Quilting Excuses and How To Beat Them
September 18, 2024
Hi!
So we all have them, right? What’s your favourite? Quilting excuse that is.
For me, it’s all to do with time – ‘I don’t have time to do that / start that / finish that right now’, and then I top it off with a good old ‘I’ll come back to that later’…. The worst thing is, for me there’s often no “later” – there’s just more things added to that pile!
I found this quick article back in an old Online Quilt Magazine issue. Yes, some of it is geared for new quilters, but several points are well worth reminding yourself of too, and we can all find that 20 minutes a day if we really had to….
” Quilting Excuses and How To Beat Them
Have you ever wanted to learn how to quilt, but keep talking yourself out of it?
Have you looked longingly at pictures of quilts in museums and magazines? Perhaps you have even bought a quilting book but you just can’t make yourself take that next step.
Well, here are the top five excuses that I’ve heard from folks about why they can’t learn how to quilt and how you can overcome them.
1. I Don’t Know How to Sew
Oh, this is an easy one. You just follow the instructions in the sewing machine manual. That’s how I taught myself how to sew.
You really don’t need to be able to be all that good, either. If you pick the right pattern, you can finish a quilt without knowing how to sew a perfect straight line.
Besides, quilters and sewers are very generous by nature. Just put the word out that you’re interested in learning how to sew, and I’m sure you’ll be able to find someone to give you a quick lesson. Visit your local quilt guild, and they’ll help you get started.
2. I Can’t Stand Those Itty Bitty Pieces
The days of having to cut itty bitty pieces using templates are over. (Unless you want to). With current strip quilting techniques, you really can finish a quilt top quickly and painlessly. There’s so many different quilt-making techniques to try – keep going and find the one/s you love. And you really just need the right tools such as a rotary cutter, self-healing mat and ruler.
3. I Have No Color Sense
I don’t either. That’s what fat quarters and fabric shops are for. If you have a local quilt shop, pay them a visit. One of the reasons why you may pay a bit more for the fabric is their expertise in the shop. The employees will help you coordinate your fabrics.
For the first quilt that I finished, I brought in my quilt pattern book. The ladies at my local quilt shop helped me pick out the fabrics. And this was for a log cabin that I used seven different fabrics.
If you don’t have a quilt shop, head online. There are online fabric shops that sell coordinating fat quarters. You don’t have to do anything but point, click and pay.
And if you still do not trust yourself, just find a pattern that requires only two colors – use white as one color and pick your favorite color as the other one. Two color quilts are striking.
4. Quilting Is Hard
Quilting is as hard, or as easy as you make it. Want to practice quilting without ‘wrecking’ a pieced quilt top? You can purchase a quilt panel to get you used to sewing and making the “quilt sandwich.”
From there, you can make a quilt just using big, twelve inch squares, or some other easy pattern.
Then, as you get more comfortable, you can explore harder patterns. This goes for hand quilting too. Don’t start with a king size quilt – try something small like a pillow size, or table mat, and enjoy finishing it, before you tackle something bigger.
Take it slow, give yourself plenty of time and let yourself be a beginner. So what if it isn’t perfect? A beginner’s quilt is supposed to look like a beginner’s work. The only way to get better is to keep quilting.
5. I Don’t Have The Time
You really only need ten minutes a day. Now, you’ll probably get frustrated because it will take you a long time to finish a quilt.
Twenty minutes per quilting period is a good number. Get out your kitchen timer or use the timer on your oven and get to it. The great thing about quilting as a hobby is that it’s easy to pick up once you’ve stopped. Once you get going on your machine, however, you probably won’t want to stop.
So, you see there really is no excuse for not quilting except that you’re not interested. But, if you are, get on a forum or pick up a book (or subscribe to a great magazine!). Quilters are some of the nicest people in the world. So get busy and get quilting!”
(Article by Irette Patterson)
So what’s your quilting excuse? Let me know below what gets you stuck.
And as for me? I’m off to find that 20 minutes right now, and enjoy some more sewing! 🙂
6 responses to “Quilting Excuses and How To Beat Them”
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Thanks for your fun, interesting, informative and encouraging messages. I enjoy quilting so much, but as your mention, it is the time you wish you COULD spend on such a great hobby that is the biggest problem.
🙂 If I could invent some extra time each day, I know where I’d be spending it!
I definitely like point 5. Quilting is my relaxation and my time-out. And don’t we all deserve 20min a day to ourselves?
ABSOLUTELY!!
“You only really need ten minutes a day” is fine for handstitchers and people with sewing rooms. But I can distantly remember back 3 or 4 decades ago when I had to unpack my sewing machine and supplies every time I wanted to use it, and clear it all away afterwards. The whole ten minutes would be spent in setting up and packing up. So the real solution is to have a dedicated sewing-space…
That is very true – I remember doing the same and taking over the dining room table! It’s definitely worth finding a space where you can leave your machine set up, so you can make the most of the sewing time you do have.