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Hi just want to tell about my journey into quilting read books look at patterns on line printed out some thought that the quilt as you go was for me as I do not have quilt machine or frame
tried it no that not it have the five inch squares that I am just sewing together think that if i ever try another will throw all the rules out the window and just do suppose to be something you enjoy and i have made it a chore any way will try to finish this one for my grown up son am just going to Jo Ann
get the muslin backing fabric and pin all together hold in lap and do by hand think i will have better
luck guess I am just a person who likes to do by hand oh yes did buy one of the old singer machines a 221 because ever one say they so good all right to piece on I guess but i tried to quilt on it did not like the stitich just tried on a sample will some of you hand quilters give me some advice think i will try to do some crochet maybe make in a quilt pattern I like to crochet thanks have a good day:confused:

Sounds like you are not a happy quilter. You have been here since 2011! But, you did try several different techniques....although not seemed to be pleased with any of them. I am sure those 5" squares you put together for your son and now will handquilt will be appreciated by him.....a second thought...maybe if you had purchased a more uo-to-date sewing machine...not necessarily expensive....the attempt at machine quilting might have been more satisfying....sorry your adventure has not been fun, but don't give up, just do what you feel comfortable with....maybe a precut kit of something small would help......

Practice some hand quilting on a small piece. Put together two layers of muslin and some batting to practice. Be sure you have a good sharp quilting needle. Be sure your quilt is basted together well so you have less problems quilting it.

It sounds like you have given it a good try. You probably just haven't found your niche yet. I sat next to a friend who was crocheting at a Guild meeting. Her work was beautiful. Whatever you do, enjoy!

Sounds like you are trying to follow too many rules. Just the basic accurate cutting and 1/4 inch seams are important. Anything else is just personal preference. Also, remember that there are several ways to accomplish the same thing. Maybe you need to just try tying a quilt instead of quilting it. This way you can piece one and complete it without getting too stressed out over the quilting aspect. Take it one step at a time and remember, this is a hobby. You need to relax and enjoy the process. Mistakes are just design opportunities.

I can not understand how anyone can get hung up on "rules". I don't know of "LAW" that says a rule can not be broken/changed/bent/switched around etc. IF I want to make a quilt out of a gunny sac, where's the law that says I can not do it. Now, rules, are made to be broken.

I wish I could show you the seams on the first quilt I ever made, you'd feel a lot better. I didn't know the quarter-inch seam rule, didn't understand how to match seams, no clue I was supposed to press anything or that fabric had a 'grain'.... I decided to make it king size and since I had no clue what I was doing, I assumed the quilt top and backing should be the exact same size as the batting so I made it all 120" square to match the batting size. Ended up stretching the batting to make it 'fit'.... Discovered my backing was too small after already started quilting so just sort of angled a seam in there to add more fabric. Then decided I needed to FMQ this gigantic mess of a quilt...somehow I managed THAT, but there's a lot of zigs and zags where there should be smooth lines; I didn't rip anything out I just kept on going.

Amazingly, it's on the bed, and other than being WAY TOO BIG it's held together extremely well and doesn't look as horrible as you might expect. It's scrappy and that helps hide a lot of my mess-ups - DH swears it looks great. I think I'm going to lop about a foot off of the sides and bottom some day, and re-bind it, to make it fit the bed better. We have a platform bed that's low to the ground & no box springs, this quilt literally drags on the floor on 3 sides of the bed, LOL. But I'm not getting rid of it or retiring it! I'm darn proud of that mess of a quilt! *I* made it, and I learned a lot from it.

Let go, be creative, have fun. Ignore the rules. I broke every rule possible and still managed to create a perfectly functional and fairly attractive quilt. :)

Quick question, do you have a walking foot for your Featherweight? If not, you should definitely consider getting one; I got mine for <$25.00. Also, if not using a walking foot with a Featherweight, remember that the feed dogs do not drop, therefore you will need to cover them, or set your stitch length to "0" as Leah Day suggests.

The main thing is, have fun and enjoy the process. This is supposed to be enjoyable! :)

That was what I was going to ask. I do my quilting on my Bernina; but the other day, I put the walking foot on my Featherweight 221 and it worked beautifully. The walking foot was well worth the $25. I tried quilting once and didn't like it. At age 75, I tried it again. Now I am addicted to quilting. Just find something you enjoy. If it is not quilting now, don't worry. Maybe you will enjoy quilting later.

After attending a quilt showing of Gee's Bend quilts I witnessed exactly the type of quilting you have described. They worked with materials available, either donated or old used clothing in various degrees of wear and fade . The quilts are now being shown as art in museums. It is my thinking that as hand work​ is becoming less popular any of it is to be honored and cherished for who knows what 20 more years in the industry will bring. Another example of original quilting was an antique schoolhouse quilt I bought and sold (when I was an antique dealer) where there were houses on one row and not another, some upside down and some right side up. This quilt was featured in a quilt book as an inspiration for quilters. There were blocks of various other sizes and patterns in the same quilt. The backing was many different colors and patterns of ticking which had been laundered many times. Do what is comfortable for you and please let us see your results.