I have posted a few pictures of my first quilt during the process of cutting, piecing, putting it all together, binding, etc. I am now machine quilting it, in the ditch, just for practice and to see how it looks. I'm quickly discovering that this is not my favorite thing to do and it doesn't add any beauty to my quilt. I'm seriously considering just doing the tops and then getting someone else to quilt it. Am I crazy? Is this too expensive? How many of you just do tops and then have someone else quilt it? I see Charismahs work and it always add tons of beauty to a lovingly made quilt...

Charisma *is* a very talented quilter! I think quite a few folks do either one or the other, then some do both piece and quilt. Totally up to you and what you wanna do! :D

I too get very discouraged when I see all the beautiful quilting that I can never achieve. Unfortunatly I don't think I will ever be able to afford to have all the tops sent out to be quilted either. I lothe wrestling with quilting them , and have ruined a few trying. I usually just end up doing nothing with them, thus the stack of tops I have accumulated lol,or if they are scrappy quilts to be used daily I just tie them.
On a positive note though ,many do master quilting them on regular machines. :D :D

I love to watch Leah day quilt with a regular machine.

I'm sorry you're not liking the quilting. Every one has different parts of the quilting process that they like and dislike and I know many people send their tops out to be quilted. That is your choice. I used to hand quilt everything and I hated it, which is why I had tons of tops but very few finished products. Then I discovered I can quilt on my machine. I tried it and I absolutely love it. I think it fun!! So hard to describe but I feel like I am dancing with the quilt as I move it around under the needle. Sounds silly I know. I am no where near as good as the long armers on this board, but I hope in time I will. I am getting a frame for my machine next Sat. and am so looking forward to it.

I understand what you are going through. I love the looks of the beautiful quilting that others achieve, whether on their sewing machines or a long arm. Mine do not come anywhere close to that. Yet, I do enjoy "playing" and learning. I could never afford to have anyone else quilt them for me at this time. I hope that you will discover a way in which to enjoy the quilting process.

There is nothing wrong with SID :D As time goes on you can venture into using a serpentine stitch in the ditch :wink: and then onto some stippling, and other FMQ. No on says we have to learn it all right away, or do it all either :D:D:D

I like to use a very, very narrow zig zag stitch for SID. If you are off a bit, it doesn't show as much :wink: The same with using a serpentine stitch :D

I'm getting ready to teach myself to FMQ. I can stitch in the ditch just fine and I can stencil a design on and sew over it ok. Now to move onto something else. I have a hard time figuring out what to do. I dont know if I'll ever be great at it but I don't have to be. I already know that I can't afford to send it out even though I love Charisma's quilts on here; she's great. I have seen approx. prices for different quilters and I can't afford it; it's not that they don't deserve I just can't afford it. I'm not going to quilt and have nothing but tops laying around even if I have to tie each one or do the QAYG method; I'm going to do them.

I don't think anyone is a fan of machine quilting the first time they try it. I started with SID and did that for a while before trying FMQ, and for that I took a class that helped get over the learning curve. (I also had the BSR, which took quite a bit of the pain out of the process.) It is something that needs practice, but once you get over the initial speed bumps, it is fun and satisfying.

Check the longarmers in your area and also on the net. Sometimes you can have a quilt done including batting and back for under $100 - Check around.

Hi neighbor! (I'm in NC too.) I feel your pain. I'm trying to teach myself FMQ now. It's been a real challenge for me but I'm determined not to be defeated.

I've only been quilting for a year. I've made 5 tops and am working on 6 & 7 now. I've sent one quilt to Charisma and she did a lovely job. I quilted one on my home machine - it was a baby quilt so not so much of a struggle and I quilted in straight lines (but not SID). I started another larger quilt with straight lines and the backing was puckering, so I've taken it out and going to start over. DH just bought me the Janome Horizon, so I'm excited to try quilting on it with the extra bed space.

At the end of the day, give yourself permission to not be perfect and don't compare yourself to others. There's a great deal of satisfaction is being able to say "I made it myself... all of it!" lol. There's also nothing wrong with having someone else quilt it and I think it's very affordable in most cases. I absolutely love the quilt Charisma quilted and could never have done such a job myself.

There is a lot of quilting talent on this board... those with an eye for deciding quilting designs for the best impact. They are also willing to share their ideas with you if you ask. Just have fun and enjoy your new hobby. :-)