It's a horrible desease that seems to afflict quilters and some knitters as well as all other types of crafts-people. Yup, I have FEAR OF FINISHING.My fear comes at the part AFTER the pretty top is all put together. I don't want to mess up those tops I've spent a lot of time creating by doing "bad" quilting when I finish them. The fears run on the lines of... Will it look ok? Will I get done and wish I'd have done something else? Will I hate it after? Will people that I show it to say "I thought you have been quilting for a long time"?? If I machine quilt it, will I wish I had hand quilted it? Will I ever be able to finish hand quilting a big quilt or would I get bored with it and put it aside somewhere for another generation to do?
There are so many quilters out there who just GO FOR IT and do squiggles or parallel lines and those quilts look wonderful to me. Why can't I do that? Small projects don't scare me for some reason. Perhaps its because there is not so much time and effort invested. But, to start on a big quilt... YIKES! I look at the quilt and can't even start to decide where I would stitch.
Paying someone to machine quilt for me would be wonderful BUT, there are no funds for me to do that, so that is out until I win the lottery. Not too many years ago, I would have just jumped in and done it. That was before I knew all about matching seams and precision cutting and quilt shows and yada yada yada. I suppose that maybe I've come to expect a certain standard for my work that, back then, I didn't even know existed.
So, in an effort to garner support, encouragement and accountability, I decided to find an online group to join,. I found one and mananged to squeek in just under the wire which, unfortunately, is not something unusual for me. However, I am now a member of the OPAM 2011 group!! I'm looking forward to seeing what all the members are doing and also, to fulfilling my committment!
I think we all have that fear. For me it's fear of cutting. Cutting up beautiful fabric makes me cringe. Or if I'm just designing, I feel like I'm wasting fabric. What if it doesn't work? What if I can't get any more because the stores no longer carry it?
ReplyDeleteThe project I'm working on right now is killing me because I have to cut up fabric to see if it works. I know I just need to relax, but it isn't working.
One thing I've learned about quilting is that you can rip it out carefully. I've had to do that a few times on a big quilt. Go slowly and for now, keep it simple. It gets easier the more you do it.
Good Luck!
FOF kept me inactive for years only completing 3 quilts a year. I even bought a Phaff Grand Quilter with the Gracie frame- but that didn't cure the FOF. Then I gave the Phaff set-up to my DD#1 and my FOF was cured. I have finished 4 tops since December 31 and sent all four to her to be quilted. It has liberated me since I trust her sense of design. The joy of piecing is back.
ReplyDeleteHey, if it works I'm all for it. We all have those "what if" or shoulda' coulda'. Enjoy the journey. The destination is only a small part!
ReplyDeleteI always agonize over quilting. I don't want to mess it up, ruin the quilt top, etc. And I hate every quilt I make while it is in the post quilting, pre binding stage. Every.single.quilt. Once I get the binding on, I can never point out why I hated the quilt. I'm a little weird like that.
ReplyDeleteI actually prefer the quilting to the piecing - though you'd never know it by the size of my UFO pile. For me, unless I'm learning a new technique, the planning/piecing is just a necessary step to get to the quilting.
ReplyDeleteOf course, basting is an activity imposed upon me by hell's most vindictive and bad-a** demons...
Boy, do I hear you. I've been quilting for a long time, and teach beginning classes and still balk at the machine quilting process. But,I seriously need to get these things out of the pile and ready for use. So, I start with the smaller quilts, I feel successful there, and gain courage to plunge into the larger quilts. I have one on my blog now which I've just dived into. It won't get done if I keep staring at it! :)
ReplyDeleteLinda