Focusing

[Margo C.]

I'm new to quilting only because I have given up so many times in the past. I find that I have an idea of what I want to do and when something goes wrong, I change the idea and concept. After working on it for awhile I soon realize I don't like the new concept and get flustered and quit. I am now trying again and I can feel I am losing my focus on the big picture. My question is how do you keep your ideas alive. How can I keep myself from going in all directions. I can feel the creativity flowing through my head but I can't seem to stop it long enough to complete something. Margie

[Marion D.]

there are so many things to say, but I find I really don't know where to start. So find someone experienced to sew with, a class at a local shop, a guild. they'll help you fix the things that go wrong.

you don't say what kind of quilts you are trying to make: traditional, contemporary or art? that would help.

[Marion D.]

When I studied art when I was young I despised the sketchbook exercises we were assigned each week and was only interested in freely following my creative instinct. I was nearly 50 years old when I began quilting. After my first modest project, a nine patch cradle quilt by hand, I decided that I was only going to be successful at projects freely following my creative instincts if I first chose a series of projects specifically in order to learn the skills and processes I need to know to produce the quality pieces I aspire to create. So I choose a skill I want to learn, I read and research the process on this site and by reading books and visiting websites by those I admire for that type of skill, and choose a project I can produce while I perfect that skill. I add that technique to my tool belt, as Alex and Ricky say, and move on to another technique. The projects from this process are generally gifts for someone in my family so I'm also accomplishing something toward my Christmas or birthday giving list. Meanwhile, I keep jotting down and sketching ideas for some of the totally fun and freely creative things I hope to begin to create in a year or so. I've been at this for about five years now. I look at it sort of like going to art school again but now I create my own curriculum. Ultimately I would love to create art quilts similar to David Taylor and Esterita Austin. I've also learned to love some of the more traditional blocks but I'd like to put a little of my own spin on them. Good luck with your journey, I hope you find as much fulfillment in it as I have so far!

[Marion D.]

I have decided that for some of my projects the goal was to "learn" a technique or try out a new idea. The goal is then learning and experimenting. Finishing the project was not the goal. This realization has allowed me to let go of UFOs guilt free. Having them hanging over my head often weighed so heavily that my creative juices dried up. I just did a major clean out of my studio and donated many "learning processes" to my guild's boutique committe. Half to three quarters of the work is done. Some one else in the guild will find the enthusiam to finish the project. We all win.
You may find it helpful to work smaller at first. You can achive completion sooner. As you get more comfortable with a technique you can enlarge your vision. The most important thing is to keep at it. Come here for help, encouragement, advice and sympathy if necessary. Remember most anything you are going thru as a quilter, one are more of us here on the TQS network have been there too. Keep on Keepin' on. Betty Ann

[Rita C.]

Hi Margie, I know how you feel and I am sure everybody else who quilts does too. I hope it is not too presumptuous of me to say that I think that SpiritsFold is right when suggesting that you might need to get a few more techniques into the tool-belt before you try to create your own unique work. I know that for me the biggest learning curve was doing the BOM 2011 because I learned so many new techniques that I had not done before. I have learned so much from just watching the different shows on TQS. For example, I was blown away by Gloria Loughman's work in programme 612 because I love the idea of doing art quilts someday. And she shows us the techniques she uses to create her quilts. Yvonne Purcella's work is equally inspiring and I have used her funny portrait ideas since to create amusing portraits of my family. Every single show has something new to offer or a new spin on old ideas. I only joined TQS in March 2011 and I was just like you then. It is hard to be patient and give time to learning the techniques but my suggestion is that you give it that time and you will be rewarded many times over.

Don't give up this time - stick at it and you will be rewarded eventually. Great works of art don't happen overnight they take years of practice and dedication.

Good luck, Rita.

[Rita C.]

I agree with Rita. The only thing I would add is to look at what you are trying to do and see exactly where you keep getting side-tracked. Is it because it is too hard, is it because it is not turning out like you thought, or maybe because something is missing. Sometimes you just have to put it aside until what it needs becomes obvious to you. Ask questions when you are stuck--there are lots of really intelligent quilts on this site who can give you really detailed help.

[Dawn S.]

Most of us have many projects that we are working on. I totally agree with BettyAnn on learning a technique, and then if I don't care to finish the project, then just let it go! If I still like it, but have temporarily lost interest, I set it aside and start another project. When you return to the first project you will have renewed interest in it, and it is already partly done. So, finishing it comes quicker. Don't feel like a failure if you put one, two, three, or even 4 projects aside. You will be surprised how many of us make a New Year's resolution to finish some of our UFOs. We all have them!

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

[Rita C.]

And if it's any consolation my very first quilt took me 10 years to complete. Mainly the problem was that I started on a king-size quilt (bad idea but how many of us did that?), each block was appliqued and there were supposed to be 25 blocks. Once I began I realized that I had started something I really didn't know how to finish. I cut out all my applique pieces for all the blocks before I even began to sew - completely overwhelming! So, ten years later I had learned a little more about doing this patchwork and quilting and was able to eventually complete the quilt. Instead of 25 blocks I reduced it to 16 which was much more manageable. It is not my finest work but it was quite an achievement to get it finished. Rita.

[Betty J.]

You're not alone. What I find best about your question is that you feel the flow of creativity already, so you are trying to harness that. I agree with what the other commenters have suggested, and I also encourage you to try making some small quilt projects until you get the techniques down. Quilted bags, table runners, table toppers, place mats, wall hangings, local dog rescuers small quilts for the dogs, baby quilts for Linus, even pot holders and just plain small journal quilts that have the entire purpose of trying a new or improving an old technique. I find sometimes I just have to keep on keeping on working on a project until I finish it, and surprise myself with a fairly nice quilt--or surprise some dog or cat or doll with a fairly odd quilt. But if it gets too frustrating, I will lay it aside and work on something else for a while or even stop it altogether and do something else.

[Betty J.]

--there are lots of really intelligent quilts on this site who can give you really detailed help.

Some of the quilters are quite bright as well :lol:

[Jill B.]

I don’t just have one quilt project at a time I have many, that way if I get tired of working on one for what ever the reason I just go and work on another one, then if/when I have problems or tired of working on that one I move onto another one....again and again and again, this way I find it helps me keep my interest up overall......hope I am making sense......and I know that most of us quilters have a number of projects going at any time. I have different size projects also, as suggested I may have a large quilt, carry bags, table runners, placemats, cot quilt etc etc etc......so if I am really having a hard time continuing I just move onto a small easy project and settle on that and work away merrily. At the moment I have about 12 different projects I am working on at all different stages.

Welcome to the world of quilting and I do hope you find the help you need on this site especially on the forum, we have all been a beginner, so don’t feel alone, not one of us are born a patchworking/quilting expert, so also don’t be to hard on yourself either.

Just thought you may get a bit of a laugh out of this, I had sewn most of my life, you know the kids outfits and dresses for yourself etc etc but over time and with what you can buy these days in the shops ready made had stopped many years ago, well when I retired about five years ago I looked around for a hobby and first thought no I would find something else other than sewing as a hobby, well I looked and looked and kept coming back to "sewing", but I did not want to make clothing at all, then I found patchworking/quilting, well one day I went to a patchwork shop and started one of those sew as you go mornings, the lady in charge was showing me how to make this table runner and I had to make 1/2 square triangles, well she gave me this long clear plastic thingy and just said "mark on the fabric" well I sat there holding this clear plastic thingy and did not know what to do with it, so I started to try and draw triangles with this thingy starting from the top corner and working across, as you can imagine it was not in the least accurate, well after a little while the other ladies noticed what I was doing and grabbed my hand and whispered no no no that’s not what you do, you use this template and then use the 1/4" ruler (is that what it was) to mark your 1/4" sewing line to sew on......oh dear......what a dill I was........anyway the lady in charge saw us all whispering and came over to see what was going on and did I get into trouble (she was not a nice lady at all and quite nasty I thought, obviously so did the others as they all whispering).........well that was my introduction to patchworking.........needless to say I never went back to a shop for over a year and ended up joining TQS and have learnt so much, as I have been watching the shows and reading about teachers on this site so I have since changed by attitude to teachers and can say I have not come across another one like this lady was, what I have learnt from this experience is that if you are interested in and have a love for something like quilting then don’t let anything or anyone take the joy out of it for you, just soldier on at your own pace and at a working level that you are happy with and knowing you will grow with it. Five years ago I would never have thought that I could have sewn last years TQS BOM let alone this years TQS BOM.....so I have come so farrrrrrr........well you will have to mark in your diary for five years ahead to come back to this page and read your words again and tell us the quilting difference in your life.

[Jill B.]

--there are lots of really intelligent quilts on this site who can give you really detailed help.

Some of the quilters are quite bright as well :lol:

LOL!!! Thanks for the heads up. I guess this quilter is not intelligent; do you think maybe my quilts are? ops:

[Jill B.]

--there are lots of really intelligent quilts on this site who can give you really detailed help.

Some of the quilters are quite bright as well :lol:

LOL!!! Thanks for the heads up. I guess this quilter is not intelligent; do you think maybe my quilts are? ops:

Definitely! :wink: and I am sure some of it rubs off onto you too 8) :lol:

[Kathryn S.]

I'm new to quilting only because I have given up so many times in the past. I find that I have an idea of what I want to do and when something goes wrong, I change the idea and concept. After working on it for awhile I soon realize I don't like the new concept and get flustered and quit. I am now trying again and I can feel I am losing my focus on the big picture. My question is how do you keep your ideas alive. How can I keep myself from going in all directions. I can feel the creativity flowing through my head but I can't seem to stop it long enough to complete something. Margie

Margie, I was re-reading your post and caught the idea that you're feeling "flustered", as you put it. As you've noticed, a lot of us have lots of projects going on at once, not all of them that we want to finish :shock: . When I was a new quilter, I sometimes felt overwhelmed about how much I had to learn or how much work this was going to be, or didn't like what the project was looking like. Guess what, I feel that way now at times too. It's part of the creative process, I think. You're in good company with the rest of us. Do you have a group of quilt friends that you can get together with in your life? That helps me immensely. We encourage each other and support each other- even though we have different styles and ways to do things.
Kathy

[phyllis f.]

I would like to thank all you for the words of wisdom . I get overwhelmed and a little to hard on my self thank you