several questions

In article ,
Jacqueline wrote:
Again, I would like to thank all of you for personally taking time out
from your day and every day duties to answer my questions. I have a
lot to digest and as soon as I find out what days I will be going to
PT I will start to sew. I am just too excited about this and I know
one day I will have a quilt to show for this excitement. When I start
it I will probably post pictures daily so you all can critique me on
what I am doing right and wrong. I want it to work out right.

Just do it. No matter how hard you try, you'll never make a perfect
quilt, and your first quilt is going to be a lot less perfect than your
subsequent efforts. Aim to make it a learning effort. I aim to make
each quilt a learning effort. Make a small quilt, crib-size or
lap-size, don't spend a lot on fabrics, choose a simple design and if
you don't like it when you're finished, donate it to a women's shelter,
nursing home or other recipient who will not criticize you for any
flaws, or even notice them!

Many people have a tendency to get frozen about trying new things.
They will spend a lot of effort accumulating supplies and equipment,
thinking about it, worrying if they're doing the right things, unable
to start, afraid to make a mistake. Most people have a streak of this,
and have to learn to overcome it. It boils down to fear of failure,
and setting your standards too high. You can't be good at anything
without going through a stage of fumbling beginner. Expect to make
mistakes so don't sweat it when you do. Mistakes teach you what not to
do next time. Don't be too critical of flaws. Even the real experts
make quilts with imperfections. As you gain experience, the flaws will
be less frequent and less obvious. Besides, perfection is for
machines. Why aspire to imitate a machine? It's the little (or not so
little) irregularities that show the quilt is a unique handmade object,
not something from a factory.

You should be able to put a small quilt with e.g. 4-6" square patches
together in a few hours, and machine-quilt it in a simple straight line
design in another few hours. You'll have gotten a big start on all the
basic skills of quilt making and be ready to try something more complex
for your next effort, or to make a better version of the same quilt
with less time and effort and stress. You'll have something to show
for your efforts, to keep or give away, and you'll be much more
confident for the next quilt.

Note that a lap quilt for a person in a wheelchair should be no larger
than 36" x 45" to avoid getting entangled with the wheels. You can put
something like this together from large squares quickly, and it will be
greatly appreciated by someone in a nursing home. Ditto, a child's
quilt maybe 45" square will be a wonderful morale-booster for a woman
and child in a shelter for the abused or homeless. In either case, use
strong washable fabrics and polyester batting, which is the best and
easiest for simple and minimal machine quilting anyway, and withstands
frequent washing well. (I usually use strong or dark colors and
patterned rather than solid fabrics for these quilts, avoiding whites
and pastels, so dirt won't show as readily. It's embarrassing for a
disabled person to spill things and it really helps if stains don't
show!)

For pattern ideas, I recommend www.quiltville.com. Try Streak of
Sunshine, a quick, attractive and easy pattern, with detailed
illustrated instructions, ideal for a beginner. Bonnie, the author of
these pages, has an incredible store of wonderful ideas at all levels
of difficulty, but many super-easy designs that look much more
complicated to the non-quilter's eye than they are to make. It's all
free, and her friendly and funny style is very encouraging for the
beginner.

So relax and have fun. Remember that those prize-winning quilts on web
pages were made by people who started out as inexperienced as you are,
and developed their skills over many years and many projects. If you
could make a prize-winning quilt first time around, those quilts
wouldn't be very impressive, would they? And you don't have to aim for
a world-class quilt. Just aim to enjoy yourself, learn, and share your
quilts with others who will be as amazed at your early efforts as you
are at the show quilts.

42 ... answer for each question is 42.

PAT

Jacqueline wrote:

I have a few questions I would like to ask, I hope someone will
answer me

LOLOL! ......... shame on you, Pat.

Karen, Queen of Squishies


42 ... answer for each question is 42.

PAT

One day remind me to tell you about what I went through to
get a bottle of '42 Port for a friend's 42nd birthday
ROFL

--
--

Cheryl & the Cats
_ o _ o 0 0
( Y ) ( Y ) ( Y )
~ ~ U
Enness Boofhead Donut
Starting to wake from hibernation!
http://community.webshots.com/user/witchofthewest
catsatararatATyahooDOTcomDOTau

"Pat in Virginia" wrote in message
news:fWnFg.14395$yO4.13035@dukeread02...
: 42 ... answer for each question is 42.
:
: PAT
:
: Jacqueline wrote:
:
: I have a few questions I would like to ask, I hope
someone will
: answer me

Oh Pat, indeed 42 is the answer! Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long
for the answer. lol

--
Carole
Champlain, NY

http://photos.yahoo.com/ceridwen_rhea



"Pat in Virginia" wrote in message
news:fWnFg.14395$yO4.13035@dukeread02...
42 ... answer for each question is 42.

PAT

Jacqueline wrote:

I have a few questions I would like to ask, I hope someone will
answer me

Karen, she only said that to me because she knew I didn't have any
chocolate.

Jacqueline

On Fri, 18 Aug 2006 19:28:15 GMT, "Karen, Queen of Squishies"
RisingStars @ KarenTucker.com wrote:

LOLOL! ......... shame on you, Pat.

Karen, Queen of Squishies


42 ... answer for each question is 42.

PAT


Jacqueline
http://www.mountain-breeze.com
Recipes and other fun things