DonnaQuilts

Make up some poholders and try free motion. Don't be afraid, just play. If they aren't fantastic, at least they are useful. This will give you practice using the FM technique and getting used to the machine. Sometimes new machines are daunting on their own. If you can, get instruction with the use of your machine, if not, have a friend come and show you or at least lend moral support. Friends from a quilting guild are helpful. My daughter lives a long way from me and is trying to learn to sew/quilt at the same time. She is a real chicken and I have to sometimes talk her down out of the trees when she freaks out about things. Nothing is going to kill you if you don't chew on the sewing machine cord that is.
You are your own worst enemy at this point. Don't have analysis paralysis, just get on in there and sew. Things will look better after you have a project under your belt. The only one to give up on you is you.

WisWis

I know how you feel-sometimes I feel as though I'm making mistakes the whole time, but I take a break and then go back to it.
Good Luck.

Natalie17

That is why I am just finishing UFO"S ! Take a few steps or days away from the pattern Have someone else read and explain it to you. We all have had times like these. Stick with it !

JackieG

Feeling discouraged I think is normal. Especially if you are new to quilting. Don't give up. You might try completing a baby blanket or a wall hanging (something small) and donating it to a worthy cause. Knowing your contribution (no matter how small) will cheer someone up, bring a smile to those who see it, or just showing simple appreciation will make you feel a lot better and you will feel blessed.

Maybe1day

I will weight in here and pass comment because I too have been feeling discouraged quilting wise recently. Have stopped buying magazines and most patterns because Over the past couple of years I have found that the patterns in them are often flawed. I don't know if this is due to poor proof reading/editing or poor instruction writing initially, only that parts of the pattern are either missing or do not follow through making them difficult to understand at times. More than once I have been following a pattern and will come across something, then as I am doing it will think - this doesn't seem right but that is what the pattern instructions say to do so will follow the instructions only to have to take the piece out eventually and rework it. You would think that I would have learn't my lesson after the first two or three times this happened but no! took several more times more before I decided I 'd had enough. This and deteriorating health is causing me to feel less than inspired these days. I've decided to take a step back and while I will still quilt I will not be doing anything large once I finish this quilt for my son that I started a year ago, (thank goodness it is nearly finished) I'll spend more time doing other things. In taking a break, hopefully I will discover some of the old spark again.

nanquilt

Everyone gets that feeling at times. Just pick up a good quilting magazine and read through it or take a walk. Do whatever you usually do to get in a good mood. Then when you come back to your quilting area things will be different.

par4theday

Reading and understanding directions can be frustrating. Maybe you could find a quilting buddy, or quilt with someone, that could help you with this. Also, there are a lot of U-Tube tutorials on line that you could look up like flying geese, or the nine patch, or the 4 patch, or half square triangles, or whatever your directions is trying to tell you. As you learn all these different methods, it does get easier. Spend some time looking at these tutorials, and it will get easier. I don't follow directions very well I learn better if I see it done. Also some directions are hard to follow. I do study directions until I understand and I have miss cut lots of times only to find out I cut it wrong again. Do spend time with the directions until you can see it in your mind before you start cutting.

Termi

I don't know if you're a newbie like me or not but I was having the hardest time trying to get flying geese to come out right. I followed the directions to a T. It seemed a simple enough thing to do. It wasn't until I asked a question on this board that I found out a trick to doing it. patterns don't tell you everything.

smcfadden

Yes! I'm making a Ricky Tims design for a friend's little girl. Guess what,? Something's wrong and I can't seem to figure it out. I'm going to try one more thing and if that doesn't work, I'm going to get out my rotary cutter and cut off the mismatched pieces and work around it. I really want to get this thing finished so I can go on to other projects!

CAS49OR

Wear support stockings often, and put your ironing board across the room so you have to get up to press the seams.