Friday, November 9, 2012

The Learning Curve

Any time you are learning a new skill, know that there are people who do it better and can show you how.  There are things that we can teach ourselves but if you are on a time line, there's no better way than to get lessons with a competent teacher.  Here is the proof.  

My first attempt at free motion quilting on my own.


After a 7 hours of instruction.







Here is what is great about this, I can now finish 2 quilt tops in my stash and get those projects in use.  I can finally work on a quilt project that I bought the fabric for 12 years ago, I can finally make a cover for my headboard in whatever color or design I want, and I can finally forge ahead with that quilted suede skirt I've wanted to add to my wardrobe.

Find a great teacher, pay them for their time, and it will pay you back 10 fold.

Oh and this is the machine I used, so you really don't have to go crazy spending money on a specialized machine to start learning the techiniques.



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6 comments:

Corrine said...

I am so impressed! Your control is really good. Can't wait to see the end product.

Rebecca said...

Your samples look great! What kind of sewing machine are you using? I gave up on quilting because mine looked so bad. I don't want to have to pay for someone to quilt my projects, but I'd pay someone to teach me!

ELMO said...

Thanks Corrine!! I can't wait either, I'm wondering how much longer to practice before jumping in already.

Hi Rebecca,
I was using a Singer 500 Rocketeer, but it gave me a lot of trouble during the class, otherwise I would have gotten more done. You don't need an expensive machine to do this kind of work, you need to be able to lower your feed dogs, and have a darning foot.

The course was through Sue Nickels at a quilt show. I never thought I'd be able to achieve results like this.

The Slapdash Sewist said...

What a great piece of advice! I am a stubborn "I can do it myself!" toddler sometimes, but asking someone for help has never not paid off.

ELMO said...

Me too!! And what's worse than "teaching yourself" a technique and then having to forget to relearn a technique.

sheila said...

I am just gobsmacked at how beautiful the sewing table and stool are. I would give these house roomin aheart beat!