What quilting process/technique keeps you humble?
 

I've been quilting just over 2 years now, which isn't very long, but I've been a pretty prolific quilter during that time; I've made over 30 quilts now (only counting actually FINISHED quilts...more if we count tops!). My friends & family are all non-quilters and they fill my head with praise and sometimes convince me that I'm really very good at this.

Then I work on a quilt with triangles and remember that in a lot of ways I am still very much a beginner! :D I'm working on a Carpenter's Star (Carpenter's Wheel?) quilt that is destined to be a wedding gift so I'm trying to make it as perfectly as possible, but I have always had trouble with even the simplest HST's so I'm having to go super slow and careful to make this turn out OK! I'm going to be extremely proud of myself if I manage not to lose any points on this one!

So I just got to thinking and wondering - what is the style/process/pattern/technique that is tricky for you, that makes you feel like a beginner again? I'm sure we must all have at least ONE thing we're not all that great at!

Oh there are so many, where do I start.... I still struggle with sandwiching and basting quilts. This keeps me from finishing my tops. There is a Youtube video by a lady (Sharon Schamber) that wraps each layer in a board and rolls them. I am going to try that next. I have a bad back and an injured shoulder so there doesn't seem to be an easy way for me. Congratulations on all of your quilts!!!

I'm with GrammaNan, where to start!! Lol! I have been at this for about six years and I don't think I've made 30 yet. I am still busy with kids at home, though, plus I'm very slow.
Anyway, I still struggle with hst's. I make them big and cut down, but I would really like to get where I can make them perfectly and maybe just sliver trim. I also hate making flying geese with flippy corners. I need to try Eleanor Burns technique.
I'm sure there are plenty of of other techniques that I need work on, but I'll leave the list with just those 2. Gina

Mitering pieced borders, setting triangles for on point designs, free motion quilting and this block:

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The triangle in a square unit - pictured above.

I have a tough time getting it "right"

I do pretty well with piecing techniques now. I am still a novice at appliqué and free motion quilting. I have been practicing my FMQ a lot lately. I can see some progress, but it hasn't totally clicked with my brain yet. I have done 3 appliqué projects so far. I plan to master it this year.

I avoid curved piecing.
However, basting is no longer a pain for me since I found Elmer's glue.

all of them. one of the reasons i love quilting is the mindfulness it requires. even things i have done over and over need my attention. there's nothing quite like sewing a straight 10" run only to discover i wasn't holding the fabric straight and have to rip out and re-do the seam.

:)

aileen

It is kind of annoying when one realizes one put a four-patch unit together incorrectly!!!!

I would say that the ripper is my best friend, but how could I hate my best friend?! :) A while back I started a quilt where I sewed each block and then trimmed the edges to the proper dimension. STUPID ME, the blocks could not be sewn together properly because I cut off my 1/4" on some and had more like a 1/3" on others! I couldn't even use a ripper to help me out on that one! I was so discouraged that it is still sitting in the box waiting to be finished.

First, congrats on making so many quilts. That's impressive! After all these years of quilting, I still have trouble with HST. They never seem to be straight on grain, are wonky and I ALWAYS have to ease in something when putting them together. Then my blocks usually measure smaller on one or two sides making the rows "funny."

One of the stupidest things I've done: My daughter got married in 1997. I made signature blocks and there were many wonderful, meaningful things written on the blocks. So I couldn't figure out how to trim them down properly, but I started cutting them down anyway. Many of them barely have seam allowances. Needless to say the blocks are now part of a UFO. Luckily my daughter has never asked about them. Perhaps I can finish by their 20th!

Machine binding. I can't seem to keep things straight...

I am afraid to even TRY that block, even though I've bought the Tri-Recs tool for it. I haven't ever tried flying geese, either. Triangles look so easy in tutorials, but they don't cooperate with me very well.

Binding is my nemesis. I have RA and can't handsew. I machine sew the binding on one side and when it comes to turning the binding over, my hands balk. I recently made a deal with my quilting DD. I pay her to sew the binding on for me. She also hand sews the label on. Thank you Tammy.

Needle turn applique is my biggest challenge. It's mostly a time issue . I have the utmost respect for those who create some of the most awesome quilts with this technique.

All of it keeps me very humble. When someone praises a quilt, I'm thinking "you don't know how many mistakes are in it". I'm doing one now with all bias edges. Yikes! Sure am using a lot of spray starch. Everytime I start something that I think I have a handle on, the handle slips. But I have found that sometimes you can teach an old dog new tricks.

I think this is very true for most of us. I know it certainly is for me. I've only been at it for about 15 years now and not nearly as prolific. I usually make bed quilts for family/friends and I hand quilt so they usually take a while.

For the really intricate/fiddly stuff I think paper piecing is the way to go. My geese rarely fly straight and the only way I can accurate do a HST is to go big and trim. But then again, I certainly try to do my absolute best and be as accurate as possible, but I'm not adverse to the adage 'only God is perfect' and can usually be satisfied with 'close enough' unless it's really horrible.

LOL, and then they want it to "disappear"!

Have you seen the faux piping binding technique? It's all machine sewn. There is at least one YouTube, but here's a link to a .pdf -- http://lvqg.org/media/2a7a5a699c092a...02ffffe415.pdf

A Tumbling Blocks Quilt would be at the top of my list. Second would be a Dear Jane.

I tried a long arm & did NOT like it! still don't!

mckwilter: Thanks for the link. I'll try it on my current project

Gramma Nan - I love Sharon Schamber's method. It is so much easier than basting on the floor!!

Sewnoma - I can't believe you have made 30 quilts in two years. That is impressive! I have been quilting in earnest for 6 months and my tally is nowhere near yours! I don't mind the planning, cutting, piecing, basting, SID and hand stitching the binding. I have even done a little hand quilting and enjoy that. My downfall is FMQ. I want to do It but I am so hesitant to actually do it on a quilt which I had already spent so much time on. I'm afraid I will ruin it.

I got the Curvemaster presser feet attachments and it makes sewing curves so easy.

How have you done so many in such a short time. I average about 1 a year if that

Applique has kicked my butt, looking to tackle it next year so I can finish a wedding present. Also looking and diving into pp and triangles real soon. My first PP didn't go so well now that I have lots of crafst classes with great instruction and access to teachers I have no excuse anymore

I have macular degeneration and it really humbles me to think of how I have wonderful lights and still struggle with piecing my quilts, and then realize that my grandmother had to make quilts with scrap fabrics and by a kerosene lamp. We are all troopers in our own way, doing what we can the best we can.

Yes, Tartan has it right. Sometimes, it is the simple ones that will kick you in the "bacon" :)

Deciding how to press the seams to get the best finish. Sometimes, pressing to one side so they nest together makes the best finish, other times pressing open works best. But, you have to make the decision at the start! I usually get half way through my blocks and realize I should have pressed them differently. :mad:

Sometimes I fret over getting everything just perfect for my quilts. Who ever invented the seam ripper had me in mind!! But then I remember that only God is perfect, and the little mistakes I make only add "inventive character" to my quilting creations.

"Y" or inset seams are my nemesis. Tried several times and was never pleased, so now I avoid them. Fortunately, there are lots of wonderful patterns without them.

....been doing this for almost 20 yrs..wow! Thinking of all the "challenges" that have come and been conquered....some good, some UFOs........I enjoy all if it......and each one is a study in patience......the one I have completely shied away from is Double Wedding Ring.....had a neighbor, who was a prolific and wonderful quilter, did one and told me she would never do another.....but, now I have a GO and there is a die for it...so maybe there if a DWR in my future......

90 degree points on my bindings. After once hearing judges pay significant attention to perfect 90 degree points, I can't say I've ever accomplished what they looked for. I just had my LAQ attach binding to the front of a quilt (at a cost) so that when I hand sew to the back, the corners were already created perfectly. Not sure if she does that while it's on the LA or not. It's a queen-size quilt so putting the binding on by machine would be challenging to get it straight with that much size hanging over my small sewing machine table.

Oh, my! What a question! I am humbled by triangles and anything bias. Curved seams. Getting things to measure what they are supposed to measure. Need I go on? And to complicate matters, when I get to "simple" sewing as in a mug rug with a purchased insert..to get the corners to be corners and not look so 'homemade.' Some days just make me wonder why I am so intent on mastering all of this! I used to sew better when I was in my teens...and I know way more now....and have more experience! Go figure!

I made my first quilt in 1976 and have made literall hundreds of them over the years- that being said... Flying geese still stress me out! I have learned a process that for me the best one I've found, but boy, they still make me stop and think... Do I really want to make this??? I push myself-force myself to bite the bullet and make them- but, they sure sometimes make me feel like a beginner! :) yup-keeps me humble

I started laughing when I read your post because all of it keeps me humble. Just when I think I have something down pat, I find out I wasn't even on the right page. I was using my walking foot a few days ago and I decided I just hate that thing because I can't get it to work right. But the last time I used it, I loved it. It's good to be humble. A friend used to say "being humble and wearing a slip are alike because if it shows, it's 'tacky'.

I've been quilting for 20+ years and am still humbled by many things. All of my quilting was by hand until about 8 years ago so FMQ always intimidates me. And I can't for the life of me get 60degree star angles with many points coming together in the center to work on the machine. I needed to get 2 of them done for a special quilt and ended up doing them by hand believe it or not. I always push through though and figure out a way to get what I want accomplished. I told myself long ago the fabric will not win, I will! I am proud though that I can do needle-turn appliqué and bindings quite well so that's something.

you can do the same thing using pool noodles and you can pin into the noodles to keep everything nice and tight. They weigh a lot less to manage too!

The pool noodles are a great idea. Gonna try it!! Thanks madamkelly:thumbup: