Kittenboysmom wrote:
Glad to help!

Just watched the video, OMG how stupid can I be? I never figured out how to use the lines on the cutting mat... I kept trying to make my rulers stack up big enough to make the required size. And I kept trying to do it on point since thats the way the design was. Sigh. Do over for sure.

Thanks Margo. I was a star member last year and did get some good ideas from the forum, didnt have much time to watch the videos and hope to upgrade again this year when a have the extra $. Spent too much on fabric last year and totally broke at the moment. Thanks for the youtube link, I really messed up the BOM from the beginning not making the center fabric bigger than the instructions said to allow for the draw up with all the applique sewing made it too small. It just snowballed from there. I may make it a pillow and start completely over. But it was so pretty The ups and downs of quilting!

Kittenboysmom wrote:
Kittenboysmom, I see that you are not a "star" member of TQS. You might consider joining so you can view the videos presented every other week. They give a wealth of information about a lot of quilting techniques and are well worth the cost. Or, possibly you could purchase some of the DVDs of the earlier series?

In the meantime, you might want to try my "test" to see if your seam allowance is part of the problem: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/569415726bHNKHF
And here is a good YouTube video that shows how to square up a block: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-3RIWhBvcA
Sharon Schamber has a lot of excellent free videos on YouTube full of great information.
Good luck!

I sure bit off more than I knew how to do well with this quilt. I had taken a class on applique so my center is great except for the finished size. Once a squared it off it was 3/4" off. Then my triangles were a touch too small. so I made my borders a touch bigger. But couldnt for the life of me get them straight, and the mitered corners were a nightmare. Taking that apart a number of times pulled all the tiny peices in the center border apart and so I either need to try to tack the edges or redo it and back stitch at each strip edge. OMG! I made the lattus row next and it was ok, a few issues with sizing, but by the end I had them the perfect size to continue the rest of the quilt, but couldnt get the last skinny border inbeween the right size. Way too much math fiddling and I guess Im just not that good a precise piecer. So I ended up taking it all apart and putting it away for a while. After spening $300 on the fabric I will come back to it when I'm a better quilter.
Of course I love the new BOM but its too envolved for me too. I think I need another year of MaCalls Quick Quilts!

Don't beat youselves up ladies, I am still working on my Stars for a new day BOM !!!

Sometimes it not so much of a motivation factor but a balance with life. I was very excited last week when I finished Month 4 . I call this my 2 year quilt, or maybe 3 (Grin). I love looking at everyone's pictures and reading the posts when I get time. Look for the pleasure you get from what you have done! This in itself will keep you motivated at whatever pace you move along. I especially like the quilting tips mixed through out the instructions. I never thought my floaters would look so good. Happy quilting during the holidays!

Sue I went through the same as you and just could not get started again, the thought of sewing just made me unhappy and I dont even understand why, but I do have the help of two of my friends who are doing this BOM also with me so we email each other and that helps, one day Pamela's comment got me started again and off I went sewing, so just hang in, also if you feel you want something a bit easier then change it, its your quilt so you can do what you want, and as take in what the other ladies have said, we are all here to support you so keep in touch and have a little talk to us all anytime you want. But I also have to admit that by my age I know what I want to do and what I dont want to do, so I changed the BOM a bit to suit ME ME ME so out went the baskets as just not my thing at all, in my mind they are two time consuming and I enjoy machine applique more so thats what I changed it to, so in the end I ended up ahead of my two friends.....hee hee hee

I supose I am trying to say if you are feed up with one part of the BOM and its holding you back......well so be it.......look into changing it.......and do what feels better for you to get going again at what ever pace you can work at.

CreativePam wrote:

Check here: [url]forum/ruffled-roses-2011/5078-month-12[/url]

I'm still way behind ..... but will get there eventually! Are there any instructions for Margo's alternative outer corner blocks??

I think I have lost motivation so many times on this project! It has taken so much time, I did not realize in the beginning. But now when I started to sew pieced swag border units together, I am all motivated again! For me they are the coolest feature on this quilt and got my attention at first place and got me sewing this BOM. I like more piecing than applique, but decided to make my quilt as close to the original design. I have used fusible web and machine blanket stitch to speed up applique. I hope I will not mess this project by quilting it badly. And hope we will continue couraging conversation here at forum next year to get our BOM's finished!

After I read Rita's post I just wanted to say that the circles I did were hand applique but not needle turned. I stitched a gathering thread around the circles in the seam allowance and gathered them up around a circle template and ironed them! That took a little while but lots less time than needle turning them. They were actually fun to sew on. Now those flowers.... let's just say I really wanted to get those blocks finished!

This is our hobby, it should be fun. That's why I put mine away for a couple of months and did something else. Then, when I was feeling ready, I went back to the quilt. Doing those baskets was actually a very positive thing for me since I learned so much about a good quarter-inch seam allowance. I feel much more accomplished now!

Kathy

Hey Sue, I just had a look at your profile and saw the photos of your quilt so far. It's really good! I understand how you feel about the cornerstones. There are an awful lot of very small circles to be done. I did all of mine raw edge applique so it was not so bad because once I had everything steam-a-seamed and ironed on it was simple enough to just run a blanket stitch around them. I know that needle-turn takes a lot more time but you seem to be really good at it. And I think that your quilt is worth it. But there is no rush - nobody says that you have to have it done by the end of December! I was having a brief look through the show and tell section for some of the previous BOMs and realized that a lot of people didn't seem to finish their quilts at all, or at least they didn't post photos of the finished projects. I think that Kathy's suggestion of doing something like Margo's alternative version is also an option that I would consider. However, if you really just can't get yourself motivated to finish it then why don't you just set it aside and move on to something that makes you feel happy. Quilting should be enjoyable and rewarding, not causing anxiety and frustration! That's why I am not going to do next year's BOM - I think it would really do my head in! Good luck and very happy quilting. Rita.

Sue, I can relate to what you're saying! I almost gave up earlier after I made 2 baskets. So I stopped for a couple of months. Then decided I had so much work invested in the center that I would finish the quilt. Did all the pieced swag blocks, then did the corner applique blocks for the baskets. Then I just sat down and powered through the rest of the baskets. After I got into the rhythm of it, they went pretty quickly, way faster than I had predicted. I guess my advice would be to just start on something and see if you develop some momentum. What has kept me going is the thought that I'm getting closer to the end! Oh, I decided NOT to do the outer corner appliques, I copied what Margo did on her BOM which took way less time and to my eye looks better. I'm at the stage of sewing together the basket border and can see the end here. Keep going, you won't be sorry in the long run. It might take a while, but probably less time than you think.
And I'm not going to do the 2012 BOM, this one took up a lot of time and I want to spend more time on other things. This was a good thing for me to learn!

Kathy