You might still like it if you practice on something smaller that you can give away. How about matching pillows quilted and sewn with a coordinating fabric. How about some new hot pads - quilt and then cut into about 9" squares and bind with a loop to finish for hanging.

I started with a printed baby quilt and followed some of the lines. I tried SID, and then I practiced on large scraps (small areas are harder to hold onto). I found I do better free motion than following lines. I do use gloves from the the garden area or Cat work gloves with wonderful gripping.

I am not flooded with money so I was motivated to quilt it myself. Oh, I found I like the 505 spray to make my sandwich so I don't have to worry about pins when I FMQ.

Good luck on what you decide!

There are some parts that you like better than others! I enjoy all stages, but can't wait to get to the quilting part..that is my favorite--I hand quilt everything..Perhaps you could look into having someone else do the quilting for you?

Thanks for all the kind words!

I do think my reluctance to proceed has to do with my most recent foray into machine quilting (one for my DD that is still a WIP) that did not look like I wanted it to and this one is a gift for a special person (the one injured in the explosion in West) and I really want it to look great. She is supposed to be moving into a new place this weekend and I do want it done for a housewarming gift. So guess I need to get busy and just sit down at my machine and start stitching!

We should swap. I like quilting but have lots of UFOs because I hate to sandwich quilts. In part that's because I don't have room to do it properly.

I think, with me, it's because I'm usually following a pattern for all the steps you've mentioned, but the quilting decisions are left up to me and I worry I'll ruin something I've spent so much time on!

I should add ... I find the quilting gets tedious quickly and wears me out physically.

There is nothing wrong with you. I hate cutting, unless I'm finished with that. Picking out fabric stresses me out. Sewing points does too, but those stars are my favorites. Pressing sometimes is something that I hate too. I just keep my eye on the prize. If I ever win a lottery, I'll hire people to make all the kits in my closet. :)

I'm just like that too... I think I am afraid to ruin my hard work and expensive fabric. But it is okay to enjoy it all except the actual quilting. Maybe you can find a friend who loves the quilting and not the piecing and you can swap tasks.

Hi, Mom6. Don't know whether this will help but just recently I discovered a way to get myself going, don't design the whole quilting plan all at once. If you have a part of the pattern you want to stand out then minimize quilting in that area using echoing or a simple shape. This will help get you started. I found the next design idea came to me as I worked. I had fourteen UFOs at the beginning of the year, am now working on finishing the fifth one. Hope this helps, good luck on your deadline. I am sure she will love it no matter how you finish it. Let us know how it goes.

I enjoy the piecing and getting it all ready, but unless it is a smaller size, quilting is not my thing. Eleanor Burns says she buys her quilting.

I figure if it doesn't look like I want I will fix it later. I won't give it to someone until I'm happy with it. I've been practicing with scraps of fabric(layer cake size) fmq and SITD. If it's hard for you to get started then just work on a small piece.

For me, I tend to do hand-piecing, but I just don't have time to do the piecing AND the quilting. I take all my quilts out to a LA-er, but at least, they get done. Otherwise, they'd all be in a pile somewhere. I know this can be expensive, but this is my choice. Maybe you could work out a deal with someone on the QB, or a local LA-er that you will do the piecing in exchange for the quilting.

I am just like you. I agree with the others who said there are just some parts of the process each of us enjoys more than others. I have solved the problem by only doing the parts I enjoy -- basically everything but the quilting. I help someone else (a long arm quilter) by paying her to do the quilting. Makes us both happy.

I don't think there's anything wrong with you. I don't really enjoy the quilting part either. I enjoy making quilt tops because I love seeing everything come together. But once the top is finished, I'm ready to move on to the next quilt top and see how it's going to turn out. I end up giving most of my quilt tops to charity and let them finish them. I make preemies which are only 24X36 and I do quilt those because they're small enough that I can finish one in a few hours and I just do a simple SITD.

I have 3 tops to be done right now...I think it's because it's time consuming and I want to get onto another project...I have a student and she told me she hates the quilting part...your not alone....

There is nothing wrong with you and you are certainly not alone. I am a LAQ and many, many of my customers are the same way! It helps keep me in business LOL!!!

I have the same problem! The best remedy for me is to put it away for awhile. Then when I go back to it, I asked myself' "did I REALLY do all of this?" Works for me!! Then I can start on the quilting and feel like a brand new piece. I guess I am "tricking" myself. Mariah

I love the quilting part. Doing it by hand gives me plenty of time to decide on my quilting pattern. I mark as I go. I'm never in a hurry to finish, so I try to enjoy the slow pace of it all. The rest of my life is consumed by have-tos , so my quilting is for me. So far I have been very please with my finished quilts. They wouldn't win any awards, but the people I have given them to seem to appreciate the love and work that went into them. At first I was afraid of piecing. Now I enjoy that too. Try to relax and realize this is supposed to be fun, and it is only fabric and thread.

Nothing is wrong with you. I hate cutting. I have shoulder and wrist issues and I am not always accurate because I struggle to hold the ruler steady. I have many projects that I have put aside because I had to cut the next step. We fly through what we love in the process and struggle with the not so favorite parts. My suggestion to you is quilt by checkbook.

I think the challenge of the putting it together is over, and you've accomplished your Ah ha moment when the top is finished. The quilting part is more of a job to me, I feel the same way. I guess that's why they have people who would happily take our quilts and quilt them ( but for a fee). Now don't you just feel at home with many of us.

I get stuck with this too. I think it's fear of messing up more than anything. I just screw up my courage and get going....once I do that it's ok.

What got me over that hump was to buy a bunch of cheap baby quilt panels, and just quilt them...I donated them after, but it really helped me get comfortable with switching gears..no 2 are the same, and as I advanced, I got more comfortable with different background fills and designs. I like the quilting process so much more now...
nothing wrong with you at all...we all need to just jump in..no quilt police at your house!

I'm mostly good at the quilting part, but deciting quilt patterns is my downfall. I have a tendency to pick such simple patterns just because. No creativity but they work up quick. Most of the time, I have my kids pick for me too. They have an eye for color and most of the time, pick great fabrics for me.

All I can say is my next sewing machine better come with an 'undo' button!

Love the idea of the "undo button". You figure out how to make that work and you'll be a millionaire in no time. Lol!

Finally decided that if this was going to actually get finished and not end up in the UFO pile (think its down to about 15 or so now) I would just tie the center pieced area and SID around the borders. So several yards of tiny purple satin ribbon and a couple sore fingers later, it's done. Look in picture section for "Misty's peacock colors quilt". And I did finish the hand stitching of the opening from turning it.

I spent 7 years piecing all kinds of projects and actually finishing a handful. Last fall I finally taught myself how to be a finisher and I'm making headway quilting all those tops and have learned to enjoy walking foot quilting and binding almost as much as piecing. Now it's just the sandwiching that puts my quilty mo-jo on idle...

So, it CAN be done! I hope to only have a handful of UFOs by year end.

I am so like Mom 6. Maybe thats why I have 8 pieced tops ready to quilt. I love to piece but know I am not good at quilting so I stop. I do quilt my baby quilts, toppers and runners.

I think I want a standard of excellence that I've earned in regular sewing from years of doing it, that is just not happening with the quilting, which I've only been doing a relatively short time, and involves a lot more bulk than most of my regular sewing, except for some of the capes and such. At least I'm not dealing with zippers (my other nemesis)!

Mom6: Just took a look at your quilt. Really great, love the colors and design! Glad you made your deadline and got past your quilters block (bad pun).

The part I get stuck on is the pin basting. I started to pin baste several at a time and get it out of the way which has helped. If FMQ is a issue for you just take a deep breath and go for it. I do suggest setting a timer for 45-60 minutes and take a break, walk around, relax your shoulders and then go back to if after a 15-30minute break.

Kateyb: If you really dislike pin basting, I would recommend glue basting. Goes really quick, stays put and if you use the Elmers washable, disappears completely in the first wash. There are several really good tuts on here.