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Psychomomquilter 08-13-2010 01:10 PM

I should have realized that I should come here for advice! thanks for the help, I did stop today, and may not do anymore till Monday! I do have a couple of things to finish, But I can do it next week, so crocheting time! I am going to finish crocheting the towel tops!!
and maybe a couple of other things!

Thanks again. Mary

teacherbailey 08-15-2010 02:26 AM

You have the right idea....put it down for a bit and do something where success is guaranteed...and come back to it later. Preferably when not tired! I usually keep several projects going at once for this reason....right now I have a very stressful, tricky one, a bargello cut and waiting to be sewn, two quickies for my grandsons, and a beautiful one waiting for blocks to be put together. I can always find the one I'm in the mood to work on!

jolo 08-15-2010 04:39 AM

You know if all my points dont come out the way I want them to ,I put it away ,go on to the next one. Dont sweat it all never do come out perfectly. If one does get in a quilt,who except the Perfect ONe will know.lol I make quilts for the fun,relaxation,and therapy, dont sweat the small stuff. lol

quilt3311 08-15-2010 05:58 AM

Yup, when I go to a national show and see all the fantastic work, I think to myself "why do I even try", but then give myself a mental shake and realize I create quilts for ME not for some judge in a show. Rarely even enter a judged show as I really do not care what others think of my work. I do my best on all pieces and create what I want, not what someone else "says is good". My friends say I am an "out of the box" person. Hummm wonder just what that does mean.

kellen46 08-15-2010 06:31 AM

I think it is good to take a break now and then to refresh the creative mind. I have several other things to play with when I feel like I am making the same quilt over and over. Once I even took a year off quilts to learn and do all about bookbinding. I am back to quilting but I know that I have other things too....
altered books, paper crafting, writing short stories, embroidery, reading, bird watching.....mix it up and go with what your creativity tells you is most interesting in the moment. You will find you bring that joy back with you to the sewing machine.

kapatt 08-15-2010 07:11 AM


Originally Posted by marygrether
oh yes I guess I am! binding for one and getting the squares/triangles exact, I thought I was cutting them out exact, but I still am off on some of them. I also am using a rotor cutter as well, measuring with templates and so on, but I am not still getting the right measurements! Mary

I'm working on a "simple" quilt right now and yes, I've gotten that frustrated....now I'm just laughing at myself. :-D

It started with taking a class on Friday to make a quick quilt. The directions were given verbally with the dimensions written down in one place on the wall... It seems that I can't retain numbers in my head when I walk, from the posted dimensions on the wall, across the room to my sewing machine. By the time I got to the sewing machine, my mind had dropped the 1/2 part of cutting the material 8 1/2 wide. Then, when I looked at another dimension for the block, my brain computed cutting 2" in into 3". :oops:
Are we getting the picture.... :roll:

Anyway, I've now brought this simple project home, made some adjustments to what the original instructions had been and I am really having fun with this project. ( Next time, I'll take a notebook with me and write EVERYTHING down.)

I've decided that this is *my* quilt and I will just enjoy it. (I never been one to follow the pack anyway.)

My advice is to do your best but make sure you *enjoy* yourself while you are doing it. Don't make things too hard on yourself and don't be so critical of your work that quilting becomes a chore.

I discovered that most people don't see all of the problems with the quilt unless you point out the problems to them..
If they do see the problems (because they are quilters) they should have the good manners to congratulate you on making a pretty quilt.

missgigglewings 08-15-2010 07:57 AM

Mary, I wish I had found this thread sooner. I received your little quilt last week but my camara is kaput and I cannot post a picture till I buy a new one. I loved your precious little quilt! It is the same color as my Janome and I have given it a place of honor under her! It makes the machine a little more quiet, I can use the edges to hold my thread catcher, and it looks so pretty peeking out from under the machine! It makes me happy when I see it there because it looks like it was made to be just where it is! So, take a little break Mary, but get back into it because what you do brings joy to people who are lucky enough receive something you have created!

God Bless

catrancher 08-15-2010 08:40 AM

I am so addicted to quilting that I don't think I could ever quilt completely; but I did give up on a project recently that was giving me trouble. I hated working on it so much that I just didn't want to sew at all. I felt obligated to finish it, and I knew I wasn't going to be happy with it. Finally, I did something completely uncharacteristic for me and quit. I just threw it away. I actually dug it out a couple of times and looked at it again, wondering if I'd been too hasty. In the end, it stayed in the trash and is by now in the landfill. Good riddance.

I think in retrospect, I could have offered it up to someone on this board to finish, but I was so mad at it I just didn't want to mess with it any more. Don't let one project ruin your enjoyment of such a worthwhile pastime.

maryb119 08-15-2010 09:13 AM

I put it away for whale and work on something else but i write notes to myself about what I want to do to finish it.....in case it spends a long time on the UFO plie and I forget the plan..(I forget a lot). Then the project is fresh and new again and I can finish it.

C.Cal Quilt Girl 08-15-2010 09:50 AM

Don't quit.. :) the more you do the better you get, may want to do easier patterns for a while that look just as good, so many pretty ones out there that nave no triangles so you don't need to worry w/bias stretch, sounds like tuts to help (yay) When one or 2 go great and are pleasing to you, gives reason to try more or practice techniques that are tough on small projects, that way if you toss them not such a big investment.
Don't think will ever stop completely, but have taken breaks and at other times lack of time or life gets in the way. :)
Hang in There !!


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