What’s Holding YOU Back From Quilting?

February 7, 2020
Good Morning, Quilters!

What’s holding you back from quilting?

It’s a new year and a new decade. It’s time to shed our old fears and jump in to quilting!

And I’m here to help!!!

Today, on Open Line Friday I want to know what is holding you back from tackling that pile of quilt tops?

Are you afraid of ruining your quilt with your quilting?

Is there a part of the process that you don’t like?

Do you get hung up on choosing the batting, thread or motifs?

Do you lack the proper equipment?

Does your head (or neck or wrists) hurt just thinking about machine quilting?

 

Help Me, Help YOU

Please take a few minutes to really think about your quilting roadblocks.

What is holding you back from quilting?

What is the main obstacle and what are the minor obstacles?

It might be that you don’t even know -the problem is just too big to solve…If so–tell me that!

This is the year we figure it out.

I’m happy to hold your hand along the way!

Sewing Studio, Lori Kennedy Quilts
Coming Soon!

Next week we are going to resume Doodle Lessons! They were a huge hit a few years ago and I’ve had several requests for doodle ideas.

Be sure to check out American Quilter Magazine-LKQ tutorials and  so much more in every issue!  Watch how my outfits change in every issue-they always make me laugh!

2020 Resolutions

Let’s make 2020 the best quilting year ever!

I’m here to help—and to learn from YOU!

Happy Stitching,

Lori

PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy Quilts and are intended for personal use only.  Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to Lori Kennedy Quilts.  For all other purposes, please contact me at Lori@LoriKennedyQuilts. com.  Thank you!

Share:

137 comments

  • Jennifer Bachman

    I am so excited, I just bought a mini log cabin coaster pattern from Annie’s crafts and have pulled out my fabrics to start cutting. I can’t wait to start sewing on my coasters. Thank you so much for your encouragement. I look forward to sharing photos with you soon.

  • Elena

    I get stuck on which quilting design to use, and the lack of time to practice to really learn how to free motion quilt. Especially because most of my quilting is done at retreats or at a friend’s house, so there really isn’t room for machine quilting. And it’s just easier to make another quilt top. 🙂

  • Betty B

    As I pick out a messed up FMQ block, done with my long arm, I see I don’t retrace my stitching well, I make pitiful pebbles, and I end up with a million cut threads to bury and areas to repair/redo after removing it from the frame. I’m so grateful my husband bought me the software because I’m realizing FMQ is not my thing… but I try because somewhere in me is a “wanna be”!

  • Carol M Creger

    Fear, anxiety over not knowing how to applique or how to cut pieces so when you see the corners meet up, need I go on?

  • Renee

    Time!! I don’t have much time to quilt.
    Space to lay out backing, batting,and top to pin them together.

    • My concern very similar. I have 2 quilt tops ready for Christmas gifts 2019 & got stuck.
      Trying spray starch the top till stiff. ( how much should I spray it? What if I do it wrong and mess up the work Ive done on the top.
      And couldnt figure out how to piece backing and the where/ how lay it out to pon baste together.can I use a flannel sheet for the back and what problems should I watch out for

  • Katrina Hunt

    My biggest roadblock is what to quilt! I keep staring at the quilts willing them to tell me what to do and they just keep staring back. I’m completely stuck.

  • All these ladies are WAAAAY ahead of me. I have fabric galore (who doesn’t?) I have a 2 bedroom condo with quilts in both rooms and have made quilts for several grandchildren. The last one I made, I was not proud of because I procrastinated and had to rush. I keep saying I’ll make charity quilts, but never get around to it. Baby quilts are so small they go quickly, but I probably don’t have the pastel colors I’d like to use. Hey, a good excuse to go shopping!

  • Heartland Honey

    1 – Basting a 108″x108″ quilt! My Hinterberg frame, which I normally use to baste my quilts, isn’t wide enough.
    2 – TENSION!!! It seems like I get the tension adjusted just right and a while later notice the tension is off. Hopefully the Bernina tech fixed it, but either way, getting the tension set so the stitches are balanced front and back has always been a problem I’ve had. I can’t remember up or down…
    3 – FEAR of failure. Ruining a quilt.

    • Lol….I just today day down at my quilter, tension messed up! No one touched it from last time I used it! Why?
      Tried adjusting it, got frustrated, decided to just sew, thread kept breakimg(this on another machine!)
      I guess I needed a break from seeing totally today😁

  • Denise Bone

    I would like to learn a few easy all-over designs and then learn how to mark the quilt. I look at that huge (or small) quilt top and just have no idea where to start or what to do!

    • OH, My Start in the middle. I think it was on Lori Kennedy’s blog that I read about doing 1/4 of the quilt at a time, and each time you start a new quarter, you start in the middle

  • Kathy

    I’m struggling to get a uniform stitch length. If I move the sandwich too slowly it has jagged lines, but I have not learned how much I need to speed up to avoid long stitches swooping between motifs.

    I’m constantly doodling, but when I try to make smooth doodles I sometimes get line overlap. If I can’t doodle it I know I can’t quilt it. Lately I am trying to be more patient and do everything more slowly.

    • Kathie Banks

      I found that listening to my machine and finding a rhythm helped me with that. Find a medium speed and slow down on curves…just like driving. The more you practice the better you will be at finding your groove

  • Jennifer Bachman

    I’ve always wanted to learn to quilt, but I am afraid of after buying all the fabric and other items I need, that I will mess the quilt up.

    • Jennifer, just start! Begin with something small. A doll quilt or a baby quilt will let you get started. A lot of charity groups would love to get that starter quilt and they won’t care that it isn’t perfect. Allow yourself to learn, be forgiving. For all our comments about what holds us back, all these quilters will tell you that they love the process.

      • Jennifer Bachman

        Thank you so much Ellen. We don’t have a local quilt shop, I just signed up for a online class on Annie’s. Cant wait to get started.

      • Ellen

        Take a beginning quilting class at a local quilt shop! It is SO helpful, and you can ask questions. If there are no local quilt shops nearby, the next best thing would be to take one online.

      • Jennifer Bachman

        Thanks so much.

  • Michele

    I bought a long arm frame to which I can put my home machine on a trolley . Not so expensive compared to a real long arm. It has proven to be a VERY large learning curve for me. One…. To move the machine instead of the quilt as I have been doing in the past . I’m still VERY CHOPPY in my stitching. And two ….Then I bought Pantograph templates to use. UGh ! Trying how to line up the template stylus and the machine needle has had me pulling my hair out. I’ve managed to do several Dog Quits , which they Love , love, love by the way ! Now I am using some quilt tops that are going to be and stay my quilts , but Phew ! what a long process to learn how to do this well.

    • Wendy Ford

      What model of long arm frame did you buy? Was it made by the Grace Frame Company or another company

    • Joyce Wheeler

      I use my trolley system to just baste my large bed she quilts. Then I mark the quilt with chalk pencils and slowly stitch with my machine set up on table so the whole table supports the quilt.

  • Karen

    BASTING. Then there always is the fear of ruining, particularly a quilt with applique.

    • Michele

      I use spray basting, very lightly . I do it on a spare bed with the windows open. Because I do it lightly hardly any gets on the furniture. What does I wipe off with a wet cloth.!
      On the applique quilts I do raw edge. It doesn’t show much in the way of mistakes. Then I echo around the shapes. LOoks terrific when I wash it.

  • Kris Pedrow

    Right now, my biggest roadblocks are the basting process due to the sheer size of a couple of the quilts I need to quilt. 96×96 is really daunting for me. I spray baste over a table, which works great for quilts that are only as wide as my table is long, but getting bigger quilts basted without puckers on the backing is difficult.

    My second problem is wanting to quilt curved crosshatch in large spaces. I have one quilt that I pieced 7 years ago but have been waiting for my quilting skills to catch up with my quilting plan. (Oh, and also the basting thing…;-))

    • Kathie Banks

      You Tube has a great video called “How to Sandwich a Large Quilt on a Small Table” I use this technique to pin baste all sizes of quilts and it’s wonderful. No more crawling around the floor. I use my folding cutting table so the height eliminates bending and back pain.

    • Ellen

      Jacque Gehring shows how to spray baste on your design wall. And there are also ways to layer and baste quilts with boards and pool noodles.

      • Heartland Honey

        I’m someone faced with a similar challenge… I have a 108″ x 108″ quilt that I’m trying to figure out how to baste, but I though spray baste was more for smaller projects, like baby quilts?.

  • What is holding me back is physical issues….I have back, neck, hand issues so have to limit my time on my machines.
    I REALLY wish someone would come up with yoga for quilters, or basic stretches for quilters!!!!
    Something I can follow along before starting my day, then maybe breaks, then a cool down at the end of the day!!!
    I have come up with some exercises, but it’s easy to forget.
    I am what I call an enthusiastic beginner, I just got my sit down quilter, and am just exploring the world of the neat designs and different colored threads.
    I am in awe of the things others say…..

    • A basic yoga sun salutation will loosen you up, and I am learning Tai Chi. Supportive fingerless gloves help with hand issues giving support to the joints. Limiting your continuous time is a good idea, get up and stretch often. Be sure your sewing machine table is the right height for you, as well as your chair.

    • Leah Day might have some, and she also used to sell a harness-type thing to help you keep correct posture while quilting. It’s called the Quilting Back Support (I searched “posture” on her site–leahday.com.

    • Yes, limiting your time quilting is a great idea. You can also pace yourself. Set you phone to remind yourself to stretch every 15 minutes, or even to go get a glass of water. I would think exercizes good for carpel tunnel would also be good for quilters. I know my neck and shoulders hurt from bad posture, so I try to take a break and stretch my arms in back of me and sit up straight when I sit back down

      • RoseAnn Seiple

        Thank you for such good advise.

  • Josie

    What’s holding me back is lack of knowledge. I took one quilting class 30 years ago and made a sampler quilt (about twin size, I think) which I quilted by hand. Then life happened, and I got more interested in other, less time-consuming and more portable crafts like knitting and needlework. Now that I’m retired, I’d like to take up quilting again, but I’ve never quilted by machine. I’ve watched one “learn to quilt” series on Bluprint/Craftsy, but I need more education about all aspects of machine quilting, and then lots of practice. Any advice to a beginner would be greatly appreciated.

    • Barb D

      Josie, any classes offered at your local quilt shop? Or go to a state quilt conference….have taken a few machine quilting classes at the MN conference, including one by Lori, which was great! Angela Walters has good tutorials online too.

      • Josie

        Barb D, thank you for the suggestions. I recently visited my “local” quilt shop for the first time. (Local is in quotes because it’s about an hour drive from where I live.) They do offer classes. I will have to look into whether there is a state conference, and will definitely be checking out tutorials online as well.

  • Susan Spencer

    currently, what’s holding be back from quilting is a broken shoulder! hopefully, once it’s healed and i’m through with pt, i can get back to it–i can hardly wait to be able to play with my new handiquilter!

    • Best of luck healing that shoulder. Take it easy when you do get back to it. Set a timer. Give yourself 15 minutes to work, then rest 15. Don’t overdo in the beginning. Happy healing.

  • Diane

    I just took a short improv quilting workshop, where we just grabbed scraps and pieced them together, slashed and re-pieced, and even took a rotary cutter to slash them into curves, all without measuring or worrying too much about color. It was absolutely the most freeing experience to complete a huge block for a pillow in just a few hours, and everyone’s blocks turned out so good! It made me realize how much time I waste fretting over finding the perfect fabrics, perfect cutting/measuring/ piecing, and even worrying over the quilt design. That’s no fun! We also worked using a time management technique called the Palindrome, where you set a timer and work for 25 minutes, then walk away from your project for 5-10, then repeat. You return to tour work with renewed spirit and new ideas to solve any problems. This has totally the-energized my quilting.

  • I have several quilt tops ready to be quilted. I have a difficult time choosing a quilting pattern coupled with me being a perfectionist equals no quilting. I won’t ruin the quilt top if I don’t quilt it. I have a top that just needs the borders quilted and I want to use a wave ruler but don’t know how to mark the borders and figure out how to start and end with the ruler so each border begins and ends in the same place on the ruler.

    • HollyAnn

      I think Elinore. Burns at Quilt in a Day has a very mathematically precise instruction on this topic. Check out her website. And don’t get paranoid about the math … she is very thorough, and one can pause the video, back it up, do some practice until it clicks.

  • Marilyn Larkin

    Until recently I would say…I so dislike pin basting, but it seems for me to be the most successful, especially if I stitch in the ditch within the the seams straight after, this means I can take the pins out and not stress about running them over. Now I have a new machine and the stress seams to have dissipated, I am not sure why, but it has something to do with the easier flow of the quilt through the machine, I am no longer pulling at it and getting it to feed through easily. Now all I need is confidence to try the motifs and designs. You have tried so times to help us Lori, I am learning doodling and practice is the key. So…. I am persevering with making charity quilts, doodling first and jumping straight in with my new found designs some are better than others, but I am no longer so critical, I am not making a competition quilt, I am making a quilt that will be used to comfort another. That is now my motivation, work for others and the pain becomes a pleasure, and who knows maybe I will get better with practice

  • I have no idea what’s holding me back right now. I have several quilts in different stages of progress, but I haven’t sat down to work on anything since before Christmas (when I finished a Christmas quilt). I just can’t get motivated. Granted, I have a lot to do; 4 dogs, 3 cats, a bird to care for, ‘playing’ in my greenhouse, working out, tending my collection of classic cars, but quilting has always been such a passion – so I don’t know why I’m not at it every day. I need a jumpstart!

  • Ljiljana

    I don’t want to cry on your shoulder – but you ladies do not know how spoiled you are for the choices that you have! I am Serbian quilter. Here very few ladies do this. Shops do not carry things that we need – no variety of nice fabrics (only single color or very large pattern bedding cotton), no proper batting, no special rulers, no fine or variety of threads, no extension tables for machine, no professional long arm quilters who could do job for you, no sprays and no special safety pins for basting, no water soluble marking or friction pens, no ‘Mary Ellen’s best press’, no applique glue stick or bottled fabric glue.. Many things can be bought via internet – but we need to pay transport fee and if they originate from outside Eu we get charged custom duties which generally doubles the cost of what we are buying. So, we baste with soft thread, we use painters tape for some marking, and practice on sandwiches made with old clothes and flannel in the middle (and save imported batting for real quilts)..We love making quilts and if we don’t finish them ourselves no one else will do it. While the recipients of our quilts don’t know if those could have been done better – we still strive to improve..So – imagine you are in Serbia and just do it!

    • Marilyn Larkin

      Wow, how I admire your courage and perseverance. We take so much for granted. I imagine your quilts are amazing because you are so determined and you are so creative with your resources. Never will I complain again, I can buy pins so pin basting is not so bad at all. I can renew the blades on my rotary cutter, and good scissors can always be sharpened, I will try so hard to remember all of this and more when I next feel discouraged. What an inspiration you are.

  • Bette

    Time is the biggest obstacle for me. Before I start to work on the actual quilt, I always need to sit down with a practice piece for a bit. So just working for 15 minutes here and there isn’t possible. I need a long block of time to get any quilting done. And like others, choosing a motif that I have confidence I can do is an obstacle.

  • Like most of you, my roadblocks are preparing the quilt sandwich and deciding on quilting motifs. Everyone has their own preference for preparing the sandwich; I prefer to baste with safety pins. When designing the quilting plan, I take a picture of the top and print it with the colors faded so I can doodle with a red pen, or you could use a sheet protector and dry erase markers. After watching a couple Angela Walters videos, I learned to identify what areas I wanted to highlight, then use the quilting design to make it stand out, quilting more heavily in the background. I use small practice sandwiches to try new motifs. I bought idea books by Lori Kennedy, Angela Walters and Amanda Murphy. Then I surf the web for even more ideas. The best way to practice is to make a simple baby quilt and just go for it (try this one: https://swimbikequilt.com/journal/2019/04/solitude-star-quilt-along-piecing-tips-i-wish-i-had-known.html). Sandy at sewhigh.blogspot.com

  • Eileen Thompson

    I love to piece quilt tops, don’t mind the basting and design process. What stops me is trying to quilt a bed size quilt on my domestic machine that only has a 7 inch throat. I do a lot of stitching in the ditch but can’t seem to do FMQ or ruler work on such a large quilt.

  • Cindy T

    I am thrilled that Doodle Lessons are resuming. As much as I hate to admit it, a small amount of practice on a regular basis does make a big difference in my quilting. Your designs are fun and look great on quilts so cannot wait!

  • Nancie Boyce

    Basting.

  • Karin Devore

    so for me what I would like to see if Lori would post either some pictures of full quilts she has done or a sample of lots of different styles of blocks. Seeing it on the actual quilt or blocks would help me.

  • Kathryn

    A couple of things hold me back. I can’t figure out what to quilt and when I do decide on something and try a sample I’m just not happy with my skill level. I’m not even happy with the way my doodles look! So I usually end up with straight line quilting with a walking foot just to get the project done. Also, I don’t like things quilted too densely and seems to be favored by most FMQers.

    • There is a certain beauty with straight lines crossing each other creating a grid on the quilt. When I first learned to quilt I was told, Start in the middle, quilt a line down the center. Quilt another line 2” from that. Continue in that way till you’ve done one half. Then turn the quilt 180 degrees and do the other half. Once that’s complete, turn it sideways and repeat the process.
      When you think of commercially quilted fabric, it’s all a grid of straight lines. There is no rule that you must create motifs or even meander. When it’s done, no one is going to say, Oh look, no motifs. Yet every straight lined, gridded quilt looks FINISHED!

  • Lynn from Alberta

    I find myself fustrated by not being able to figure out if the scale of a motif is doable on my machine…this is after hours choosing it. I doodle them and practise on little quit sandwiches. Then when I try them on a real quilt, i find my hands don’t have enough room to manoeuvre a bulky quilt in the harp space available , or that I can’t see the area I am working on well enough to align designs, corners etc. Despite all the hours I have spent practising, I still struggle to keep my stitch length even somewhat uniform. I can sort of manage up to double size quilts. Any bigger, I have been taking out to be done. Like others have said, the basting is also an issue( older home, smallish rooms, too much stuff in them, bad knees) Need I say more. The lady who does my longarming does offer to do just basting, if I want but I haven’t tried that service …yet, lol. Would love to know if people have had any luck with the fusible battings and how the quilts felt and wore when they were done.

    • Ljiljana

      I used fusible batting once for the table runner – I think it is more for bags or some stuff that needs to keep their form – it turned out to stiff and I didn’t like it and I still have leftover of that batting unused..

      • Lynn from Alberta

        Thank you for sharing. I wasn’t too happy about the idea anyway and your comments made me decide not to try this. Have you made your own Mary Ellen Best Press” ? There are several receipes on internet including one that uses vodka and water.

    • Adrienne Dold

      Google pool noodle or pipe insulation basting method. I use it on some portable, folding tables with safety pins and a Kwik Klip tool.. It works great for me and is not expensive to try.

  • Pat Crawford

    New to FMQ so it’s hard to feel confident. However I’m very active in Project Linus, so I’m practicing on charity quilts for kids.
    Recently I made a “ comfort” quilt for a friend and had a difficult time deciding how to get it through my machine. Found some great advice from Modern QuiltGuild online. (!Google how to quilt a large quilt.). Suggested dividing the quilt in quarters and maneuvering it when you quilt each quarter.
    I’m excited about the quilting and doing ok with the design, but my stitches are very inconsistent. I know practice will help.
    Pat

  • Linda Ahn

    Size! I have no problem machine quilting small wall hanging, table runners, placemats. It’s the full size quilts that really hold me back. To much bulk to put through my machine, it makes my shoulders and back hurt.

  • Terry

    I’ve finally gotten over my stitches. I am at the stage I am at this time, so my stitches can only get better. Quilting small sections and then joining them is getting easier also. My hold up is when I cannot see any motif when I look at my piece. I like the allover motifs so I get a good practice, but it doesn’t always work with the light and dark fabrics. So I am constantly trying to let my mind wonder around shapes when I go to sleep at night and hope that I’ll remember something when I wake up.

  • Evelyn

    I love to make the tops and do some machine quilting up to crib size. However, struggling with a larger quilt on my domestic machine is frustrating. I have put table beside my machine to help with the weight drag. it feels like the quilt is fighting me during the process and does not let me focus on the area under the needle.

  • Cheryl Filby

    I don’t have room to pin baste everything together, but what’s really holding me back is my lack of confidence in my ability- don’t want to ruin the quilt top, so I do nothing!

    • Adrienne Dold

      I called the local animal shelter and asked it they could use cage liners, and if so, what size. They said they would love to have any size, so I made practice sandwiches, quilted them, serged the edges, and gave them to the local animal shelter. They were delighted to have new cage liners. I have also stitched together my scraps, including fleece and flannel, quilted and serged the edges, and they were happy to have them.

  • Carol

    I too am overwhelmed by choosing a quilting pattern to finish and also worried I will make a mistake and ruin the pieces top. Then too the thread color choice confuses me. I did attempt to quilt one and then forgot that I had some piecing on the back side and when I was done it did not look so nice on the back pieces.

    • Adrienne Dold

      Check out some of Angela Walter’s video on Youtube. She just finished a challenge on motifs you can quilt depending on the block/piecing shape.

  • Like I told my kids, homework started is homework finished! I have found that I overthink things and procrastinate, BUT just start…..light a candle, turn on your favorite music and just start with where you are…don’t focus on the messy room etc. just start and that is what motivates me and by all means, turn off the electronics…it’s controlling our lives! Cheers to all of you and getting started 🙂 You can do it!!!

  • Colleen

    I recently realized that when I feel like I’ve lost my quilting mojo, it’s because there is something that I should be doing that I’m not doing. Because quilting is my pleasure, my subconscious tells me I “can’t” quilt. Once I figure out what it is that I’m avoiding, and force myself to do it, my joy in quilting returns!

    • There is a lot of wisdom here, Colleen!

  • Janette

    Deciding on motifs, have both your books. Need to practice more. My machine not in a proper table.
    The number of quilt tops l need to quilt . Lol When l have trouble deciding what to quilt l will start another top.

  • Cathryn Comfort

    Lori, Your blog AND your books have really helped me get over the hump and start machine quilting my small quilts on my Bernina 770QE. Thank you so so much for making machine quilting accessible!

  • It’s taken me a long time to acknowledge that the quilting is my least favorite part of the quilt making process. I’ve sent some large ones out to be quilted and breathed a huge sigh of relief. They were beautiful. But I can’t come to grips with paying to have a crib size quilted. The comments above help a great deal. Babies and friends are not going to examine or critique motifs or stitches. They are just happy to have a quilt to cuddle with. I’m glad you’re back to encourage and motivate and connect your readers for helpful ideas.

  • Catholic Bibliophagist

    What’s holding me back is the incredible mess in my sewing area. It’s so bad that I have to move stuff at every stage of quilt construction. And there’s no place to put stuff except on other work surfaces. So it’s like a merry-go-round. I’m continually moving stuff from the cutting table, to the sewing table, to the ironing board, to the longarm table and back again. I really need a major reorganization, but there’s no time as I am currently working on some deadline projects — which are majorly slowed down by this depressing mess.

  • Like many others, my hangup is selecting a motif. Once I get started things move along. I don’t like doing “sampler” quilts for this reason. I have make a decision for each block! I love feathers and like my results, but they don’t fit on every quilt.
    I’m working on using rulers, but it’s still what to put where that slows my progress.

  • Louise Wagner

    I want to learn the right type of threads to use for my quilting plus, I want to do your doodling so I can also learn the better way of learning the movements to quilt my own tops better. I do fmq now, but not with the beautiful patterns mostly just the meandering, which is fine, but ready for a change from that!! thanks for all you do to share with us your talents!

  • Joanie Mills

    I have the fear….total fear that I will ruin all the work that I did to make that quilt top, I cannot decide how to quilt my quilts …… I have a long arm, and when I practice, I am pleased with my practice pieces, but frozen in fear when I put that queen or king sized quilt on the machine, unable to decide what designs to use in quilting. I have become friends with my pal, “ripper” when I realize that i am not happy with a design….!

  • Mary Griffiths

    Ditto, to so many of the same issues. I have a machine that I can vary the speed, but find it hard to manoeuvre all the fabric. I keep thinking about QAYG, blocks, that would blend the quilting.
    I practiced many of the doodles, and stitched them on small sandwiches… but to move to a large heavy, quilt… that is my challenge.

    • Margaret

      Manipulating the large quilt on my sewing machine is the main reason I don’t like the quilting part of quilting!

  • Victoria Miner

    Like many of the others who have commented, deciding what to quilt where is my big hangup. I really want the quilting to compliment the piecing and find it extremely hard to get started for fear of wrecking my painstakingly pieced tops.

    • I too,struggle with a motif for quilting. I do try to practice with small sandwiches & have gotten better. I have a sit down long arm. Even though my quilting will never win a prize,I accept what I am capable of doing @ this particular time in my quilting journey. I welcome any tips you can give,Lori. Alot of my struggle is quilting a larger quilt,even on my sit down machine.

    • Cejai

      I like to finish before starting a new piecing art. To finish I stitch in the ditch with a walking foot. My sewing room is small and is a kitchen table with minimal floor space. can’t lay out to sandwich any project much bigger than crib / lap quilt. Age has blessed my dexterity To be not like it used to be, so I look to colors of piecing more than quilt designs. Find your joy in all you do, the slight imperfections are your art.

  • Louise

    Hi Lori: Viral bronchitis is holding me back right now! That’s why I have more time to spend reading and answering today😜 At least My brain is still in the quilt zone! L

    • Heidi Feist

      Just got over that it sucks! And ended up getting pleurisy because of all the coughing…which is why I’m not quilting…it hurts to move, breathe or cough 🙁
      Hope your bronchitis gets it butt kicked by your meds! And a speedy recovery!

    • Bet of luck for returned good health.

    • A

      I certainly understand! I’m only half recovered from a nasty bout of it myself!

  • Husband in ICU for 8 days.

  • Lorraine Doyno Evans

    Choosing the FMQing is my hangup. I know what I would like to do, but then I think that the design I have in mind will take 30 or 40 hours to do so I try to figure out a simplified design, which still usually takes 20 hours. When at all possible and I know it will look good and adaptable to the quilt top, my easiest “go to” is the Orange Peel. However, my current labels are FMQ handwritten messages in the corner or along the edge of the border.

Comments are closed.

Discover more from Lori Kennedy Quilts

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading