Some may not agree with this message and I will probably get banned from this message board, but here goes anyway.

I joined this message board back in April 2009, when admittedly there were fewer of us here. Back then, it seemed nearly all the messages were quilting related. I've always tried to read each and every post daily in both the Main and Pictures sections. And tried to make appropriate comments, including assistance and encouragement.

Lately, I feel we've gotten away from this being a Quilter's Message Board. There seem to be too many posts with general sewing (Bow Tucks bags and clothing) and other hobbies (Antique sewing machine repair and needlepoint). I am finding it increasingly difficult to read all the posts now and am less inclined to do so, as I have no interest in these other activites. If I did, I would join a message board for those activities.

I sincerely feel, we need to get back to this message board's original purpose of quilting and eliminate many of the non-quilting related posts.

I just joined in Dec. 2010, but as far as I can tell, speech is pretty free on the Board, so I doubt that you will be banned, you are entitlted to your opinion.

I can imagine that things have changed. With 250,000 users, the site is probably very different than it was when it was smaller. Your goal of reading every post is probably unrealistic now.

I also don't care much about new babies, most old sewing machines (although I love to look at FWs) or Bow Tucks, but I find that I can pretty much ignore them from the titles, or click, then quickly click away if the post is not interesting.

Sorry that you're feeling bad about QB. The joy is that you can participate or ignore, as you see fit.

I personally enjoy the variety the QB offers!

I just read the unread topics that interest me. I don't have enough time to read everything. But I don't want others who do enjoy them to miss out :-D :-D I appreciate the fact this is a multipurpose (or as my gs would say...poopymulpis) board and that the members are so diverse.

I check "Unread Topics" & depend on the titles of the posts to determine which ones I will read. Time is limited, so I don't even attempt at reading all the posts. I think the moderators try to move things to the correct category if posted incorrectly.

I think for the amount of members and the amount of messages this forum needs more sub forums. With the variety of topics you discussed. I click on main and I go and open all the new topics in a new tab by the time I get to the 2nd page the first page already has new or bumped up topics.

But I am not the board owner/manager or moderator so its not up to me. I am just thankful that those that are them have this board for us to use and enjoy.

I don't think you will be banned for stating your opinion. I am sorry that you aren't enjoying the board as you once did. I am one of the guilty ones, as I have posted non-quilt pictures on this board.

Perhaps there are members that quilt and only quilt, but for many, our love of fabric spills over into other areas, such as home decor, handbags, and garment sewing. I really enjoy seeing the many different things our members sew.

The solution might be for all of us to really make an effort to put our posts under the correct catagory, and to title them more decriptively so all of us can read the posts that are of most interest.

You can go into "my profile" and set your selections. If you only pick "main" and "pictures" then that's all you'll get. Give that a try and you won't have to look at the things you're not interested in.

Janet wrote..."The solution might be for all of us to really make an effort to put our posts under the correct catagory, and to title them more decriptively so all of us can read the posts that are of most interest.'


I think that's a good idea and I plan to be more careful where I post and in the subject box be clearer about what I'm posting. We don't want any members to feel the message board is too much for them, or others to feel their off the topic stuff can't be posted here - there's plenty of room for everyone's needs.

I do not try to read all the posts ... Just the ones that are of interest.
I do think there are times when some things get posted in the wrong category ... but figure its probably because they are new, or just a bit challenged when it comes to the computer "stuff".

If you stick to Main and Pictures you will get mostly quilting related stuff, for some it is their only social outlet thus the variety of topics, in your profile you can choose which topics you want to see. I still enjoy the camaraderie on the board and even though I do not know the people personally I do look for certain names. We are like a big family

Maybe the mods can set up a 'other quilting items' for clothing, bags and non traditional quilt items.. But I can only imagine the more work it puts on them already..

I think you have a right to your opinion. I, myself, enjoy the variety of topics......which are mostly related to quilting and sewing. I click on unread topics and browse through the titles and just click on what might appeal to me. I don't read each and every one.....don't have the time for that. But I respect your feelings....

I think Admin has to do that or maybe Particej has some insight.

I personally enjoy the variety, and I can choose weather to read or not read. I like the fact that its sewing in general because I sew more than quilts. However I do see where it could be "annoying" to some. The people here have a vast amount of knowledge and its nice to be able to share that info all in one place. Hoping they dont change the way it is now. But if they do I guess we'll have to deal with that.

Poor PatriceJ.. More on her plate.. SORRY PATRICEJ!!!!! :oops:

I'm sure you won't be banned for stating your opinion. I'm a farily new member and love the variety of topics offered here. I love to quilt but I also love to craft, etc. It's always fun to read what others are up to. I don't have the time to read all the posts; I generally only open up ones that interests me. I hope this Forum stays as it is.

We have dealt with changes all along. Some good some well not so good. But we learn to adjust.

Although I do agree that there's more people and more topics, and I used to read all the topics, but now I go to the Main topics, and there you can chose if you want to read quilt related, general chit chat, etc., but I do think that topics such as the bow tucks are included in the quilt related, but I just will pick for example: quilt related, then I'll read the topic list, then pick what I want to read about. I still find interesting topics, although I don't always reply to everything.

You are surely entitled to your opinion. However, this board has changed over time. The only time we don't face change is when we're six feet under! :)
I suggest you either limit your access to only those topics you prefer, or just "go with the flow."
Personally, I applaud the fact that some threads have taken on a life of their own. ie: Vintage Sewing shop. Those who have taken on unofficial Moderator status on those threads put in a lot of time to answer many, many questions from readers. I'd hate to see that kind of dedication go to waste.

I really enjoy a variety of topics, but I respect your opinion too. I love vintage machines and enjoy pics of them and another favorite topic of mine currently is estate and yard sale finds. I love quilting and that will always be my reason for being here, but some other topics do add spice.

Much time and thought has been put into how to break things down on this board. Some love to learn about others lives and see all the new babies and wedding photo's and others do not. Maybe if we could divide the "Pictures" section into two categories that would help some. maybe a Quilt only category and and everything else. I don't know how hard this would be to do. It would be up to Patrice or Admin to change the settings

I only read things in the Main forum, nothing else, and even then there are a great deal of non-quilting topics...like, um, this one. :lol: I agree with you fully, mytwopals, but things are never going to go back the way they were so we either have to adapt or move on. Life is like that. I miss gas at 23¢ a gallon, too. ;)

gee ... thanks for all the ideas.

i was getting bored with only 23.5 hours worth of stuff to do every day. :lol: :lol: :lol:

for the time being, we won't add any more real sections. the board is big enough and complex enough in that regard.

it wouldn't matter if we did. no matter how many specialized sections we had, we would always find topics in the wrong place and/or with cryptic titles.

human beans. what'cha gonna do wit' 'em? :lol: :lol: :lol:

they are my peeps and i luvs 'em. ;-)

I am very happy with the board. I just read the topics I am interested in and sometimes get surprised and learn a lot of new things.

If they were MY Easter peeps, I know what I'd do with 'em. :mrgreen:

I enjoy the variety of topics on this board. If it's something that doesn't interest me, I just don't read it. And I think Bow Tucks belong in the quilted section anyway--you quilt them a little :) It's where I'm practicing my FMQ so maybe one day I'll try it on an actual quilt. But everyone is entitled to their opinion.

I think the board is great but posters should be more careful of the section that they post in. The pics of your cat or your flowers should be in chit chat and all those types of things Main should be for quilting onlyand Pics should be pics of quilts only. Maybe we need a section for sewing only for things like bags. Some people do enjoy them. IMHO posters also need to title their posts clearer so users don't waste time loading subjects that are of no interest, for then we know the subject at a glance

This is what I did, then I just go in and click on "Unread Topics". You can usually tell which topics are not quilting related. When you're done reading a specific post, don't use your back button. Click "Unread Topics" again at the top of the post. The item you just read will be gone from the list. The items you skip (like "Another Bow Tuck") will fall further down the list as new posts are made.

I love the variety. I do all types of sewing - garments, home dec, crafts, and quilting too. The variety of posts here is what draws me to participate! I would never, ever try to read all the posts though - I just pick and choose what interests me.

only quilts and quilting should be discused here, everything else on chit chat....

I personally don't mind "other things" getting posted, but, maybe it would be a good idea to add more categories. Sorry you're disgruntled, I love this board and hope it NEVER goes away.

This is exactly what I do! I also have it filtered to show just the subjects I'm more likely to want to see but have to be careful about that too--once I filtered out the classified section and missed out on some good deals! I too am not interested in Bow Tucks (right now...) but who knows where my interest will lie in the future? I made quilted bags years ago and I may make them again but without the reminder that they exsist I may miss out on a new trend. I've also gotten some great recipes. Without the Vintage Machine section I would not be the proud owner of 6 new (old) machines that sew better than the new machines I currently own. Diversity--think DIVERSITY!

Oh, btw, there's a knitting site just like this one and the last time I looked it was just knitting and I got bored...

Yes that would be an excellent idea add more categories. One for sewing machines, old or new purchases, problems, etc......more categories then we can chose exactly what we want to read about......

If you have or had time to read every single post, you must not have much of a life. No one is forcing you to read anything. I don't much care for the bowtucks myself, but from the number of posts, they are popular. So, don't read what you don't want. No one is holding a gun to your head.

I personally don't mind the variety we have here. I would like to see better titles so I can know if I'm interested in peeking in on the discussion.

One change I WOULD like to see thought would be for a filter like "recent posts", but that would bring up just the "new topics". If I'm interested in a thread I can always bookmark it. Many tines I just scroll down reading the new topic posts of which there are only a handful in the 5 or 6 pages I go through.

If you click on "Unread Topics" at the top of the page, these only show "new topics".

I have been a member since 2007 and it has grown alot.
My big gripe is people who do not put enough info on the topic line so we can skip the ones we are not interested in.
That was a big problem for me when I only had dial up and it took forever to pull up a post.
Someone else also mentioned that problem some time ago but nobody paid any attention to it.
Please people state what the topic is about.

I am sure you will not be banned for even though the rules state:"Trashing, bashing, ranting, raving, venting, steaming, and other types of posts that focus on anger or other types of negativity are prohibited. They detract from the fun and do not reflect well on our community."I think our moderators are very lenient with the rules and we are forever grateful to them for allowing what they do. I cannot speak for everyone but I do enjoy the opportunity to hear all about quilting and whatever is related to it. Fabric, sewing machines, fabric for quilting, machines for quilting found at garage sales or estate sales are fun to read. It can be fun to be happy for others too. I think it is wonderful that this board is set up for different catagories but I think sometimes it is forgotten as to where a topic may go. I too have to be selective about what I read, some days, because of time but it is easy to pass over something of no interest as long as the headings define the topic. Nothing is perfect but this place for quilters is almost! Thanks to all who have a part in it.

The problem is that people are posting all the off topics in the "main" section, when they clearly belong in chit-chat or whatever. I have to wait for the pages to load, as my computer is older and S-L-O-W, and it really ticks me off to open a teaser headline like "Is it Just Me..." or "Does Anyone Else..." Anyone else WHAT??? How about saying what your post is about in the headline so we don't waste our time if not interested?

I also don't appreciate opening something in Main and finding some stupid joke!

If we would be considerate to post in the right place, there would be a lot less grumping around here.