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.

how about starching the flowers "stiff as boards", sew them down, and wash the quilt when you are completely done....the starch will wash out, and the edges will softly fray.

From my experience, what you are describing is normal. Machines are not made to sew tight curves, they are made to sew in straight lines. So if you want to do tight curves, you have to work around the machine.

I'd lower the foot pressure and use heavy stabilizer underneath. the stabilizer will help to limit the feed dogs so that you can pivot more easily, You may still have to lift and adjust in tighter corners. If you have the option to partially lower the feed dogs, do that too. Or drop them all together and do it free motion.

Starching will work like the stabilizer does, it's going to help hold the fabric stable while you are trying to move the fabric in a different direction then the feed dogs want to move it.

Doing stuff like this is why I love my knee lift, a slight pressure with my knee, adjust the fabric with hands, move knee, sew a few stitches and repeat. on the Juki it's mechanical so you can raise it just a tiny bit and lower back down. On my Desitiny it works more like a switch, so you can't lift it just a tiny bit and put it back down.

Why don't you use a walking foot and go slow.

Yes, I've both got a 'down needle' or pivot position and the stop/start button. I've never used the button before, and I'm wondering if I'll feel like I need 3 hands to use it? I'll give that a try though. I'll starch the ...starch out of it next time...and try slower.

Ha! "Light as a feather, stiff as a board"... ;-)

This what I was going to suggest as well. See if your walmart carries the liquid stayflo so you can control the strength of it.

Well, the machine is a Janome DC 1050, so some basic functionality, no knee lift. I'll give the thoughts here a try before I throw in the towel. I really want to make this one! Sometimes I feel like I'm the worst quilter in the world because all these logical solutions escape my mind!

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. At least I feel like I've something to go on!

If you Google "French Roses" quilt pattern, there is a link (Pinterest) that is actually a link to a tutorial on how to construct the quilt. Hope this helps.

That's what I thought. I'd starch them heavily and then lessen the pressure on my presser foot and see how that works.

I have this on my to-do list, and I'd been planning on using my hopping foot to sew the tight curves since the walking foot and other regular feet are basically intended to do straight sewing. I wonder if this would work for you?

I'm with ArtsyOne... It's on my list, but I would try using my free motion foot. Best of luck!

I made this pattern years ago, and I did it free motion with the feed dogs dropped. That way you aren't trying to turn the block.

Macybaby, Had you tried the pivot button on your Destiny? Does it work with the knee lift also?

Try the pivot feature first. The start/stop button does take some coordination to master especially for applique type projects. That wouldn't be my choice either.

Another suggestion:

Try a small zig zag stitch if your machine has it. Adjust the width down so you can barely see the zig zag. Adjust the length also and try it on a sample piece first. The zig zag stitch should allow the fabric to give just enough to avoid the puckers.

The quilt block is supposed to fray the edges so most of the stitching lines won't be seen.

Most of all have fun!

I made one. I don't remember paying much attention to the folds or bunching of the flowers. I let the flower fabric do what it wanted. It's my DD's favorite quilt and she has about worn it out. I left about 1/2" raw edge on the biggest flower edges. This pattern is for the overall look not for perfection of each piece. Relax and just sew.

Rhonda, I don't know more than 10% of what the Destiny does - I had that feature on the Pfaff and really liked it. I do most of my straight sewing on the Juki 2010 and it has very little in the way of electronics.

I plan to make this flowered quilt for a blind GGD so that she will be able to feel the flowers. I must practice making them in order to work out problems before I start. I saw a French Rose quilt on Pinterest wherein the flowers were scattered rather than centered on a block and the flowers were of different sizes, some overlapped. Thanks for all of the input from all of you and I will check out the tute on YouTube also.

For a project like that, I would get out the Elmer’s school glue. Use a small bead about 1/2” from the edge, iron with a pressing cloth, sew and remove base layer, , layer the next shape on top. Continue until all layers are secured with glue, and the back cloth has been removed. Starting with a walking foot, sew around the large piece, and move progressively to the center. (Glue will just pull loose as long as you are light handed with it. as you remove back layer from each shape)

Great idea for an alternate stitch, too! I hadn't thought to switch stitches.
I will *try* to have fun, I will be very relieved if only I can get a half-decent outcome! :)

Have you tried starching the fabric? Make it really stiff and give it a try. Good luck.

Not sure if this will be helpful or if you know it already, but when I use the glue stick on my starched fabric, I press it before I stitch. I think if you starch, then glue stick, then drop your dogs and use FMQ technique, you will be able to avoid any puckers. FWIW, IMHO, its easier and still pretty cheap to use spray starch from Walmart than to use the kind you dilute yourself, (forgot the name.) It was nice and stiff, but my iron was all gunked up. Wasn't worth the clean-up.

Am I the only one that can't see the quilt?

I was wondering where the photo was....can't see it either.

you may notice at the bottom of the post that the copyright picture was removed. the OP should have used a link to the picture instead.

I was also going to suggest that you starch your fabric stiff as a board. From what you described it sounded like you were putting the flowers down on a square and then sewing. The website that I saw showed that they did the flowers first, then put them on the square. It would seem that would be a much easier way to do it.

I found a website where a quilt guild was doing the blocks for a charity quilt. Maybe you can get a better idea from seeing how they did it. By the way I love the music they did the show with: http://play.smilebox.com/SpreadMoreH...544d3d0d0a.jpg

Hope this helps some. Remember quilting is suppose to be fun and the project you chose is a 'loosely translated project', meaning when the quilt is finished and washed you probably won't notice any wrinkles as it will all come out into the wash.

Yikes! Sorry, I didn't notice the copyright... I was just trying to quickly show an example of the type of pattern it is.
This is the actual pattern I purchased:
https://www.amazon.com/French-Patter...s=french+roses

Thanks, mac, I did watch the video where the guild did the charity quilt...one thing I didn't want to replicate was how they sewed over the juncture between the layers. I'm fussy, I want them to all be free edges. I totally get doing it that way for the sake of less time/fuss.