Sew What’s Up Presents
The Sew What’s New Archive
This archived content is from Mary Wilkins’ sewing and
quilting message board “Sew What’s New,” which was
retired in August 2007. It is being provided by
“Sew What’s Up,”
which serves as the new home for many members of “Sew What’s New.”
From: Julia's Nana
Date: 06-02-2005, 11:37 AM (1 of 11)
|
When do you stop being a beginner at quilting? What is the skill that you need to master to move on? In some ways I feel like I will always be a beginner because there is so much to learn and so many skills to work on. Then I think about how much I have learned since I started and think somewhere I must have advanced some. I have noticed in the last six months or so, several things have gotten much easier. I can look at a block and tell what the components are...............my points are much better and things are lining up better...........then boom, I will try something and nothing is where it should be and out comes the seam ripper again and again. What do you think makes a intermediate quilter? My favorite quilting magazine rates the quilts as one thimble or two thimbles or three thimbles. I understand when one is rated three as they are very complicated but some of the two thimble ones look really easy. Norma |
User: Julia's Nana
Member since: 08-28-2001 Total posts: 361 |
From: carman
Date: 06-02-2005, 11:56 AM (2 of 11)
here is my spin it, i am intermediate when it comes to piecing, i am a novice when it come to hand applique, i have no patients for it and i am slowly learning, very slowly, i do very little of it so i don't get much practice. i think you can call yourself intermediate or advanced when you can follow patterns and blocks are the correct size and points are there, even after they are sewn together, sometimes they are there but not the 1/4 inch so after they are sewn the points are gone, that has happened to me before and i am sure it will in the future  ones pickyness increases as you get better as well. one more thing i find i am much more relaxed when i am sewing blocks than when i was a beginner. can't wait to see what others say. |
User: carman
Member since: 04-17-2000 Total posts: 692 
|
From: chris b
Date: 06-02-2005, 12:45 PM (3 of 11)
I've been quilting close to 10 years now and I still feel like a beginner each time I start a new quilt,unless I've used the pattern before.  IMHO,once squares and rectangles get to be easy,you are an intermediate quilter.I would think you qualify as an expert when points become easy and perfect each time.Though I'm sure even the experts still give their seam ripper a workout every now and then. 
Pfaff 2170,Pfaff 7570,Elna 945
Singer 301A,Singer Redeye,Singer 15 HC Simplicity 2/3/4 Pfaff Creative 3-D digitizing,3-D Fabric Decorator Pfaff PCDMac2.2 StitchBunnyPro,FlutterWhumper Embird,Studio,cross stitch, EQ5....and adding all the time! |
User: chris b
Member since: 01-10-2001 Total posts: 109 |
From: carman
Date: 06-02-2005, 01:14 PM (4 of 11)
EVERYONE  uses their seam rippers, experts, designers, pro's whom ever, if they say they don't, well, i would have a hard time believing that one 
|
User: carman
Member since: 04-17-2000 Total posts: 692
|
From: Jeke
Date: 06-03-2005, 05:21 PM (5 of 11)
|
When I was at the quilting store yesterday the lady who helped me was using a seam ripper. She called a re-stitcher! Thought that it sounded better. Jeke Jay
|
User: Jeke
Member since: 11-10-2004 Total posts: 232 |
From: Julia's Nana
Date: 06-03-2005, 05:39 PM (6 of 11)
| I use my "restitcher" a lot...........in fact so much that I have several scattered all over the room so there is always one handy. |
User: Julia's Nana
Member since: 08-28-2001 Total posts: 361 |
From: Bama
Date: 06-09-2005, 07:55 PM (7 of 11)
|
Norma, hmmm, I've never thought about that one before. My seams and points are not perfect but I no longer think of myself as a beginner quilter. Maybe intermediate. Probably because I've been making quilts for so long now. I can look at some quilts and see tiny mistakes now that I wouldn't have noticed years ago. Well, not mistakes, but imperfections. Not that they matter that much to me. I just know more about quilts now. When I really screw up I get out the "re-stitcher". I couldn't sew for long without it. Especially with garment sewing. Ever put a sleeve on backwards before?? 
|
User: Bama
Member since: 03-21-2000 Total posts: 2116 
|
From: patti2
Date: 06-15-2005, 07:27 PM (8 of 11)
| I also have several "restitchers". I painstakingly matched the pattern on a pair of pants only to have to use my restitcher when one leg was sewn on perfectly inside out! I could have started a new fashion... |
User: patti2
Member since: 05-28-2005 Total posts: 78 |
From: CodyGramma
Date: 06-24-2005, 06:56 AM (9 of 11)
| I've been making quilts since 1975 (not steadily...there was the child raising, and many jobs in-between) but since I've been unemployed (1997) have made many projects and I consider myself advanced due to the fact that I no longer pick the "easy" projects but go for something with more design, points, corners, etc. I STILL haven't mastered hand quilting either!! LOL I tie my larger quilts and machine quilt my smaller projects, crib quilts, wallhangings, tablerunners, etc. So I guess I would say I am a beginning "quilter" an advanced "piecer" but I am definitely an expert "re-stitcher"!! |
User: CodyGramma
Member since: 04-22-2005 Total posts: 133 
|
From: MaryW
Date: 06-24-2005, 08:00 AM (10 of 11)
Me too, I am definitely an advanced "re-stitcher". 
MaryW
owner/editor of Sew Whats New |
User: MaryW
Member since: 06-23-2005 Total posts: 2542 
|
From: Kabu
Date: 06-24-2005, 09:52 AM (11 of 11)
|
I've only been quilting for about 5 years, but I think I'll always consider myself a novice. There's so much to try and so little time to master it all. I'm hoping to have more time for such things when the kids are older. *fingers crossed* I love to hand quilt, but I have yet to really learn machine quilting. Plus it's been almost a year and a half since I hand quilted something, so I'm sure I'm rusty in that department now. |
User: Kabu
Member since: 06-23-2005 Total posts: 5 
|
Visit Sew What’s Up for the latest sewing and quilting tips and discussions.
This page was originally located on Sew What’s New (www.sew-whats-new.com) at http://www.sew-whats-new.com/vb/archive/index.php/t-16137.html
Sew What’s Up is hosted by ZenSoft