Beginner's mistakes

I am very new to sewing in general but especially sewing. I thought I would share some mistakes I made and learned from. Feel free to laugh because I did.

I saw Jenny's video on the Jelly Roll Race quilt and fell in love. I thought to myself you can do this. I have watched just about every one of her videos now and have a million projects I want to do. Before last night I had never sewn on a sewing machine, I just bought my first one :) I set it up and was practicing on some scrap pieces of fabric but the machine wasn't pulling the fabric and I felt like I had no control over it. Then I realized the foot was still up, such a silly beginners mistake.

Since I fell in love with the Jelly Roll Race quilt thats the one I wanted to make first, but I wanted to practice one first, so I went to the local Wal-Mart and bought their version of a Jelly Roll. I made some mistakes, but learned from them and this is how the practice quilt top came out. The colors don't show very well because I took the photo on my iPod and the lighting but still, its not too shabby for my first time using a sewing machine. I hope you like it!

I been sewing for years and I sometimes forget to put the foot down. good job

Isn't this a fun quilt top to make? Good job for your first attmpt at sewing, it looks like you've been doing it for years!

You did a very nice job plus you chose a pattern that gave you a LOT of practice sewing 1/4" seams....very good choice for a first quilt! Barb

The jelly roll quilt is a good way to practice your seams, love the colours in your quilt, look forward to seeing more projects from you.

Leonie

The colors are pretty and you did a GREAT job. You should feel good about it! : )

I think you did a GREAT job for someone who had never used a sewing machine. You should be very proud of yourself.

You did a wonderful job on this quilt and I hope it gives you the confidence to make many more!

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Originally Posted by Debbie MM

I been sewing for years and I sometimes forget to put the foot down. good job

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Me too....

My mother bought my sewing machine for me about five years ago and I could have counted the minutes on one had that I had actually spent using it. Now that I have started quilting and I've been at it for about two months, I have also learned a few things:
#1 My machine does not have catastrophic fails when I hit the petal and nothing happens. It is that I too have left the foot up.
#2 All the little mistakes you make, chances are no one will ever even notice. You might not either when you are finished. I have went to show someone a mistake I made and couldn't find it. It felt good.
#3 Make labels for your quilts so you can look back and see exactly when you made them. I put on my name, the month I made the quilt and I always name my quilts. Even if the names are silly.
#4 Safety pins are only as safe as the person using them.
#5 Don't sew until 3 am, you will get back to it the next day and be pretty sure you were drinking heavily the night before.
#6 HAVE FUN! Quilting is fun and relaxing and take the time to love every minute of it!

You did a wonderful job, congratulations. Now on to the next project.

Looks great!! And I love the colors!

Rachel that is great! And you did a great job. I love that Jenny has hooked another.

I think your Quilt is lovely. If you hadn't 'fessed it, I would never have dreamed you were a novice! Well done! :)

Great looking quilt you did a great job. I am still wanting to do a jelly roll quilt. I think it will be my next project. Enjoy this new journey.

Wow great job! I'm impressed. You didn't know how but took the bull by the horns and went all the way. Keep it up with your determination you will go far! Jenny's tuts are wonderful arent they? She's so good at teaching & so thorough. Good luck and don't forget to keep us updated on your next projects.

I think it looks great! Can't wait to see it quilted.

My Brother machine will beep and display "please lower the presser foot" - yep I've done it too (more than once).

Way to go! You did a great job!

This came out great! Don't worry about the learning process, with each new quilt you learn something.

Great job on your first quilt. Isn't it great to accomplish something. I love the jelly roll quilt. I plan on making a few more as soon as I can get the strips cut out from my stash of fabric.

Keep up the good work and you will be a pro in no time.

Welcome to the forum.. Glad to have a new quilter amongst us. Don't hesitate to ask questions, we are all eager to help.

Looks great to me! Welcome to the forum!

Thank you ladies so much. I have shown some family members and they really like it but they are family and that is what they are supposed to say, hah. It feels good to know that other people who quilt like it too :)

I think you are doing great. I love the colors in that quilt top. Glad you decided to come over to the "dark side" and join those of us who are addicted to quilting. Glad to have you with us.

You did a really good job practicing your 1/4" seam. The guilt top looks nice. I too have to chime in with the label. Being a longarm quilter people often bring quilts to me to ask about their history. I can only guess the age of the quilt due to the type of fabric, the patterns and style. If there was a label, how easy it would be. Imagine your grandchildren or great grandchildren finding your old quilt in the attic and realizing you made it 50 or so years earlier!

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Originally Posted by Debbie MM

I been sewing for years and I sometimes forget to put the foot down. good job

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I have been sewing for 30 years and I would forget all the time, but now I have a machine that does it for me.... LOL

I made a jelly roll race quilt and it was very fun to make, yours turned out wonderful! Good Job!!!

Welcome and great job...you will be a pro in no time...I think we always are learning...there are so many wonderful quilters on this forum to help when you need it!!

Looks wonderful, can't waait to see more!

I have owned a sewing machine for 9 years but have done more sewing on it in the past 4 months than in all the previous years put together!

I am *always* leaving the foot up and having to rip out a birds nest! I also had huge tension issues for years and years and thought it might be either my lack of knowledge about how to set up the tension wheels or that it was just an old basic machine. I finally asked a friend to come over and look at it for me and she said "I can't find anything wrong with it. However, I don't want to offend you or teach grandmother to suck eggs but you *are* using the thread guide aren't you?".

The thread what...?

Tension issues solved!

It's been such a learning curve and I'm still learning but that is 90% of the fun of making things to me!

Welcome and hello from Wisconsin to this wonderful forum...I make mistakes all the time and have the seam ripper on auto dial :) I love the colors of your quilt top!

Thanks again for all the encouragement, I love the ideas about naming my quilts and labeling them. I went to show my grandma my top yesterday and she showed me a quilt that my great-grandma made when she was 16, I have always loved it but never knew she made it. It would be so neat for my children someday to know that their mom made it just by looking at it, and then their kids, and their kids kids.