Why is this so hard for me??
 

I'm feeling really dumb and unskillful. Everyone says it's just such an easy quilt to make and I'm just completely muffing it up!

Started cutting pieces for a "French Roses" quilt. Super simple! Fun to put together, right?!
5 layered rounds, simply sew 1/4" from the edge so it frays. (Yes I know about cutting off the extra off each round on the back in order to keep the thickness down.) But all I can do is get partway - and it *bunches* up like crazy and I'm sewing folds into the edge...and it looks horrible. I realize now all my quilts have been straight-edge up until now, and I realize why!

I have only been working on scraps to practice on (thank goodness). If I go Sloooowly and occasionally stop, needle down, and turn the piece I can sort of kind of get there, but it's no fun and it's taking Forever.

I'm using smaller stitches so that the edge doesn't come up when washed. I'm also planning to do 2x around the piece for added hold for the rag edges.I tried using a spray adhesive to make sure they stayed flat...that didn't seem to help. I saw others using a glue stick...

What other things can I do to make this happen? I'm really about ready to give up.

One thing I can tell you - I would never say that is easy! It looks good to me, by the way.

Maybe those who are far more talented, experienced, etc. can help you with this, though.

Can you lower the presser foot pressure on your machine?

I think that looks delightful. I do not see flaws.

I cannot imagine a multilayer applique project being easy.

Just a quick question were you sewing the flower onto a single piece of fabric, or the quilt sandwich, or did you use stabilizer (tear away or wash away) to keep it firm?

Good question! I wondered if that might be part of the issue... I changed out several different feet on the machine to begin with. I'll look up to see if that is something I can do.

Sorry I should have noted this is NOT my work - I just wanted to post a sample of what it SHOULD look like! My example looks terrible, trust me.

The way it is instructed on the sheet, you sew the first *largest* rose to a 9.5" square of fabric only, not sandwich. I didn't use stabilizer, just a quick dash of spray adhesive. Essentially it is sewing just 2 pieces of fabric together...wouldn't seem like the biggest deal, right? Maybe wash-away stabilizer is the thing to use?

That's another good suggestion... by keeping the pieces larger (maybe even pinning them together?) I could keep them from moving around so much. Bias is no friend of mine... :)

That block and pattern are lovely. I'm sure you can master it.

Does your sewing machine have a "pivot function" for sewing?. Basically, when you lift-up on the foot pedal, the needle stays down in the fabric and the pressure foot lifts. Some machines have it.

This lets you stop the stitching and move (or turn) the quilting piece under the needle area.

Next, are you using a foot pedal? Some machines have a button to start/stop the stitching and the foot pedal is optional.

Dome like a knee lift too. I haven't bonded with it yet.

The other options you might try is to make sure the fabrics are starched well. As in almost stiff as a board starched.

Go slow with stitching and you will get a feel for the stopping and turning. It's not easy but practice as you are doing now.

I think the same as several others. Your presser foot is pressing too hard. One of my machines has 'self adjusting' pressure. For that reason, she cannot quilt, but she had to, I would use the embroidery foot because it rides a little higher.