Need challenges!
 

I've been quilting for over 15 years, not quite 20 yet, but am finding lately that every pattern I peruse I simply don't want to do. I started one the other day, cut everything all out, and started working on it, and just now packaged it all into ziplock bags because I don't feel like doing it anymore.

I was chatting with one of my friends and she said I simply need more challenges, and to try something radically different LOL ... like the bali wedding star quilt that I did this year wasn't challenging enough!

So I'm going to try and hand quilt a quilt (again, I tried earlier this year and didn't like it) ... but I discovered big stitch handquilting, so am willing to try that one.

I also remembered that I bought in inktense derwent pencil crayons a long time ago (and put them away, and totally forgot about them) ... so might try those out.

I'm also toying with the idea of really truly practicing free motion quilting ... I've tried it a couple of times and simply don't have the patience to keep at it long enough to get good!

Does anyone else get like this? Just totally uninspired?

I still love quilting, and it's the best thing for me to do in the evenings as I share this time with my parrot (we share a large room) ... if I didn't do this, I'd have to find another hobby to do in the same room as her.

I get like that at times. I do find that a change of pace helps. I have YoYo's that I set aside and pull out when I'm feeling blah about my current projects.

Yes, sometimes I just don’t want to do anything that I’ve already started (even if I just started it 2 hours ago). When that happens, rather than starting an official project, I grab some fabric and PLay. I might just sit and stitch some of my machine’s decorative stitches on a scrap of fabric and batting, or I might FMQ “scribbles” all over some scrap fabric sandwiches. I might look in a book or on-line to find a technique that I’ve never tried before and play with it... the point is to PLAY. Playing with my fabrics, threads, machines, fabric paints, etc. without having any purpose in mind often helps me learn new techniques that later on get incorporated into projects. I find that letting loose and just playing also helps me recharge when I’m not feeling creative. A bonus is that sometimes the scraps I’m playing with turn out to be nice art pieces, other times they end up being samples that I can refer back to.

When I’m playing I ask myself “what if” questions like “what would happen if I tried to combine these two decorative stitches”. or “what if I did some quilting on some fabric and then painted it with fabric paints or with my inktense pencils.

you might want to check out the National quilter’s circle— specifically the techniques taught by Heather Thomas, even if you don’t like her very non-traditional approach to quilt making, you may find that there are some techniques you would enjoy trying that could be incorporated into your quiltmaking practice. Another thing you may want to try is doing some pattern free quiltmaking— Joe Cunningham teaches a good introduction on Craftsy (called Pattern Free Quiltmaking) with some tricks to help you set some boundaries or rules to help guide your exploration into pattern free quilt making. It’s a good class for folks who are used to using patterns but want to get their feet wet doing some improvisational quilting.

Rob

When I get Blah and unisnspired I go to pinterest and click around and enjoy what others have done. Or I start cleaning the sewing room, ironing and folding and sorting fabric and scraps. It seems a clean room says "let's make something" to me. If nothing pops to mind, I may just cut scraps into 2 1/2" squares, or 2" strips. If that doesn't kick it, I make something for someone else....like a baby quilt or a QOV quilt or a shelter quilt and think about others. And before you know it, the blahs have passed, and you are on your way again with soring creativity.

That hasn't happened to me yet, but I'm newer to quilting. I find that having many projects planned and organized helps keep a forward momentum going, because I am always eager to get to the next thing.

I have so many projects on my bucket list that I want to hurry through the one I'm on to get to the others!

When that happens to me I dig into my scrap pile and do crumb piecing.

Yes I think we all get those periods of time. I usually walk away from my sewing room and do something completely different--like housecleaning :). Doesn't take long before the 'itch' gets me back to my fabric.

At the moment, I just completed a QOV top for our local chapter, have a charity quilt that I promised to bind and a desperate need to get at a couple of bags for Christmas gifts. Plus I need to decide on my next big project--several patterns are in the running. Too many ideas and not enough time!

This is why I have a lot of different projects going on at one time. I am new to quilting, just started this spring, but I been involved in the fiber arts for years. Right now I have lace curtain fabric on one loom, yardage for a shirt on another, a partial tapestry woven on the big tapestry loom, a wool pick-up band on the floor inkle, a leash on the core braiding stand, another band on the high stand, 2 or 3 partial sewn items, plus a couple of quilts to finish. It sounds like a lot of half-done projects, but my interests seem to change with my mood so I always have something fun to play with.

Learning a new technique or working in a different medium is what gets me going. Right now quilting has been a pretty big focus for me, but I sat at the loom a threw a few pirns worth of yarn on the curtains this morning and it was wonderful:-) I love having the variety and the toys to play on.

I also love to challenge myself. Celtic Layers was a challenging quilt. https://www.quiltingboard.com/pictur...s-t280563.html

Jungle Abstractions was also a challenge. https://www.quiltingboard.com/pictur...n-t282067.html

Someday I want to make Bella Bella. https://www.quiltingboard.com/pictur...es-t96705.html

We have found when creativity wanes here..... we need to take more vitamin D. It's been cooler, gray and dreary here recently and without sunshine, we don't have enough D. Try taking 1000iu per 30lbs of body weight every day for a couple weeks and see if you feel inspired again. :)

I have been steadily making quilts since 2002. I never get into a slump and I am so glad. I have many,many yards of fabrics. Have been making mostly scrappies for the last couple years.

You mentioned that you recently finished the Bali Wedding star (sure looks challenging). I find that when I've completed a particularly challenging or long project I need to re-energize by either doing something else (like getting my nose into a few books, taking on a house cleaning or repair projects, etc) ; or explore a new technique. often I don't "finish" that exploration because I get focused on an unfinished project--but since I usually have many projects going at a time, I just add the "exploration" to the pile. check out one of Jean Wells books on innovative piecing. (I often just start piecing strings when I'm in a lull--just mindless sewing!)

Right now I am working on two quilts at once because one is very intense. I do one of those blocks and then 2 or 3 of the other quilt. Sometimes I switch to knitting if my hands aren't hurting. If all else fails I read. That could be a mystery book or it could be quilting books. I think it still counts as quilting if you are taking a Craftsy class or watching videos of techniques.

Ryder; like your ideas of play. Not sure where I'm going but enjoying the journey.

I will sit down with a good book and lose myself in it. That is what I do when I lose interest in things. It helps me.

Yes, that happens to me. It seems like this year I've run into several dead ends with projects.
I made about 3 tops this year that I ended up not liking in various stages. Then I saw a Shakespeare in the Park on the board and made one. It was more challenging and very enjoyable!
It is now being long-armed and I just got my sewing room all cleaned up. I thought that might help me too.
I love that big stitch quilting! Faintly Artistic has done some wonderful work with that and I'm going to give it a go. I have been a hand quilter but am learning FMQ (hard!) but I want to learn.
As for the dead end projects- I put them away. I may get back to them someday but I'm not going to stress about it.
I also have a few hand projects that I like to work on at night. Right now it's EPP.
Glad you brought this up. I don't feel so alone!

So sweet that you share your evenings with your parrot! I do the same with my cat :)

Forgot to add: Ginger's Mom has convinced me to FMQ a quilt for my brother. Let me explain:
I'm very new to the technique. Well my brother doesn't know a quilt from a surf board so it really
won't matter if the stitches are perfect so I'm going to do it!! :) His bedspread is in tatters so I know he'll use it.
I get so much inspiration from all of you! BTW it was another top I didn't end up liking but it's mannish
so I think he will. He's not fussy!

I find I get like this every year about this time, I’ve started making some of the Tilda angels and toys as these are different and make me feel a bit more up beat.

I print out pictures of projects that I see on the 'net that I particularly like and keep them pinned up around my sewing room. Some stay up a LONG time, some I take down pretty quickly, but they all give me inspiration when I get stuck.
I always have one project that is kind of mindless that I can just work on...right now it is doing the quilting on a baby quilt..so that if I come to a roadblock on my main project I still have something to do.

Watson

rryder is right on with playing with fabric. If you are a more structured quilter try mindless sewing of blocks. I love my mindless sewing of 9P's or 4P's. Since I save measured strips in bins it's easy to grab some lights and darks for contrast. If that's not right I will sew leftover HST cutoffs into squares. I have learned so much about color and design placement when doing this kind of work. The HST's can be made into shoofly bocks, pinwheels, broken dishes...... When I get 10 blocks sewn I pin them together and throw them into a clear jar.
This is a result of one of my "jar" quilts". I just finished a "jar" quilt using 2" squares in my 9P's and now filling a jar with 4P's made from 2" squares for a new quilt. Meanwhile my current big project is a "jar" quilt from house blocks.

https://www.quiltingboard.com/pictur...i-t289801.html

This is a quick way to clean out some 1 1/2" strips. Great mindless sewing project.
https://redirect.viglink.com/?format...-tutorial.html

I love your big mini! WOW

You may just need a break. I will switch off to another craft (I also work in wood and paint) and at some point I find myself looking a lot at my fabric stash and know it is time to go back. I think we just need to work other parts of our creativity. Perhaps you can do something else within the fabric world - make some soft toys to donate, perhaps some home accessory items (placemats and potholder sets, centerpieces, kitchen towels and apron sets). Then you can stash them in the cupboard for emergency gifts. Another good gift is wine bottle covers and tote bags or messenger bags for kids. Just something to let your quilt brain refresh itself.

I think my best inspiration, is looking at photographs of my earlier work, or that made by others. I see beautiful things and it makes me want to finish projects. I also remind myself that I spent good money for the fabric and I do not like to waste things.

Yes, definitely sounds like me. I tend to get bored easily after starting projects. I even started something recently that is a real challenge for me and I'm successfuly forcing myself to keep going on it. I've found that the monthly quilting clubs at the quilt shop are what keeps my interest. For instance, next month for the modern club we are supposed to do something showing gradation. Knowing that I have "homework" to show next month is inspring to me.

Fortunately, I still have too many projects on my bucket list plus all the recent baby quilts for my kids and their friends.

I hope you find something to challenge yourself and keep your creative talents flowing.

Same here, Lol!!

Yes, I was getting bored with doing many of the same blocks for large quilts so I changed to doing samplers and now to doing 6" blocks that I find free on many sites. These are send to a Canadian group to make into quilts for the needy. I've done over 120 now! All different! Never bored anymore!

I recently made a bag for me Serger, and a smaller one for supplies. I found that really fun and a nice challenge from piecing, yet with a lot of similarities. I find clothing to be a whole different ball game, but this was quite similar to making quilts with the cutting, mostly straight stitch 1/4" seams and putting on a lot of binding.

The best - I can use my quilting fabric!

What if you did something freestyle? Complex piecing is fun like a puzzle at first but it gets repetitive very quickly. There are so many more ways to make a quilt besides traditional piecing. Stretch your boundaries but don't overwhelm yourself--make a small quilt, maybe a table runner or wall hanging. Draw it yourself and translate it to fabric. Have fun with it.

Leah Day has some great free free-motion quilting patterns (with videos) on her website. I urge you to try it, you'll never go back. (PS: Free motion quilting is much easier on a small piece.)

Yes...I go through the same thing, which is why I have lots of projects going at once. They are all in different stages. So I can switch tasks if needed (quilting, piecing, applique, etc...) . I find that BOM's and other groups like that keep me inspired because there is always something new and fun to try and then to share.

I also realized at some point that I do have to give myself permission to punt. I don't HAVE to finish everything. If the blocks aren't going the right way..they can become orphans for another project and I can reclaim the fabric. I've even given mostly done projects away that someone else finished with wonderful results. (I did that with a one-block wonder earlier this year. The idea was great, and I got the triangles sewn into the threesies, but a seized up when it came to sewing those rows together. Ugh. The person I gave it to make a charity quilt and was THRILLED!)

Thank you. This is very helpful. I seldom if ever PLAY with my fabrics LOL ... i usually just create and move forward ... will take that into account

I have about 2000 pins for quilts ... I love them, just have no desire LOL ...

All my quilts are donated, I only keep one or two for myself for about a year or two, and then they go into the donation pile LOL

Thank you for the thought! I share my sewing room with my parrot, so the whole room is lit by special lights that are like sunlight - it is very bright, and I did notice (16 years ago when I got my parrot) that once I got those specific lights my winter doldrums did go away!!!!!

I am an avid reader!!!! My problem right now is that this is where I spend quality time with my parrot ... I can't bring her to other parts of the house as I have a cat and dog (and they would eat her LOL). So I need to be able to stay in the "craft" room and be with her. I also can't do any crafts that have scent or super small pieces (like puzzles - tried that once, she destroyed two pieces in about 5 seconds flat!)

What is the name of the group? I would love to be able to do that!!!!

Thank you to everyone who responded! I replied to some, and then realized that I was filling up the whole 2nd page with my responses.

This is one of the many reasons I so love this forum. The ideas are endless, and even if they don't work for me, I can take the kernel of the idea and work it into my life.

I've decided to make fast easy blocks with lots of negative space to practice FMQ (yes, I will look up Leah Day - thank you). My friend has 7 cats, and I asked her today if she would like cat bed / quilts that are sewn together rather horribly while I practice my FMQ. They will be about 24x36 inches - because I have learned that smaller is easier to work with! She cracked up laughing, and said absolutely - the more the better - the kitties won't care!!!! So I have a place to give my practice pieces to (I hate throwing stuff out).

I did pretty good with the big stitch hand quilting last night while watching the hockey game, so will finish that quilt like that, and I have another that I could do the same with.

So thank you again to everyone who posted, greatly appreciated, and makes me feel better knowing I'm not the only one out there who starts something and says BAH, not doing it!!!

When this happens to me I go to my UFO projects and take out one that I haven't worked on for years and start working on that. I also like to work on several projects at a time to keep me interested in finishing.

I was brain dead all summer.

Have you tried designing a completely new pattern? Inspiration could come from fabrics or another hobby. Use new stiches. You might be re-invigorated by the math and design challenges of your own pattern.