{"id":41505,"date":"2016-11-26T03:00:16","date_gmt":"2016-11-26T09:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nancyzieman.com\/blog\/?p=41505"},"modified":"2016-11-26T03:00:16","modified_gmt":"2016-11-26T09:00:16","slug":"what-quilting-or-sewing-step-is-the-most-frustrating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nancyzieman.com\/blog\/quilting-2\/what-quilting-or-sewing-step-is-the-most-frustrating\/","title":{"rendered":"What Quilting or Sewing Step is the Most Frustrating?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"What quilting\/sewing step is the most frustrating?\u00a0<\/em>That’s the question I posed earlier this month, via this blog,\u00a0 Facebook<\/a>,<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Pinterest<\/a><\/strong>. From tedious tasks to complicated steps, there are quite a few areas that can be frustrating. Enjoy the selected responses, plus a spotlight on one of my followers.<\/p>\n

Below, be sure to check out December’s <\/a><\/span>Share Your Insight<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span> question and if you’d like, submit a response. Enjoy!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>What quilting\/sewing step is the most frustrating?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Note from Nancy:<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I must admit, I was hesitant to ask this question of the month. My goal is to take the possible frustration out of this hobby. Yet, no matter what the hobby, there is generally a step or two that’s not as enjoyable as the others. My suggestion to you is to sew with a buddy, or have your sewing buddy help you and you help them. That’s the best way to make sewing and quilting a totally relaxing process.<\/p>\n

\"November<\/a>
\nCutting!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“I think the most frustrating for me is cutting out a pattern\/or fabric for a quilt because I just want to sew… I listen to stories on CD from the library while I sew but can’t start until I have all the prep work done. I like the peacefulness of the actual sewing process.”\u2014Cindy Szoke, Brantford, Ontario Canada<\/p>\n

“Cutting, because if it isn’t cut right, it won’t fit right. \u00a0The second most frustrating is scant quarter<\/em>.\u00a0Why not just quarter? I have a line for that; the scant is a guessing game.”\u2014Mary Hintzman, Kensington, MN<\/p>\n

“The most frustrating to me is the chore of cutting out dress and blouse pattern pieces from slippery fabrics, such as rayon. No matter what steps I take, it always seems to be a fight to keep the fabric from escaping the pattern piece and my scissors. Just when I think I’ve got the fabric placed straight on the table, I swear it slides on its own!”\u2014Virginia Hill, Rhineland, MO<\/p>\n

“I love to piece my quilts, but I am not fond of cutting out all the pieces that are needed to do it.”\u2014Jackie Gehrke, Jefferson, WI<\/p>\n

“Cutting is the absolute most frustrating. \u00a0It has to be so perfect to make everything else work good.”\u2014Susan Watson, Cedar Park, TX<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Closures!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong>“I\u2019ve had zipper-phobia since seventh grade sewing class. Then there are the buttonholes! \u00a0For sewing, these are my most frustrating steps.”\u2014Beverly Smith, Charlotte, NC<\/p>\n

“The most frustrating step for me is the zipper. \u00a0No matter how I put them in, one side always seems to be narrower than the other one. \u00a0I can never get them to be even.”\u2014Clovis Perkins, East Chicago, IN<\/p>\n

\"November<\/a>Pressing!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong>“For me it’s pressing in the right direction so seams will nest. Sometimes it doesn’t really matter\u2014but when it’s important to keep bulk to a minimum,\u00a0like the center of a Lemoyne Star\u2014I struggle with figuring it out. When I goof, I end up re-pressing.”\u2014Jean, Riverview, FL<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Binding!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“My most frustrating quilting step is attaching the two ends of binding together when finishing a quilt. I always have to look at a few videos before I feel confident in binding the quilt correctly. \u00a0Thank goodness for the technology that allows it.”\u2014Thunder Kaplan, Wildwood, FL<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Uncertainty<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“The most frustrating sewing step for me is just before I start. I’m always wondering if I’m making the right thing with that particular fabric, and I may hesitate for days before committing the rotary cutter to the fabric!”\u2014Cecilia Nilsson, Rijnsburg, Netherlands<\/p>\n

November’s Reader Spotlight:<\/span><\/h3>\n

Elia is our featured reader. Although we all have sewing technique frustrations, Elia’s answer tackles an area of sewing\/quilting construction that is not typically addressed. Many of us modify sewing or quilting patterns to suit our own style and design aesthetics.<\/p>\n

Elia’s Answer<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

“Hands down, the most frustrating sewing step is calculating how much fabric I need when I’ve altered a pattern or designed my own. It’s not rocket science but there are times that it feels like a very close second.\u00a0“\u2014 Elia, Martinez, GA<\/p>\n

\n
How long have you been quilting?\u00a0<\/strong>While I’ve been sewing since fourth grade, I’ve only been quilting for three years.\u00a0 I began by taking a class at a local quilt shop and it has been non-stop ever since.<\/div>\n
What types of quilts do you enjoy making?\u00a0<\/strong>My love and interest has been art quilts right from the start, but it seems I’ve made more pieced quilts, maybe because those go together faster.<\/div>\n
Do you have any advice for readers who are also interested in altering quilt patterns? <\/strong>\u00a0The first time I attempted to design anything I was making a T-shirt quilt, using the grid method with strips and T-shirt cuts of all sizes.\u00a0 It was my third quilt. The “aha” moment occurred when I was piecing things together; I found a way that was more systematic.<\/div>\n
Maybe it was seeing it laid out on paper that brought the concept home. Before I was just reading directions, cutting, and sewing pieces of fabric together but not realizing how it all came together. It was in this quilt that I was able to add my own flair by dropping in little pieces of embroidered fun sayings to personalize the quilt, and I could cut the fabric into different shapes and sizes instead of just a standard square or strip.<\/div>\n
Share your most rewarding design or re-design experience.<\/strong>\u00a0Many years ago I came across a book about weaving fabrics together to make an interesting background on which spectacular scenes were placed.\u00a0 I put it in the “some day” pile until I decided that the time had come to give it a whirl.<\/div>\n
I thought it would be really interesting to make the background in shades of blue laid out to look like the ocean was getting deeper toward the edge of the design. I wanted to place a mermaid up close and a treasure chest in the deep distance.\u00a0 I used two very large log cabin squares\u2014one made with multiple light blues and the other made with multiple dark blues\u2014increasing in intensity toward the smaller square.\u00a0Then, I cut those blocks into wavy strips with one going horizontally and one going vertically and wove them together. This created the ocean and movement. Since I had never done this before, was new to quilting, and had no help at all except for the book with the original pattern and design, I ran into multiple issues\u2014a year later it was finally finished.<\/div>\n
I revised my own re-design of the quilt, but what I ended up with was just as pleasing as the original idea.\u00a0 The\u00a0Thursday\u00a0night quilt group was cheering me on all the way, which really kept the wind in my sails. The technique is so different that I haven’t seen it anyplace outside of the book and that just makes it all the more special.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

December\u00a0S<\/em><\/span>hare Your Insight<\/em> Question<\/span><\/h3>\n

December Question:\u00a0What charity do you sew with\/for?<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"November<\/a><\/p>\n

Submit your answer by December 15<\/strong>, using the form below, to be considered for our December Reader Spotlight.<\/p>\n