to try something new. I have been quilting for about 4 years and there are many techniques I have not yet tried. Something to look forward to, but if I like a pattern, I make it again, knowing what mistakes I made and how I can make it bigger/smaller. Learning is the key - keep on and you will stay young.