Same for me. I can't do circles, or paper piecing.

It's only fabric, just practice until you are comfortable. Pick out a block you really want to master & go for it.

I'm not fond of hand-quilting through lots of seam allowances, but then who is. I don't particularly like appliqué, I'll piece wherever possible, and I can piece pretty much anything.

Don't laugh, but I cannot for the life of me use a sewing machine. I have tried, believe me I have tried. I'm housebound due to disability, so I can't get out to classes, and everyone assumes you can go to classes, including the near-useless manual from the manufacturer. I've had my neighbour show me. I've got books out of the library. I've asked people online. I've also had some people online make excruciatingly condescending comments about how it's dead easy and you just need to know about five things, which was not helpful (oddly, treating someone like an idiot rarely is). One of these days, when I have enough money, I will find someone to come and give me lessons, and it'll need to be someone who can cope with my cognitive dysfunction and keep reteaching me the basics until they get past the memory problems and sink in somehow.

Everyone has something they don't like. I guess we all know what we love and what we're comfortable doing. For me, give me any shape but let me not think of another project in the middle of a quilt. That REALLY makes me frustrated as there is not enough hours in the day for design! Therese

Applique. The first quilt I made was a baby quilt, and the friend who was teaching me persuaded me to applique ducks onto the blocks. What trauma! I've never gone near applique again since.

seam rippers are my friends. Yes, plural. I have gone through several :)

Y-seams. They scare the bejeebers out of me! I won't even buy a pattern that has Y-seams.

i can't say i am afraid of anything but i SERIOUSLY DISLIKE making hexagons.

Circles for sure! I love the quilts using circles, but I have never attempted them.

The Boston Blocks Tut from a member here is a great way to make half square and quarter square triangles-easy. I have incorporated it into my own designs.

I do not like paper piecing nor stained glass.

Circles for me!!!!

I had a problem with triangles but found the MOST glorious material that I just couldn't make anything but stars!! To cut a long story short .... I practiced and practiced and now have a quilt to be extremely proud of.

But circles are as scary as hell!! Oh yeah, PETRIFIED of FMQing!!)
I am practicing with turtles for my soon to be grandchilds cot quilt!! I am attaching a practice block!!

Triangles--ah yes, what I do is make the triangles a bit larger than needed then trim to exact size. I'm talking about sewing two triangles together to make a square. I cut two squares about 1/4" larger than needed, draw the line down the center, put them together and sew scant 1/4 on each side of that line. Cut, press then square them to the exact size I need. I know it takes a bit more time, but they sure are accurate.

Ditto

:shock: :shock:

Me too!

To tell you the truth, I am far from being an expert, but my first quilt was the Ohio Star - which we did by hand, and it came out beautifully. It's not that easy to lose your tip.l Try one.

I absolutely agree with this. I tried paper-piecing, found out that I love it. Tried curves, hate them, quilt may never get finished! Step out and find out. :-)

I guess I don't worry about messing up a block...if I like the design, I just play around with scraps until I decide if I want to make it or not. Don't be afraid...just jump in with both feet, play with your scraps and soon you will decide if you fears about triangles are on solid ground or not...who knows, you may find you love working with them so much that you will make a Thousand Triangle Quilt!!!

I have actually made only 4 quilts, start to finish, and am working on 5 and 6.
I went for lots of triangles on 6 and found that stitching in the same direction when sewing the same pieces helps.
I turned the fabric over and changed my thread (light with light/dark with dark) so I could do that and mostly tried to stitch so that the stretch was pulled in and not out.
If that makes sense.
It made a HUGE difference when I started putting the triangles together.

I was NOT careful about which way I cut the fabric (with the grain or across the grain).
The quilt is not finished yet but the piecing went better than I had hoped for.

I learned at a workshop recently, that if I square my material on the selvage edge and not across before I cut my strips...cutting them lengthwise...that the triangles are less stretchy. I've started doing it for all my piecing and the blocks are much sturdier and easier to work with.

I've started a double wedding ring and the trick is to put the larger piece on top. If you have your beginning, middle, and ending points marked on each piece, and don't vary from the quarter inch seam allowance, it eases together without any problem. I do go real slow but I like the results so it's worth it.

Mine is circles but have conquered paper piecing.

how have you survived without making a triangle. Have you tried the technique of taking 2 squares, sew diagonal, cut off one side, open and you have a 1/2 square triangle??? Is this the kind of triangle you are talking about? Or do you mean the kind you have to add sides to? Like flying geese (one way of doing them), equilateral triangles? Huh????

Reverse applique is my fear...I'm leaving that alone for awhile.

You are not alone out there. I have no desire to do anything but squares. Have started to do a bit of appliques. Not so difficult if you choose simple things. I made my first yoyo. Wanting to try piecing but will have to wait until other projects are finished. Lots of Info. out there.
I did go so far as making a "light box" I had a light stick never used, a piece of plexiglass, not used. a cardboard box in the attic.
And there it sits, but will work when ready.

My phobia is not being able to master a skill. I'll try almost everything, but all things don't work out. I have yet to make squares that will sew together nicely.

Please don't give me the practice advice!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: I know that one already!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

I love applique because I can control the curves and placement and I don't have to make blocks if I don't want to. Or, at least, I don't have to make perfectly square blocks.

Bargellos are beautiful to my eye and I love the technique. I love designing them, putting them together, but SID is extremely boring!!! Gotta find another style of quilting for my bargellos. Suppose meandering would work.

My ambition is to make landscape quilts and I think I'm developing skills toward that end.

I made a design for a two fabric applique quilt project and am currently working on that. Thanks to DUNSTER for the inspiration! I can't wait to get it done!

Thus, I think I master the things I really want to do. All others have to wait until I'm inspired to attempt them. This makes me happy!!!

I break out in a cold sweat at the mere mention of a Y seam.

Designate a day to practice all the techniques you feel tentative about. Do them over and over again. I bet in no time flat you will look forward to adding these blocks to a favorite quilt and wonder what ever scared you....Good luck...

Everything I do is experimental until I find out what I like. I've been through a lot of fabric trying different things and I'd say about 90% works and the other 10% ends up in the trash. That's why you need to try and see what works, and so what if you loose a scrap of material. I have lots of scraps I'm still wondering what to do until I decided to make pincushions.

I am not afraid of applique, I just hate hand work. I doesn't bring me the feeling of peace that it seemed to give my mother when she did it. Now, half square triangles are sorta OK but quarter squares give me the "willies" just thinking about it. I will try curves with drunkard's path when I gear up this winter since I bought that die for my GO cutter. I have made a quilt in the round, a Hopi Sun Quilt. Probably never again. Whew! Just cutting that out was a monster requiring three long rulers to cut each piece and so much WASTE! Love paper piecing but it goes too slow for my charity quilting needs.

All this is to say, I don't think we really have phobias, just comfort zones. And we all ought to step out of them once in a while but that doesn't mean we can't still mostly do what gives us the most pleasure.

I am no expert, but I used Thangles when I started. Then I used the technique of making your squares 1 inch larger and cutting them to size. Not always right, but I subscribe to the "Galloping Horse" theory of quilting!!

I love applique but am afraid of piecing curves. It is always something!

No cutting/piecing fears, here. I tried paper piecing and find it annoying, probably because I'm pretty uncoordinated, but I am also very hardheaded and if I really liked PP, I would keep at it. What irritates me about me is that I've paid what tallies up to a lot of money for gadgets & information that I have yet to try my hand at, and the months that I keep putting it off have now grown into years.

Someone suggested using parchment paper to help with applique but now I don't remember how it was to be used. Any one know?
NainciefromWyoming

Here is how i conquered my fears. Got some old holes included shirts/skirts cut into large squares. Placed two ontop of each othere drew that diagonal line and then stitched 1/4 " on both sides and then cut down the middle. Iron them and check it out you've just sewn triangles. Cheep and easy. Go for it.

I avoid anything with an applique. I have heard it is easy, but I am not so sure!

I'm not really scared of anything. There are a lot of shapes and techniques that I haven't tried yet, but I am excited to add them to the list and give it my best effort in future projects!

That said, there are certainly some things that I like doing better than others... ;)

Starch.

When I made it I had no idea about all the things that could go wrong. Don't listen to the Negative Nellies around here and just do it! You'll love the outcome I promise![/quote]


I agree completely. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, so you are not afraid to try.

My suggestion would be to use some of your scraps and make a practice quilt. Find a pattern that you could turn into a table runner and then go ahead with the triangles. If you're not happy with it, at least you've had some practice and I'll just bet you end up with a wonderful table runner! Go for it. Who cares?

I have a heck of a time with machine quilting and I know that I'd get better with more practice, but sense I get so frustrated, I don't put in the time. I machine quilt baby quilts and have never yet had a baby say it wasn't nice.

I never made anything with triangles either and I've been quilting 8 years. I finally made this quilt last year. I discovered I cannot get ANY triangle to go proper if I cut on the bias before I sew. I went very slow and easy using all speed piecing techniques from quilterscache.com and created my Anniversary Sampler for my husband. I don't think I'm as scared of triangles anymore....I just refuse to make them unless they are speed pieced. Quilting is supposed to be fun, not scary, intimidating or frustrating. If I can do it, and I have some adult LD in math, so I know you can do it. Take a look, it is posted here:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-36285-1.htm

You can try a sampler too, even if it's only 9 blocks. It's great practice and you can learn really good techniques as well. And, if you hate one of the blocks, you only had to make one!

Melissa