JENNR8R

Name and label your quilts... I put the quilt name, designer's name, batting used, who pieced and quilted it, date finished, and location. It's amazing how fast one forgets the details on a quilt.

Other interesting labels could include who it was made for and why, etc. Let your imagination soar!

kay carlson

This is the type of posting I enjoy early in the morning while sipping my first cup of coffee. Sometimes I forget how many tricks I have learned and the help I've received from others. It's fine to establish your own preferences and style!

Bonnie Hunter from www.quiltville.com is famous for the trick of sewing two pieces of fabric together for a block instead of using a spider (which I had done for years).

Once I get a rhythm going on a block which I will duplicate several times, I use the trick of sewing two at a time. You're repeating a row of stitching twice and end up with two (drumroll, please) finished blocks. :-)

origamigoldfish

I keep a journal of things I learn with each project I do, and things I need to work on still. I would like to get a polaroid to add pictures of completed projects.

The most important thing for me to learn, and I still have to remind myself, is that quilting is fun! It is way too easy to get lost in what is going wrong and forget that I do this to relax and enjoy myself.

Right now I am forcing myself to stop and take breaks when things start feeling tedious, I get tired, or start making silly mistakes. It is so easy for me to fixate on getting things done instead of stopping when I'm not having fun anymore.

Also a thing I have learned; I like to buy fabrics for multiple projects on big sale days...but by the time I get to them my taste has changed and I want or need something different. From here on out, going to buy fabric a project at a time. I actually end up spending more money to fix impulse decisions buying things on sale to end up with something I like.

Peckish

You will be amazed at how quickly your skills will build, even if you're not specifically trying to work on a certain skill. I can't tell you how many times I would get frustrated with a project and throw it in a corner or toss it in a closet for 6 months, then bring it back out and voila! somehow the problem I was having isn't as frustrating and I now know how to handle it!

Now when something gets me frustrated, I patiently put it aside for a couple of months and work on something else. I know when I go back to it I will be ready and able to solve the issue.

Another tip - when you're feeling indecisive about design choices, or not sure which direction to go, tell your brain to dream about it every night until you come up with something you like. Works every time for me.

gramma nancy

Check out Bonnie Hunter's "Leaders and Enders" series. She does what pocoellie does and makes terrific quilts from the blocks that are constructed by this method. She has several books on the topic with some beautiful quilts.

nanac

The number one thing I learned is that I am not perfect, so I don't expect my quilt to be. Most of the time, "mistakes" are seen by me, but not others. I recently made a diamond quilt, and (unbelievably) almost all of my pieces lined up. I did notice 3 pieces of sashing that weren't exact. However, when my granddaughter saw it, she fell in love with it, and claimed it for her own. I pointed out my mistakes, and she said "But, Nana, diamonds are supposed to have some tiny flaws" once she stepped a few feet away, she didn't notice anything different.