plainpat

I no longer do most needle work, but agree with you. Using good tools & learning as you go...before long it's done & time to find another project.Quilting has taken over, so it's mostly something quilty.

Judith

I know EXACTLY how you feel. I just worked on hand quilting a baby quilt last week and when I took it off the frame all I could think was "How am I ever going to give this as a gift, it looks so lame." But, you know what? The recipients of the quilt thought it was marvelous. So now, I'm going to concentrate more on how much love I sew into the quilts and less on how "good" they are. We're bound to get better with practice.

Yankee in Texas

I want some of that ice cream too!!!! LOL Do not quit!! It just takes some practice - it will get better - as the others have said, we all have been there!!!
Try making some small quilted projects to do your practicing on. Maybe some hot pads, or baby quilts, or even just some quilted fabric to make something out of (purse, parts of a jacket or clothing) for later use.
Chin up -- it will get better, and you will laugh about it later!!

quiltingnonie

One thing I did for quilting a diamond grid was to use wide blue painter's tape. Tape a piece diagonally across quilt, then stitch down the edge. Keep moving the tape, and lining it up evenly. Since it is painter's tape, it does not leave any residue on your quilt top. You will have to change the tape piece once in awhile. Quilting a long straight line like that helps you get the 'feel' of handling the quilt top and adjusting your machine speed.

Lucy90

I have used the blue painters tape and it helps a lot like Laurie said. It has been a life saver when I hand quilt and machine quilt. Straight lines a go go.

naincie

My Janome has a special SID attachment that is full proof - even I can do it w/o waivering! Maybe your machine has something like it.
It is the process not the project that makes the journey meaningful - easy for me to say, I know!
NaincieFromWyoming

GailG

You'e being to hard on yourself. Try the wobbly stitch (least amount of zig you can get in your machine's zigzag stitch. It hops around on the "ditch" and gives a puffy look Looks even better after washed and dried.

CarolynFisJus

I learned to quilt from a wonderful lady in our town, who has passed...but she always told us.."only God can creat something perfect" , so she told us to always make some kind of mistake somewhere on our quilts. And believe me I don't have to make them...they come with the quilt. Enjoy....

Jeanniejo

I think there are many of us have felt the same way !!! Practice, practice, practice !!! I did several sets of Christmas place mats to practice on and gave them as gifts. Everyone loved them !!! They didn't notice the mistakes just that they were made with love !! It they were perfect they could have bought them in a store !!!

Maria C

I think everyone has said it already. I also had a disaster or two at the start and nearly gave up. I took a class at a local guild for a three hour afternoon which gave me some courage really and a few tips. One of them was to pin the quilt adequately at the start. Anyhow I ended up practising more after that class and venture into free motion quilting which I honestly found so much easier than stitch in the ditch and I still find this. Break free and go wild. Try smaller samples first as they are easeir to turn etc. I'm no master with free motion but I have way less rules for myself and that makes it easier. Good luck.