speed quilting
 

Does anyone piece/quilt with other quilters who "just want to get another quilt done"? I enjoy piecing and sometimes I do need to get a quilt done in a crunched timeframe but....have you ever had the issue of sewing with someone who doesn't seem to enjoy the journey just the finished project? Don't get me wrong, I love a good quick and easy quilt but I do not like to "mass produce"...I enjoy the entire process from picking fabric to the binding and labeling the label. Your thoughts?

i love the process, as well. however, when our charity group needs to get 'er done, i enjoy seeing it come together so fast with the help of so many hands.

Too bad you are not closer so that we can quilt together. I really enjoy the whole process. Although, i have to say that if somebody is extremely slow dwelling on a shade of gray thread for two hours i can get a bit antsy. The only thing I really try to rush are the chores so that I can go back to quilting.

If I were in a hurry I'd buy a $10.00 blanket. Quilting is my passion, not my job and I enjoy each step equally. Well...perhaps not the cutting :)

But I don't care what anyone else does.

There is a lady who comes into the shop here who is a speed piecer. We have taken a couple of the same classes together and it always drove me nuts to hear the machine she used barreling @ 100 miles an hour. She really just loved getting the quilts done quickly and it wasn't always very pretty!! Then when she got her own Bernina, she drove that thing was she was on the autobahn or something-lol! I'm in a rut right now, but I truly love the joy of creating a quilt from choosing fabric until the binding gets on. The process is such a wonderful thing! You are not alone in thinking so!

I also want to enjoy the process. I want to make quilts that look well thought out in pattern and fabric and look like they took a long time to make.

I'd love to sew with others. However, any time I've tried it (outside of a classroom setting, that is), we always end up doing more chatting than sewing. Not that it bothers me, just not overly productive. Most times I'm not in it for the speed but sometimes you have to rev up a bit when there's a deadline!

Totally agree!

I love the process..there are times I try to get the piecing done as quick as possible, but that is to get to my favorite part---the hand quilting!! Of course the planning is never rushed..I want to enjoy looking at the top as I quilt

My daughter wanted me to make something for a teacher's grandson. He likes Thomas the Train. I found fleece with Thomas on it, some flannel for the back, doubled the batting and I was done in a few hours. Then I could get back to the "real" quilting. Sometimes, speed quilting serves a purpose. That little boy is going to love the trains and not care two hoots about how it was quilted or if my binding is perfect. Fast, slow, it's all good

So what's your issue? My thought is what somebody else is doing over at their machine in no way impacts what I'm doing at my machine. I don't care how many or how few quilts somebody else gets done and my enjoyment of the process is in no way impacted or diminished by somebody else's enjoyment or lack of enjoyment of the process.

wow! Thanks for the reality therapy Dr. Phil answer! :)

LOL, I've never watched Dr. Phil but I'm definitely a realist. Plus I have a Margaret to deal with in my sewing group. She doesn't have a stash, only buys for one project at a time and cranks out quilts like it's some kind of contest. I also had a neighbor that thought housework was some kind of competition. My answer is "how nice for you" and then I go on with my happy life. And really, not worrying about what other people do, think or say is the secret to my happy life.

lol...totally agree! :)

I can make a quilt in two weeks, start to finish without even trying. I enjoy every step, some more than others. I have lots of fabric and since I get older everyday I want to use as much as I can. After all that is why I bought it. I do what I want and leave it to others to do the same thing. I like to work by myself at whatever pace I want.

"how nice for you"...what a great response!
I too, get the feeling that ms. speedy is "lording it over you". Something is bothering you, and I think this response gives you something satisfying to respond with.
I have never been able to compete with others, bc I am in my own little mousie world, happy there, and if interrupted...well, there goes everything, so I have to quilt alone.
I am definitely not a multi-tasker, but I don't need to be and neither do you. That's the beauty of quilting. It can be done in groups, in public, in the car, in a bar...although I don't reccommend it, lol...but for me...alone is best! :)

I like to take my time and enjoy what I'm doing. If I take longer than someone else, so what? I do find many people are extremely competitive, about almost anything they do; I try to stay away from people like that.

I enjoy the whole process, however I am known as a speed quilter to my friends that I quilt with. I just run it fast. Maybe since I am trying not to drive my car over the speed limit I feel the need to run my sewing Machine that way!:o I am not trying to race anyone or get things done "faster" I just piece and sew fast. It could take me days and hours to pick out my fabrics but once I have a plan I get er done. I do have a huge stack of UFO's that need to be attended to but......... I also make a lot of little quilts for Quilts for Kids and my guild that go to babies in the Neonatal Care Unit at our local hospital. I try to get a stack done to get out at the same time.

I'm right there with you Gayle!

I work full-time so my quilting time is limited. I am very goal-oriented, but do enjoy the process along the way very much. For me it's more about efficient use of my time, which adds enjoyment to the process for me. Once I have everything cut and ready to sew, it's kind of a game for me to see how efficiently I can do it and still meet my rather "perfectionist personal standards". It doesn't really have anything to do with what speed someone else wants to work. I often spend days, weeks, or months designing, planning and gathering fabrics and other supplies for a project. Then I spend some time experimenting with techniques before I'm ready to get down to business. Once I start the actually sewing, I work on it for hours on end and love to watch my plan/design come together.

That being said, I also have no problem at all working with a group who moves a little slower. I figure if I have extra time to spend interacting with the group, that's just fine.

So many projects, so little time!

I enjoy the process as well. I have had ladies in quilting classes who are all about "hurrying up and getting it done" paired with ladies who are all about "doing a great job and enjoying the results". You just have to go at your own pace and continue to enjoy the process. Sometimes projects take me longer than I expect, but I enjoy the journey, so I don't stress about it. :)

This is such a good topic for discussion. I fit into both categories depending on the quilt I'm working on. Charity quilts get the "speedy me", and for others I am slow and deliberate. My observation is that people new to quilting tend to get discouraged because they cannot put tops together as fast as they thought they could. What a wonderful lesson it would be for them to hear our discussion on enjoying the process.

I sew fast because I sew with goals and have a personal goal of at least one quilt top every two months. Once my pieces are cut and ready for sewing, I make goals like...sew all four patches together. The next time I sit down to sew it is my goal to finish the next step and so on. I work full time and only get a few hours here and there to sew so I take full advantage of the previous time I squeeze in. I really enjoy sewing, but I love the feeling of finishing a top and dreaming about the next one. When I get around to quilting that's all I will do for a bit until I wear the top pile down to a manageable level.

Some measure themselves on how fast they can complete a quilt . I use what ever measurement makes me feel good.
Yes there are times when I have been teased about needing to get a water cooled machine.. but thats after sewing many many strips and I am anxious to get onto the next step. There is a definate correlation between my boredom factor and how fast I sew. But I never sacrifice accuracy for speed.

It's all about the enjoyment, and that's an individual thing.
I've never group-quilted. I truly enjoy the *me* time and quite honestly, I'm not a big people person.
Also I think I would hate wagging around my machine, and all that goes with it.
Having worked with the public for many years, I can't say I miss being around others.
But now, this board....love, love, LOVE being a part of this family. Even if I'm sitting quietly in the corner much of the time :)

So when are we meeting up? At least you aren't 1000's of miles away... I really enjoy the whole the whole process of making quilts. I am making four of the same quilts for my staff. It is over a year in the making. They are QAYG, and since I'm getting tortured trying to put the first together, I'm getting frustrated. I put mine together, and will be taking it apart, ASAP.. Forget about the chores. Things can rot if I'm in quilt mode..

I am poky -- I try to make sure my cuts are accurate and for me that takes time. I try to make sure my seams are accurate and for me that takes time. I go to class and am the last one done (rarely finish a project in class). I love what goes into quilting. When I was younger I would do a marathon sew during vacation and make (or remake) as many as 3 outfits a day -- don't do that any more. I love the process and just work slow but steady to get to end.

I took a class a few months ago, and one of the ladies had a machine that went faster than all the other machines in the class. I'm wondering if it was a commercial machine. If the class I'm taking has mostly beginners I am usually the first one done, but I never feel like it is a race. I enjoy every bit of the process, but the next project is usually calling me. I even like sewing on the binding.
Sue

We had a saying in the 60s, "Different strokes for different folks" works for me.

Sewing fast increases my stress level. The turtle did finish the race. Maybe it's my age 62 and proud of it. Doesn't bother me if others get more done. I piece and run our longarm quilting business at my own pace so I enjoy it. I'm proud of the work I do and our client's are happy, that's all that counts. Some people are process quilters and some are project quilters. I bet I know which ones are the favorite customers at LQS.

I enjoy mostly all the process, too, but sometimes on a big quilt, I can get a little bored with the 500 HSTs or whatever, and just want to get it done. Plus, sewing fast doesn't mean I don't like to sew - I love it - I just don't see the need to drag it out. If I was only allowed to ever make one quilt in my lifetime, I might slow down and savor every minute step, but luckliy, there are always new projects to be done! I have a friend who has to endlessly audition fabrics and threads and patterns till I'm about ready to scream! Does that mean she likes to quilt more than me? Nope! I can just get more done than she does!

I love the whole process. To think that you can take a few yards of fabric, cut it up in smaller pieces, sew it back together again into something that is totally awesome just amazes me every time I do it. The only part im not crazy about is putting on the label.

I guess some folks are just "driven" to do everything fast! Some seem not to be able to slow down and smell the roses. I am not one of those types. I enjoy the process and I may take years to finish a quilt (while working on other things.)

I love joining the piece and working out my idea sand colours. The process I leave is the sandwiching.not have a large area to do this in think I will do at class next Wednesday . On Wednesday so many others have the same idea I still haven't done it. But I have started another top and just working out how todo the beginning..

Ditto to this one

I always want to get the quilt done because I have so many in my mind. However, I enjoy every step of every quilt. It isn't a race for me as much as the fact that I am obsessive/compulsive.

I enjoy the whole process and don't have anything to prove to anybody. If I finish it today, great! I can start on another project. If not, I'll start another one when I finish this one. I don't want to get there so fast that I miss the scenery along the way!

I enjoy the whole process....I don't sew the the devil is on my tail, because I try to be as good as I can be, with nice straight 1/4" seam. I like my pieces to meet in my seams, I like the points on my stars to meet, I like my blocks to be all the same size and sew together straight. It is wasn't pleasure for me, I wouldn't do it. It is the same for me with cooking and presenting a beautiful plate of food for my family, and caring for my garden so my roses bloom and my fruit trees give me beauitful lemons and apples.....Stop and smell the roses, for tomorrow you may not be able to...................

When I have finished a quilt I feel very much like I do when I have read a mystery book that has kept me inthralled with every page and even though I am looking forward to the end when I will find out "who done it" I am sad to be finished with it. Yes, we look forward to finishing a project - wall hanging, quilt, or whatever - but the process from start (picking out what to work with), how to put it together, how to make it special, and then the final steps making a quilt or finished project --- all those parts are vital to the enjoyment of the finished product to me. Just MHO.

I love to quilt just to quilt. I too love every aspect of quilting. Do not rush me just let me enjoy;)

I am so "just in the process" that I am unmotivated right now and haven't really quilted for a while. I am waiting patiently for my motivation to come back. I think I lost my motivation when I found out I "HAD" to make a baby quilt for my favorite niece. That changed my game. Now I wasn't quilting what I wanted to. I had to pick out fabric she liked (which is nice fabric) and a baby quilt pattern (which I've never done). So, all the fabric and pattern are on my ironing board and have been for a couple of months and I've only done BOMs. I stopped quilting because this isn't a choice. It's a MUST. I don't work under pressure. I know that it has to be totally finished by December and I don't do bindings very much, so I know this will happen at the last minute. I even know that I will machine quilt it (for the first time ever) because I won't find a LAer who will find the time to whip it out for me in time. And I know I am doing this to myself a head of time. I know I am putting myself in this predicament way ahead of time. And I'll remember saying it, too.