Boy oh boy did I rip just as many as I sewed when I started! :lol:

I got really good with a razor blade to rip them out too!

I also learned a walking foot is good to use too.

keep ripping, it's worth the time :roll: Don't do what I've just done and plough on ahead anyways. I've just finished a top and didn't like the material. So, I didn't give it the respect it needed and when corners didn't exactly match I thought "oh well, it's only a bit out" and figured I'd square things up and it would be fine in the end. Well, I've ended up with a top that looks fine to the untrained eye but I (and everyone here would) see the unmatched corners. Thank goodness the blocks have few matches but even a simple quilt is too much work, effort and material to treat it carelessly. I've learned a good lesson and applaud your determination even though it's frustrating.

I call unmatched corners interest building movement. LOL At least thats my story and I'm stickin to it!!

Turning Twenty is a fun pattern to do. You will love the look of your fabrics w/it too!:))Here's a good tip to use to keep at a good start...if you do not have a quarter inch foot (mine has a guide on the right side to guide me exactly each time)or if you don't have it in the budget right now, I measured exactly where my needle dropped to the 1/4" on the ruler then marked a good line across the machine plate using the adhesive green tape hand sewers use. That was my guide for awhile...now I have the foot and love it. When you sew exactly the same width each time, it makes a huge difference in the end result and you will be happier. Since you are a woman, and we like instant success I would not recommend basting for it will take you too long in the end and you will put it away :0). I too am this, so I totally understand:))Just sew the same 1/4" and you will hug yourself in the end!:))Skeat

Thank you all for the words of encouragement. I spent most of the afternoon far away from my sewing room and after reading all the great posts here, I'll be back in there with a new perspective tomorrow! At least for awhile tomorrow.

You know how shopping for fabric fixes everything? Well, this time I shopped for a couple new pressure foots for my sewing machine, instead! It's still therapeutic, right? :)

Mona

Hi Mona! I'm new at this also and I feel your pain, LOL. One thing that made piecing much easier for me is that quarter inch foot. That and accurate cutting. If you don't have the quarter inch foot you can place a small square ruler under your pressure foot and lower your needle on the quarter inch mark. Then, just but up several thicknesses of post it notes next to the ruler and Voila! - instant seam guide. Hang in there and don't give up. My first quilt (baby quilt) has been pieced and put away for a couple of weeks while I take time out to practice my free motion skills. I practice for an hour or so each day and I'm ready to quilt it now! So, practicing helps a lot also. Good Luck. I know you will be successful :D

Cindy

Yes, Mona, I've certainly been there...heck..I'm still there! I try to get the 1/4" seam thingie done correctly...that seems to be the key to the whole thing. I still unsew..some days more that others. I thought it was part of the process! :oops:

Good luck to you and just have fun on the "turnig twent" That was my 1st "big" quilt. I handmade a queen and hand-quilted it. Thats when I learned that I wanted to learn how to work my sewing machine! :roll:

Do you have the 1/4 inch foot for your machine? That has saved me hundreds of times. Also i find that at the end of a seam I tend to pull my block away from the needle so I have a too narrow section. chain sewing with a piece of scrap fabric at the end has helped me with that. Are the shop hop stores close where you can take your block in and ask for advice. i was putting mine together wrong and once i was told, things went better.

Hi, I understand the discouraged part real well. On my first quilt, all was going well, til I sewed my 2 rows together and they didn't match up. I wanted to quit right then & there, but the gals on here encouraged me to rip in out , and keep going. They kept my spirits high and it turned out great. I am now on my 3rd quilt. I started out very simple. 9 & 4 patch. Good Luck on yours, and PLEASE don't give up. Maybe walk away a day or two and look at it thru fresh eyes. Let us know how your coming along.

Been there done that; that is why I have so many UFOs.