Ok To Just Create the Tops?
 

Is it ok to just make quilt tops? I really love the creative process: developing the design, chosing the fabrics, cutting and stitching, etc. Not so much the ripping and resewing. I love to learn new methods and techniques. I just don't care for making the quilt sandwich and basting. That part doesn't come easy to me. I even tried the Sharon Schamber method which wasn't any better. My DH got the boards for me and luckily he could return them. I have tried pinning things to no avail. I have pretty much decided that for right now I am hopeless. I know I can learn, but I am self- taught. How can I teach myself something I just haven't been able to master even poorly?

I do make strip quilts for babies using Jenny's QAYG method on the Missouri Quilt Star Company website. I have attempted other QAYG methods and found them tedious.

Right now I am excited about the quilt tops and I need something to do to keep my mind off the fact that my DH's cancer is getting worse and it looks like he will have to go back into treatment very soon which breaks my heart. I just feel that I will not be finishing what I start and I already have a few larger quilt tops that are not done. I can't afford to have someone else finish them.


I guess I will just have to give myself permission to enjoy the quilt tops and not worry about completing them now. I will be using my very small stash plus a few extra fabrics I find on sale.


My DH doesn't see a problem here and encourages me to do whatever I enjoy.
Thanks for listening. I think I expect too much of myself. Still I can't gift unfinished quilts. :):):)

It is okay to do whatever you enjoy.

You can quilt by check or just have a big top collection. Or, if you have a guild you can donate the tops for charity and someone else can do the quilting part.

Hope you DH gets better.

Nothing wrong with just enjoying the tops. you can always send them out to be finished or donate as is if you want.

Sew whatever you want whenever you can. It sounds like you need the distraction. At some point you can find a charity to donate unfinished top to or find someone to help you learn to baste or quilt by credit card. Many famous quilters seldom actually quilt the tops themself.

Have you considered making coverlets, rather than quilts, with your finished tops? Just add a backing and either tie or quilt. Less hassle than quilting with batting. You could even birth the quilts quite easily that way, and then they would be finished and useable. Whatever you do with them, it sounds like making the tops is therapy for you, and so the time and $$$ spent is beyond value in the long run.

What do you mean quilt by credit card???

There are many quilting charities who would love to have your tops. Maybe as you make them, you can put them into your collection, and then every so often go through the collection and select one or two to pass on to a charity. For me, time changes my perspective, and I can "let go" after I have "loved on" some of my work for awhile.

Of course it's okay! You're a "topper" - someone who just likes making the tops and there's not a thing wrong with that. Some people really only like doing the quilting, some people really like doing the binding...seems to me you need to do a little networking with a local guild and find people with complementary skills and then all your tops will find homes. Or just stockpile them...some day when you're less stressed/distracted you might discover a technique that works for you and then you'll have a lot of tops to practice on. :)

I'm kind of the same way...the top is the part I like. I can do the rest, but the rest feels like a chore (and I'm not as good at it) whereas making the top is a joy and is the part where I really feel like I get to express myself. To each their own! If nothing else, even if you just get rid of them when you're done it's cheap therapy. Have fun doing what you like and whatever you do DON'T feel guilty about not "finishing" them. It's your art, your therapy, and YOU decide what is and is not "finished".

Do what makes YOU happy/ Forcing yourself to do otherwise may make you hate anything to do with quilting.

Hope hubby's health improves

Thank you so much for your replies. I feel better about not finishing them all now. I guess, when things get better, again, for my DH I will be able to learn how to make the sandwich. I will research how to make coverlets. Making miniatures sounds like fun and I won't need as much fabric. My baby quilts are going to Ronald McDonald House. I do enjoy getting out my small collection and seeing how much I have learned and how far I have progressed. Thank you all, again. :):):)

Pay someone to finish the top into a quilt. They also do the basting.

If you do decide that you might like to learn how to finish the quilt, start small with something like a Quilt for Kids kit. Contact them on line at Quilts for Kids and they will send you a precut kit. Then get a book at the library on how to "quilt" the top, batting, and backing together. Check at your nearest quilt shop. I'LL BET THEY CAN INTRODUCE YOU TO A NEW FRIEND WHO CAN TEACH YOU HOW TO FINISH A QUILT.
Please do not let your husbands's illness eat up your life. You can love him and care without shutting out the rest of the world. Let your friends help you through this difficult time and avoid depressing people.

I agree with you 100% ! I love making the tops but the rest of the job is just plain tedious for me. My DH helped me get the backing and batting ready for several quilt tops and he even says it is a boring yucky job. I have finished several quilts on my DSM, but I would rather make tops all day long than finish them. The only good thing is that they look so pretty when finished. I have found an older woman who does the most lovely work on her Long Arm and doesn't charge much at all. I wonder if you would like doing the sandwich the way Eleanor Burns suggested and then tie the quilts. Not such a big job and then you can enjoy them. So sorry about your DH, I have been where you are now, just one day at a time works.

So sorry about your husband's illness. I lost my fiance 2 years ago. My thoughts are with you in this difficult time.

All my best to you.

Of course it is fine for you to do just tops. You might also want to ask around and see if you can find a longarmer who doesn't like to piece. You could piece a top for her in exchange for her quilting one of yours for you. That would be a win-win situation. Prayers ascending for your husbands full recovery.

I also only enjoy the piecing part. It gets my juices flowing. but can't bear the thought of doing the quilting. I know "can't" is supposedly a bad word, but I can't quilt. I have tried FMQ and hand quilting, and I'm hopeless at both. (and other quilters look at you funny when you reveal this deficiency to them) So I can empathize with you. I also had wondered if this was a serious deficiency meaning I had no talent. So I'm glad you posted this thread. Makes me feel better about myself. hope your hubby gets his treatment and recouperates quickly. Just keep on piecing.

I don't see a thing wrong with just making tops. If it is comforting to you go for it. One day someone will ask you to help them make a top and you will have these tops to show them. In time you may want to quilt them. Do whatever you want to do. You need an outlet and this is it. I pray for your husband to be well and find peace and comfort watching you make tops.

Hi Tropical, enjoy what you do - don' beat yourself up for not enjoying sandwiching and quilting. It's you therapy!!!
Another solution my be to find someone you can barter with. You make a top for her she quilts for you. Keep making those tops. My grandma left several tops when she died. We so cherish those. Will keep your husband in our prayers.

I've seen plenty of quilt tops for sale on ebay and etsy.
I've sold a few tops at our guild "clean out your sewing room" sale.
There's plenty more in my closet waiting on me to figure out how to quilt them :-)

Okay, I have an idea that may work for you. If it doesn't, just ignore it....but, if you enjoy the quilt tops and not the rest of the stuff, just make quilt tops, put a tiny hem around the outside and use them as they are. They could still lie on the top of a bed or sofa, they could cover a chair, they could decorate a wall. They wouldn't be real warm or anything, but that is what a blanket could be for. Your quilt tops are art. They don't have to be quilted in the sandwich thing to be enjoyed. You could even make the last border a bit larger so that if you ever change your mind, you could just cut off the tiny hem....I am thinking like a 1/4 inch hem, just turned under 1/4 inch and then another so there isn't any thread left to ravel.

Just a thought.

My best wishes go out to you and your husband.

Dina

Dina is right, I think that would really work well!!! Make all the tops you want and enjoy what you do !!!!!!!!!

All of my handmade gifts are made by me; I made out the check for most. LOL If you have a guild in your town put out the word that you have tops that anyone learning how to machine quilt can use your quilt tops for practice and get your tops done free that way.

I agree, making tops is the fun part. I don't quilt my own, I have a friend that does long arm quilting and I have her quilt them. But, I have a huge tub full of just tops that may never get quilted. I also quilt for a charity that has long arm volunteers so I can do all the tops I want for them and have someone else quilt them. Maybe there is something like that where you live.

I know one lady that never quilts her own quilts. She sends them to a long arm quilter to be quilted.

If any of us told you "no," would that stop you? I would hope not. Do what you enjoy and leave the worries behind. That is definitely one thing that quilting helps me with--it's calming, soothing, and I enjoy the process. As others have said before me, there is more than one way to finish a top into a quilt--and remember, done is always always better than perfect. I will keep your husband in the light.

Sending my prayers to your husband and you. You have a right to do what you want with your tops. Just go for it. (((HUGS))). BrendaK

Absolutely!! Just fold the tops and stack them. Rotate which one is on top and enjoy them as if they were finished. Heck, I fold fabric and enjoy it - it's not even in a quilt yet, but I still love looking every time I pass by it!

I was going to say that I agree 100%. Find someone who loves to actually do the quilting--they do exist. :) Really. I hope at least one person contacts you about the idea of an exchange. And praying for your hubby.

Hi Tropical,
Where in FL are you? I am in Margate/Coral Springs- Broward County. I belong to a Quilt Guild. There are plenty of generous ladies that I am sure would help you.
Why don't you exchange one top for sandwiching and quilting one more? I guess you could sort of put a value and exchange accordingly. Just an idea.
Also, at the Guild we have classes year round where we learn techniques and most are classes given by Guild member and cost only 15 to pay for the room at the church nearby. We have fun and share the entire day sewing.
Another idea is that you could also use fleece and use the rebirth method with no batting and you would have a cozy blanket.
But most important is that you enjoy your hobby and if piecing gives you comfort and you don't have the need or desire to finish your tops, so be it. Enjoy what you do.
andrea

This is an expression for sending it to the long arm quilter, because most people pay with a plastic bank card. Quilt by card / quilt by credit card. .

Tropical, I am so glad somebody else does the same as me. I just love finding the new ways or notions to use. Mine is not that I dislike sandwiching or quilting. Have you tried spray basting . This is quick and can be done in small areas. The glue doe s not stick on needle . There are plenty of you tubes one even shows a lady spraying on her display board afterutting paper around it is marvellous .
I hope your husband soon re wives the attention he requires. I'm in that short concentration link as my only brother has cancer. It is such a worrying word when you hear it. May God bless and watch over them.

lots of people just make tops- of course it's ok- if that's what you like to do then by all means (carry on with your bad self)
i know people who have been (making quilt tops) for 30+ years- have closets stacked with tops---what treasures they will be when their kids inherit them--- sometime you may come across someone you love-who really really wants one of your (quilt tops) and will (if you choose to give it) take that top & either quilt it themselves- or pay to have someone else quilt it for them- don't feel that your tops are a waste by any means===they are just as important / valuable as a finished quilt.

Hi, I have the opposite problem. I see quilt patterns I would love to have but hate to piece. I most enjoy the handquilting process. I love "cheaters cloth" fabric that is printed to look like a pieced quilt. In the last month I have purchased three yards of three different cheaters cloth sewn an eight inch border around them and started quilting. I have already finished one that looks like a scrap grandmothers flower garden and am almost finished a second that looks like log cabins. I would be happy to handquilt some of your collection in exchange for letting me keep a few that you are not as fond of. That way I end up with some "real" pieced quilts and you get some of yours quilted. I have a collection of finished quilts including a queen sized white on white. I only have one bed in my home now so my quilts spend most of their time in storage. I have an enormous stash as I make about 20 Linus quilts a month. Those are made by the birthing method and very basically machine quilted. Most of those I just put flannel on the back of a childish print and flip and sew. I handquilt once a week at our local senior center.
I hope your DH recovers and you are able to spend many more years together. My DH turned 72 yesterday and I dread the time when he is no longer hale and hardy. I am ten years his junior but feel older than he as I suffered from a rare autoimmune disease 12 years ago that aged me. Handquilting is something I can do and still contirubute to the world.

You need a quilting buddy. Maybe there is someone who only likes to quilt. If you can find that person, you could trade talents and both have finished quilts. Good luck.

Maybe you could find a LA-er in your area that would quilt your tops in order for the LA-er to gain more experience? Or, do what Charismah does - she sometimes will do the labor for the quilting inexchange for someone else piecing the tops for her. Might be something to look in to.

Thank you all for your heartfelt and inspiring replies. I have recieved many PMs and offers from quilters here to do the quilting for me. Some offers were for free and others for an exchange. I sincerely appreciate them all. I have been given many ideas about alternative ways to finish my tops. I will be using some of them. I discussed the offers and ideas with my DH and he feels that donating them to the local Quilt Guild will be the favored idea for right now. That way people in our area will benefit from them.

I feel so much better and have chosen not to feel guilty any longer. Guilt for no reason does take the enjoyment out of life. Thank you all for your prayers about my DH's progress. Right now we are waiting for the results of some tests and a visit with a new pulmonologist so we can decide on the course of treatment. I will be responding to all PMs today. Then I am going to start a miniature wall hanging and I will hem it. It might even be finished before the new year. Thank all of you for renewing my faith in myself. My faith in God is never in question. :):):)

We use a LAQ who does an excellent job. We pick out the quilting design and just wait for the finished product. I actually love finishing the binding by hand as that gives me closure. Go with what makes you happy.

I completely understand your need to use piecing as a distraction. My husband was so very sick before getting a transplant and I used quilting to take my mind away from his illness. I had to focus to sew and that became my "therapy". As for your completed tops, I would go to the LQS and see if there is anyone who will trade you services....you piece the tops, and she quilts them! If only I lived closer, I would love to help you figure out the problems of sandwiching/quilting. If you don't find someone to swap with you that is close, I bet there is someone from the Board who can help! Good Luck and many prayers coming for your hubby.