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Quote:

Originally Posted by SharBear

Thank you all for the kind words of encouragement and advice.

I've finished the 12 squares for the swap. I may have to add a border to get them to the required 12 1/2 inch size but I'm ok with that. I have done some practice with seam allowance and have found that moving my needle position over one tic to the right gives me the correct seam allowance.

I know I can do this - just have to remember that Rome wasn't built in a day and quilters don't have perfection for a very, very long time - if every. De-stashing sale is cancelled!

whew, that was a close one...LOL

Glad you figured it out and are still one of us..

Don't give up. What block are you making? You may need to try a different block. Maybe someone showing/helping you in person would make a difference. Mostly, remember, your quilts do not have to be perfect. Relax...maybe you're trying too hard!

Sorry, double clicked!

Don't say that! Sometimes we use "fat" thread and it can make a difference when you are piecing. Walk away and come back another day! Patience! It will all come together!

This happens to every one whether its their 1st or 101st quilt Try it on some scrap fabric so you don't waste what you plan to use This usually works because you're not worried about ruining the fabric and before you know it you figured out why it wasn't working Besides Quilters never give up..Some of us just take a coffee/tea/chocolate/wine/beer break til the offending block submits to our will :D

sharon..please don't give up! what city are you in? maybe someone from the board is close to you..to help. is there a LQS in your area? maybe a class would help..

If I'm making a rail fence 6 1/2 inches, I cut 7" strips, the middle the exact measurement, the outside ones wider, sew them together, then lop off the extra with the rotary cutter. Not only is perfection overrated, most of us cheat.

Keep going with small projects and give yourself time to get better.

I have about 300 minature blocks and half of them don't quite measure up. So I'm sewing strips around them, and adding a tiny sashing in between. Everyone says they are beautiful and no one has gotten out their tape measure yet.

The teacher in my first quilting class told me to press the seams open instead of to one side. Then it's easier to line up the seams and get a pin exactly in the middle. You might want to try an even feed attachment for your machine instead of the regular presser foot, because the even feed is more likely to keep the top and the bottom lined up. Also keep in mind that, unlike math, in quilting "1/16th is good enough;" you don't need "exact."

Don't quit.....Perhaps it is your seam that is giving you problems. I have a terrible problem with keeping seams at an even 1/4 inch. A piece of moleskin stuck 1/4 inch away from your needle helps (or any one of a lot of ways on this site to keep that seam even.)
I use two rulers to cut, which is a tad more accurate. I can not use the grid on the mat, messes me up, every time.
Good luck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SharBear

ok, I'm having a crisis of ability.

I WANT to be a quilter. I understand that cutting is the foundation that quilts are built on and that accurate cutting leads to accurate piecing leads to accurate block sizes leads to quilt tops that lay flat leads to quilts that rock.

I'm making blocks for my first swap and am ready to put them in the bonfire. The points don't line up no matter how many times I take them out and put them back togehter. I've made sure all the seams are pressed correctly - I think I have used a whole bottle of Best Press on 12 not-yet-assembled blocks!

Maybe it's time for me to admit that for the first time in 46 years I've tried to do something that is just beyond me. I keep thinking this should be the perfect fit for me - I love, love, love Math (I have a degree in Applied Math!) - and jigsaw puzzles - if one is out I'm banned from the room it's in because my family knows I will stay up all night finishing it!

There may be a giant de-stash sale hitting the classified board today ....

:cry: :cry: :cry:

You need to start with easy. I am pretty sure you had a tricycle before you rode a bicycle. Try a log cabin or rail fence. I have been sewing for 65 years and quilting about 3. I am just now getting comfortable with HSTs (half square triangles). If you are a math whiz you are a perfectionist. I am not a math whiz but I am a perfectionist. And I am also a realist; I realize perfection is nice but not always practical or even achievable. Quilting is supposed to be fun; you are making it WORK. Relax and go with the flow.