Which quilt pattern intimidates you?
 

I've been a quilter for a few decades and I've seen pretty much everything in my quilting career. What baffles me, however, is that certain patterns or techniques just intimidate the living daylights out of me. I don't know why. They just do. For me, it's the Bargello quilt technique. I admire those who applique and I've seen lots of beautiful appliqued quilts over the years but it's not a technique I have any desire to master. I'll leave it to those are good at it. Yep. It's Bargello. How about you?

I really want to do a mariners compass, but I always put it off..... Scares the bejeepers out of me!

hugs

Caroline

Circles........I can't imagine sewing a circle into fabric and it still looking like a circle. Mine would look like boulders with jagged edges if I tried.

Oh, and appliqué scares me too. I couldn't do an even stitch with that if I tried.

I can't get my head round paper piecing!!! I've been quilting for 17years......but working back to front?....my brain just doesn't compute!!!!:rolleyes:

I try to embrace the difficult and daunting ... and I'm slowly working through various techniques. Have not tackled piecing circles yet but not for the reason you imagine. My background is in garment making so I've sewn many a set in sleeve. My problem is that I don't buy patterns or templates - prefer to figure things out on my own. I am just not sure if to get a proper circle if the outside curve and inside curve are the same. I just need to work out the geometry.

Me, too! Not much intimidates me, but this one sure does. I'm not sure why.

mariner's compass. and those kaleidoscope thingys.

isolde

"Storm at Sea" is a problem for me. I am making a quilt of 12 blocks but when it came to SAS block, I gave up on it. I decided to use another block to comlete my project. I did not have trouble putting it together, just getting it to size up the same as he other blocks.

I've done a mariner's compass. It looks like a volcano sitting in the middle of the bed. I am determined to do it better someday, but other projects keep interfering.

So far I haven't run across one. I have yet to do a Mariners compass but I would probably paper piece it if I did. Now if I had to piece it like in the old days I would run. Applique I actually love but can no longer get those teeny tiny invisible stitches I use to , eyesight .. Storm at Sea seems easy enough unless we are thinking of 2 different patterns. Oh I would never think of doing one of the Dear Jane quilts though.

a double wedding ring quilt

I played with bargello. BORING...but beautiful!

No way will i tackle cathedral windows btw.
Sandy

I am soooooo enjoying reading the responses! I am slowly tackling both paper piecing and circles (or at least partial circles/curves) in my current NYB project, and yes, it's daunting, but I will persevere!

I've seen some magnificant Bargello's. Some day - - - - -

Jane

I made one SAS block for a demo, went pretty well. I just don't have the endurance to make 20 or so of the same block. BUT I WILL ONE DAY!

Nothing intimidates me just some I don't have a desire to make. Wish I had more time to make the long list of those I do want to make. I'm currently working on three quilts as well as embroidering squares for kids quilts.

I can't say I am intimidated... just some I don't have patience to complete... Dear Jane being one of them.. I love them but just know I would not ever live to see it finished.

Mariner's compass, New York Beauty, anything with teeny tiny points. But I'm determined to tackle both one day, just to say I did it!

Anything with a curved seam. Drunkards path, apple core......

piney

Bargellos are super easy they just look hard. If you can do a trip around the world you can do a bargello

For me it is dwr and appliqué, I have had a hard time of it

I don't know that I will ever be able to complete a Wedding Ring quilt, Mariner's compass or Grandmother's flower garden. I have tried and they are in my UFO pile.

Anything with a curved seam, hate them! yes, Ive tried that dumb sewing machine foot specifically designed to "make it easier" does not, still time consuming.

Storm at sea tooooooo many pcs.
mariners compass is easy its the way it goes tog, all sstraight lines.

Paper piecing, cathedral windows and hexagons

A Dear Jane, Baltimore Album or Lone star. I love applique, and feel like I do it well, but for some reason the first 2 just scare my senseless!

Did you paper piece that block?? That's the only way I can get the Storm at Sea block to work.

Intimidated? Yes indeedy.... by anything involving a curved seam - and needle turn applique can make my stomach flip flip as well....

For me, it's anything with lots of points coming together, like pinwheels...can't ever seem to get them right without ripping several times...have done a bargello and zipped right through it....I really want to learn applique, but reading a book just doesn't seem to give me enough info to do it right....I need a tutor I guess

Do you mean because of the seam allowances?

The sewing lines will have the same diameter, obviously, on both pieces of fabric (circle and background).

All the GREEN lines are the same length - 4 inches in this example.
(It doesn't look like it but they are.)
The black represents part of the fabric used for the seam allowances.

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Many of the circle rulers can cut either piece taking into account the SA.

Any pattern that has diamond shaped pieces. I have an Better Holmes & Garden's Patchwork & Quilting book that has a 1977 copywrite. There is a picture of a Storm at Sea quilt that I love. I talk myself out of doing one every time I look at the pattern pieces.

I like paper piecing very much, and my brain flowed easily into working reverse. When I first got my sewing machine I made a tree skirt for Christmas with circles and it was a little tough because I wasn't using a pattern but doable. what does scare me is the Dear Jane blocks. I admire that very much but the directions seem lacking. I don't like directions to much to begin with that is why I am always changing things up. Well keep posting all of those lovely Dear Jane quilts and I comment all of you conquers of those beauties.

Any quilt pattern with lots and lots of tiny pieces intimidates me. I think I'd lose interest before I could ever finish.

I'd like to applique, but my hands don't like doing all that turning under. I've given some thought to raw edge applique, but so far haven't been moved to do it.

Too many to mention. Bergello and Dear Jane (don't actually like the former and don't [yet] have the skills for the latter).
Annie

I have been quilting since the mid 70's and did it all by hand until about 10 years ago.I think if I was doing it by hand I could make any pattern, it's so much more accurate. I love to Paper Piece and machine piece, its so much faster, but when it comes to applique I prefer to do it by hand. I think the only thing I have not tried is a Mariners Compass, but if I ever did, I would use Jenny Beyers methods,hers are beautiful, and are all done by hand.

Sounds silly, but a quilt pattern set on point. All that bias..........don't know, maybe some day.

Ignorance is bliss. I didn't know Storm at Sea was supposed to be difficult. It was the first quilt I ever made. Wasn't perfect but made a nice graduation gift for our grandson.

I am scared of the Jinny Beyer "Da Vinci" quilt we are making for his younger brother's graduation next year. We've started cutting the fabric and organizing the pieces but I still am having trouble grasping how all this comes together. We're just taking one step at a time and hoping for the best! He chose the quilt. But his mother (my daughter) suggested a Jinny Beyer. Yup she does quilt. The picture is beautiful we'll see if my piecing does it justice.

definitely appliquéing ........ so pretty when someone else does it so I will just leave it to them...give me PaperPiecing any time at all.......love PPing

If you have good instruction the Bargello, you should not shy away from it. I have never found any pattern that I wouldn't try, if I liked it. There are some that I don't like enough to try.

My dream would be to do a hand appliqued Baltimore Album. Not sure I have that much patience however.

There are a bunch for me Double Wedding Ring, Bargello, Log Cabin, and Trip Around The World.

So far mariners compass, paper piecing and most of what bothers you doesn't bother me except those one that have billions of itty bitty pieces like dear jane and baltimore album. Luckily these particular pattern don't wow me and I have plenty other ones to do. Maybe in the future if they decide to wow me I might do a block of one of them just to say I did them but until then I am satisfied with what I have either as patterns, printouts or saved to the computer (freebies) and my own creations.