I have three hand pieced quilts that only need to be put together and finished. Some one out there who is a quilter psyche-irestst and can make me finish these quilts. One is a hand peieced
8point star It would be wonerdful finished; 2 scrapbag pieced heart quilt and the 3 is a machine pieced fall quilt. Anyone else out ther have this problem and what motivated you to finish.?I'm over 70 and would like to get these done for my grand girls but apparently not enough to get my lazy self going and do them. lolThanks for listening. sweetheart q

Welcome from northeast CA. Glad you joined us. Maybe if you just worked on them maybe just 15-30 minutes a day, they wouldn't seem like such a huge undertaking.

I have a trunk from my grandma's house that is FULL of quilt tops made by my Greatgrandmother. When my Grandma passed away last year, my mom took that trunk (well over 40 tops in it) and now I'm in the process of teaching myself to hand quilt so I can start working on them. I know they will never all get done, but I hope to get a few of them done.

Welcome to the board! I am really new as well!
:) Sara

Don' worry about practicing your hand quilting.Grandma will look down inglee at every stitchyou take and yourgrand kids will have a story to tell because by then you will be a great quilter. God bless'. I also have my grandmothers sweetheart quilt qhich I am trying to reproduce.

Have you considered that the finish could be tied instead of hand quilted?

Decide which one(quilt) you want to do first....then prep it! Baste it...if you use a hoop that is and have it ready to roll....put beside it a small basket w/scissors, thread, needles and whatever is a have to for you....then tell yourself 'sew for 15min a day'...chances are you are stalling because there is a part of this process that you really don't enjoy...if it is basting, then go to a group and have them help....nothing better then a good group of quilters! If you have to ...find a group to go to once a week...just to sit and sew-you will love it!!Skeat

I can never convince myself to baste and start quilting my quilts til the weather turns cold. I piece them in the spring and summer and quilt them in the fall and winter. It's starting to get cool enough for me to start quilting.

The hardest step in any big job is always the FIRST step. And, for me, the first steps are always in this order. I try to do at least one step every day until the mood strikes me to keep at it.

1. Prepare the material, making sure you have the correct amount of backing and batting for just one of the quilts. This involves either a trip to the quilt store, or an online purchase. I have to be careful not to spend loads of time at the quilt shop. When I get home, I prewash my stuff and fold it. Normally while cooking dinner.

2. I always have to prepare my worktable or carpeted area. I'm kind of a slob, so I always have to put things away to get ready.

3. I press the fabric for the backing and then press the top. I lay the batting out flat to let it rest overnight.

4. I lay out my backing, batting, and top and either use spray baste, or I baste the thing together.

5. Final step, into the quilting frame.

After that, I hand quilt in the evenings as I can. I work full time, so this method works out well for me. If I begin on Monday evening, by Friday evening I can be quilting. Take your time and know that it takes lots of time to do this, and you don't have to rush. My Aunt is 86 and she is still quilting, so maybe you will live long enough to make MANY quilts.

Good Luck!

Thanks for bringing this up! I have so many projects in process, but I am having trouble getting myself to finish them. I spend too much time looking at ideas, patterns, and new fabrics, and not enough time working on them. I need someone to make me get busy! :evil: The ideas in my head are great, but not if they don't get done! I think I hold myself hostage sometimes, putting other things first. I'm glad to have you guys here to listen, also. I needed to put this into words and maybe get my focus back. :? And mine aren't even handpieced so I don't have that excuse. :!:

Boy, do I belong to your club. A gazillion ideas, patterns, fabric and time.
I even belong to a sewing guild. I just need a good swift kick in the you know where.

Baste them! Once it's basted, I am more likely to pick it up and work on it.

Even if you don't want them machine quilted, you can have a machine quilter baste them for you, then they are ready to go. You just pull out BIG stitches as you quilt, no poky pins to work around.

I have a friend in Greers Ferry Ar that has a long arm machine. I take all my quilts to her and if I want to hand quilt one f them she bastes it on her machine for a very small $ and if it is for grandchildren that will get a lot of use I just have her machine quilt them. lucky me to have a friend like her.

Right there with you. My quilting buddy came over yesterday to sew. Instead we hit three quilt stores. However when we got back, she MADE me pull out my UFOs -- it was not pretty!

great idea. Thanks! now all I have to do is put them together lee

Ahaw!! I see you trick !!Who can quilt for 15 min. Thanks Lee

Gotta love that friend!!:)LOL

I find that most of the time I stall on a project because of something I don't like about it or after starting it, I might not care too much for it:)But,here's what I do to keep on track...I put my project w/book(or pattern), fabric and what is done on this...all in a basket or plastic container...I then label w/paper on the outside what it is...then stick on a sticky note on the label what may either need to be done (such as...binding...need fabric for border, etc) That way when I run to a fabric store,etc I pull the sticky note and will finish that one project:) Most of my UFO's are something simple to finish...and, I might have been bored w/it so up it was put away (but, still in sight!)...then I make myself about every 6m or so clean up all those loose ends:)Skeat This works out great too if you want to work on blocks one day and applique the next...

Putting the 3 layers together is what usually stalls me but once I get past that job then I find that I don't mind working on it a little bit each day. Are you able to have a space to keep the project, and all of it's supplies, in a handy place so that it's convenient to take it out to work on?

Great idea but I would never have fhought of it because my Grand mother had 2 daughters freeze to death comingchome from schoo in a pung, She raised me.She had quilts 2 inches think that she covered with flannel every couple years and tied. When she put me to bed I had better be where I wanted to spend the night becaus I couldn't turn over. I wonder what the original quil under all of that looked like. I may just have my grand daughter who will get this quil but doesn't know it help me dtie it Thanks Lee

I am so spoiled all my kids are grown so I have a whole sewing room. No excuse for Me.I must say this beard has been the best thing. I'vspent more time on my quilts this week end that I have in years Lee

I need you to organize me. I like the idea of sticky notes to tell you what needs to be done

Okay...deal! Does that mean I get to go shopping in your fabric while there?LOL And, the sticky notes work great because it keeps us from pulling out the whole project to remember what it is we needed to do in the first place:)Skeat

I'd say put in a good movie (or two!) and then you've got a couple of hours to sit and enjoy the moment!