I have been quilting for 23+ years and have still to achieve perfection. However, as you go along you learn from classes, books, and other quilters so many tips to make the process go smoother and to be more precise in execution of the quilt. It is like any other skill, practice, practice and more practice with each quilt you finish!!! The best thing is the people that receive our quilts don't seem to see the imperfections, just the love!!!!!

This is exactly how I feel! :) I have found that by giving up the idea of making a perfect quilt, I enjoy myself more. Lots less stressful that way!

I highly recommend making a sampler with piecing, paper piecing, appliqué, curve piecing, etc. each block should challenge you a different way. Make your mistakes all over this quilt and when finished, let it be the one u toss in the trunk for emergencies. I also don't enjoy y seams or machine appliqué so I don't do those. See what u like and u will get good at it fast. Don't forget to enjoy learning!

i bet you can set in a sleeve put in a zip almost without to much thought---this is why a sampler quilt is a great idear there are' tricks' to help with most things--eg -rotary cutting--if you learn to do it properly you will save yourself a lot of grief ie loss of fingertips and badly cut fabric---start with a small item quick rewards are a great stimulus---a major up side of quilting is the community find a group and of course this board is always willing to help

I've been quilting since 1992, but only seriously about 2 1/2 years. I consider myself an experienced beginner also. I shy away from hard quilts because of my fear that I won't be able to make them. But I have made some hard ones and I didn't know they were hard until a while after I finished them. I am amazed at some of the quilts I made. I think I have digressed. Some of the quilts I made a couple of years ago, I'm afraid to tackle now. I think I didn't know any better when I did the challenging quilts and I did them fine. Now, I know they are hard and won't do them. Isn't that crazy?

Before if I liked the quilt, I'd make it. Now, I look at it with a different perspective. If it looks hard, I won't do it. But I've done those hard quilts before, so why do I think I can't do them now? Like I said, it's crazy that I'm digressing.

I need to challenge myself, also. I get so bored with some of the quilts I'm making. They are too easy. I think I need the challenge so I'll keep quilting. But, I've seen pictures of some of the quilts here on the board and feel less than because I don't think I could make them. I try not to look at the "Pictures" section too much because I get depressed. I should be doing more challenging quilts than I'm allowing myself to do and it's lowering my self esteem when it comes to quilting. I should be more than an experienced beginner, I should be advanced, but it's my fear that won't allow me to do the harder quilts. And I know I can do them deep inside...it's fear that's keeping me from doing them. I've seen beginner's do very hard quilts because they are fearless, like I use to be. Before I knew better.

Jeanne, you are being too hard on yourself. You just are. Even "experienced beginners" don't have to always be trying to take on challenges. Maybe right now, just right now, you are sewing what is comfortable for you, and that may change in only a few months. I have also made some harder quilts that I wouldn't try now. I think I was lucky they worked out for me when I made them....not so sure they would work now because I am not so willing to spend forever on one quilt, and I am very not fond of ripping out seams...

I don't think you are fearful, you are just too hard on yourself. If you aren't happy working on what you are currently working on, try something else, just for right now. This mood will pass. You are just too hard on yourself right now.

Dina

I have been quilting for 6 years. I guess I am now an intermediate. But I look at it as not being perfect but to learn something on each quilt I make. When I am done, I look at it and try to find all of the little things that I learned while doing it or that I perfected a little bit. Then I will hopefully remember them when I do another similar quilt. I belong to a very small guild (18 members) and have learned so much from my fellow quilters there. Sometimes we do quilts together and other times we have a "Sit and Sew" time and always a "show and tell" after lunch. We meet twice a month from 10AM to 2PM at our local library where there is a big room with lots of tables and electrical outlets for our machines. When we have a new member, we all pitch in to help them learn. That was really how I learned.

I have been sewing for over 40 years.. and quilting almost as long... since clothing sewing clothes always produced scraps. I concider myself a confident quilter.. but there are still times .. all the stars just did not allign right .. and I make silly mistakes. What I have learned is to forgive myself and move on. Perfection is a judgement call... and this quilter finds that kind of pressure takes alot of the fun out of it. Learn and grow, mistakes or things that could have been done better are lessons learned not something to retreat from.

Personally I find that Perfection is way overrated! Do something you feel is within your comfort level to start, and go upwards. Once you feel comfortable with the basic skills (sewing will not be an issue but rotary cutting and reading quilting instructions sometimes can) make sure to challenge yourself. Above all have FUN

We're just really good at making our posted pictures look square! lol