Hopefully, nobody here has ever had a teacher that discouraged them. I love the fact, Heather, that you are self taught. You've come with no preconceived notions of what "should" be done. Enjoy the process.

hear hear
if we don't take the first step - we'll never make it up the mountain
and with a little (or sometimes a lot) of help and encouragement from other "mountaineers" we'll get there and enjoy the view
or, in our case, the fabulous quilts to love and snuggle under

I realize I'm quite late to this, but wanted to thank you for posting it!

I agree with a lot of what she said, and I'm a new quilter. I tend to not care if something is "hard" or "easy" or whatever. I like to say I don't know enough to know if something is "supposed to be" hard; if I see something I want to do, I just try it. If I don't get it right the first time, I take it apart or cut new pieces and try again. And again and again sometimes! but I don't let it stop me.

I'm working on a diary quilt -- my 2nd quilt top so far -- and doing all sorts of things. I've self-taught applique, and embroidery, and all sorts of blocks. Stars, and nine patches, and just all kinds of things I didn't know where meant to be hard.

And, I have to say - my first quilt top, I bought the pattern and a jelly roll, since it was billed as a jelly roll pattern, and actually spoke with the lady who designed the pattern. I was quite excited for my first quilt. She expressed great doubt over whether or not I could do it, saying it was quite difficult for a beginner like myself.

Why?? Because it forms a star. But the blocks are just log cabins. And yet she told me she didn't think I could do it. Well.

Now here I am, yes, a year later, and not yet done. But I've got only 2 blocks to go and then joining the blocks into the top. Then I will tackle the border (the pattern has a pieced border). Will it win any awards?? Nope. But neither is it so inaccurately pieced that anyone with an untrained eye will notice.

Must say, i wish this pattern designer had read the articles linked, had they been around a year ago. I hope she's read them now, because not every new quilter will be as stubborn as me. A less determined newbie quilter would have accepted the pronouncement that the pattern was too hard and would have given up, found something easy, or gone away discouraged. THIS is what needs to stop, and THIS is why I so heartily agree with the article posted. New quilters need to be encouraged (as you guys have been great at doing), not discouraged. And then taught the techniques that make seemingly hard blocks less so.

Doesn't it all? Take practice I mean? I'm just sitting here whipping out a child's quilt for our guild charity and 2 months ago I couldn't FMQ! At all. Or at least I thought so. tee hee

I saw the lady who invented it at the Lancaster show a couple of weeks ago. She was whipping through drunkards path blocks like they were water. I can see where it would take some practice.

I have one! It does work but it took a lot of practise and no, I don't have anything to show for it all - yet!

Margo wrote:
I bought one of those at the Glendale Quilt show years ago, after watching the demonstrator just zip through a pile of drunkard's path blocks. I've never been able to master it, even after watching the you tube video. Maybe I need more practice? Of course, right now I'm in the middle of a BOM which I'm 3 months behind on . Gosh, working at a 40 hour a week job just cuts into my quilting time.
By the way your little quilt is marvelous, full of life and joy.

Kathy

QuilterLynn wrote:
There are lots of things I haven't tried, and some I've tried and found they just didn't work for me. This happens to be one that did! In fact I got it out last week for my Bloom Where You Are Planted wallhanging for those free-form borders. It worked great on both the inside and outside curves!

Found this great little video on UTube of using the CurveMaster foot for curved seams. It looks great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iso3C-G0Q_8

Margo, is there ANY gadget you haven't used? No, of course not. If you've heard about it you've tried it, right? tee hee (thanks for being such a wealth of information!)

Lynn

That looks rather good & it is available at The Cotton Patch in UK (hurrah) according to the MasterCurve website.
It looks like another foot to add to my wish list, along with a 'walking foot', and a 'rolled hem foot'

Rosemary

Rosemary, you might want to try this presser foot for curved seams that will lie flat!! It really works!!

http://www.quiltersreview.com/article.asp?article=/review/product/030310_a.asp

QuilterLynn wrote: Hear, Hear. Well put Lynn (except for the bit about skipping talking about cake )
Personally I am currently shying away from Drunkards Path; as a tailor(ess) I am used to putting curved pieces of fabric together, but NOT to end up with them FLAT, I want them to stay curved!

Rosemary

Well, since I'm doing Weight Watchers, I'm leaving all the 'cake' talk alone.

And I'm pretty much leaving the rest of it alone too. I've always loved to debate almost anything and challenge my mind: religion, politics, stoplights and cameras (big topic around here!), girdles (remember those?), blogging, stay-at-home Moms vs. working Moms...........................

But as with almost all things in life, the older I get, the more I realize that there is very little in life worth expending my energy toward......unless I feel very strongly about it and am concerned that without my participation, I'll loose that issue to neglect. Granted, I live in a free country where I can pretty much choose to spend my time however I choose (and I'm very thankful for that!) but as to the direction of quilting, ..........

What I'm doing easily today was a challenge 2 months ago! What I'm dreaming of conquering today, someone else conquered 2 months ago! It's all relative and the meditative quality of it all serves my body in that it brings me peace and pleasure and better health, so I'll leave others to their opinions.......and their own challenges..........and not feel the least bit pressured by their opinions and comments.

While those who choose to debate are debating, I'm sewing and dreaming and creating.

That's my plan, and I'm sticking to it!!!!

Lynn (and someday I'll get a signature created!!) ha

black forest cherry cake: some things are just worth breaking a diet for. And the Germans are very good at dessert!
half square triangles, etc: when someone says "I could never do that", I think we should skip the sneers and help them do it!
(This from someone whose second quilt was a Bethlehem Star. But I learned at lot.)