Quilter for years and not a whole lot to show for it

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04-09-2011, 09:47 AM

#11

MadQuilter

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Join Date: Mar 2009

Posts: 15,639

Maybe you are a process person. We appreciate the process of making something and revel in the planning, the prep work, the execution and it really isn't that importan (truth be told) that the project gets finished. It's very rewarding to finish something so I'd say keep on going. And YES, you are a quilter!

04-09-2011, 09:54 AM

#12

Mariposa

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Join Date: Jul 2010

Location: Eastern Washington

Posts: 29,595

We are crafty ladies! Being creative is a process, and has many phases. Please don't be hard on yourself--I have spent a fair amount of time doing as you! We are quilters, hear us roar!! Hugs~~

04-09-2011, 09:57 AM

#13

Becky Crafts

Super Member

Join Date: Sep 2010

Location: Florida

Posts: 1,560

I have medical probs that don't allow me to sit, stand or lay down for long periods so there are endless breaks when I work on a project. Most of mine have been lap quilts or baby quilts, but I've made quilted tote bags & even a table topper. Not much next to some others, but I definitely consider myself a quilter. Quilting is like a road trip adventure. It may take a while to get there, but the adventure is always worth the time! Go easy on yourself & enjoy the adventure!

04-09-2011, 09:59 AM

#14

roselady

Senior Member

Join Date: Dec 2008

Location: central California

Posts: 636

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flying_V_Goddess

Does it matter if you’ve been a quilter for years and don’t have a lot of finished projects to show for it? There are people on here who probably have dozens of projects completed and are always showing new stuff. I made my first quilt at the end of ‘06. So far I’ve only made three quilts (and one is not completely finished yet), a bunch of test blocks with horrendous fabric, and a few smaller projects. I certainly have enough ideas to get me going for a while, but it seems like I can never find the time to sit down and do them. Planning is easy because I can do that on paper or my laptop and I can take those anywhere. Getting it beyond that seems to be the hard part. And money is tight, too, so I can't always get things for projects. Like when I go into a quilt shop (which is not too often) I spend like $20 and I'm calculating every penny to make sure I don't go overboard. Some quilters have spent hundreds without much thought to it and have enough fabric to get all their projects done and then some.

I don't know...I'm just not feeling like much of a quilter right now.

I can really relate. I have been quilting much longer than you, about 25 years) and I have only "completed" probably 10 quilts, and several of those are wall hanging size. I have lots of UFO's. My husband and I retired 3 years ago, right before the economic crash, which had we known what was coming, we never would have. So, while working, I had the money, but not the time for quilting, now I have the time, but no money, very frustrating. I have never been able to spend hundreds of dollars at a time on quilting, so I often will buy fat quarters to get my "fix". The problem with that is usually even with a scrappy looking quilt, you still need at least one fabric of several yards worth, in each quilt, and I don't have those large cuts of fabric in my stash, and those are the ones that cost alot.

04-09-2011, 07:47 PM

#15

Flying_V_Goddess

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Thread Starter

Join Date: Mar 2007

Location: Wisconsin

Posts: 1,703

Quote:

Originally Posted by sewingbysusan

You seem like a VERY creative person, and of course you are a quilter! We all have our favorite part of the process and it sounds like yours might be the designing. Maybe you could focus on patterns and ideas for those of us who want to jump right in with the sewing!
Do you have a picture of your Slipknot quilt? I am new to the board an apologize if you have posted it before.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-87208-1.htm
I only posted a pic of the top. Currently the t-shirt part have been tied, but the quilting on sashing and borders, the binding, and putting on a hanging sleeve is still left to be done.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakotamaid

I only do 1-2 quilts a year for me, the rest of my quilts are for kids or other organizations. I'm slow and have too many other interests. :):)

Unfortunatly, that's more quilts than I make per year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadQuilter

I've become a process person, but that's not where I'd like to be. I would like to complete something. But I never seem to have the time to sew. Never have much time for anything productive. Heck, the last few days I've been marking my homemade seed tapes during breaks at work just to have a little extra time to work on them---I must look ridiculious with 15' worth of six inch wide strips of newspaper glued together and marking the seed spacings with the help of a piece of graph paper with holes marked in it.

04-10-2011, 05:45 AM

#16

quiltbuddy

Senior Member

Join Date: Sep 2010

Location: Vermont

Posts: 432

I sort of felt the same way. My problem was that it seemed like I never had time to think about what I wanted as far as fabric and color so I would procrastinate forever. I have found a few BOM quilt kits to do and since all decisions are made I work on them every time I have a few extra minutes. It really adds up to a complete project and gives me more confidence to make my own decisions faster. The BOM are also financially friendly since you don't waste money on fabric you never use.

04-10-2011, 06:00 AM

#17

CarrieAnne

Power Poster

Join Date: Apr 2010

Location: Whitewater, WI

Posts: 24,528

LOL, I have been a quilter for years too, and I STILL do just simple quilts, and get intimidated by so many patterns....
Most of my quilts are gifts or for charity....I KNOW they arent perfect, but hey, if ya make it with LOVE, it turns out pretty nice, right?!
You are a wonderful quilter, and just do what makes you happy!