Build Confidence as a Quilter

by Shannon Spicer

Do you want to build confidence as a quilter? I distinctly remember being there. I bought a sewing machine about 15 years ago with no real prior sewing experience. I would get SO nervous when I sat down to quilt. I was SO nervous even cutting into fabric. I was afraid of making mistakes and wasting the good fabric I had bought. Sewing wasn't a relaxing hobby for me. I would get hot and have the "anxiety sweats." Come on! You know what I'm talking about!

So many of us in the quilting community are telling you to pick up quilting because it's good for your mental health and stress levels. But I acknowledge that it may not be so at first. Heck, I even stressed out every time I had to thread my machine. I had to pull out the manual every time for a very long time.

But I encourage you to PUSH THROUGH! It does get better. I promise!

And here are some ways you can build that confidence. Take it one step at a time and set out to add to your skills one thing at a time.

  • Join a group/guild. This helped me tremendously. Find a group that is supportive and encouraging. Ask questions and be inspired by other quilters' projects.
  • Practice on small projects. Make some NICU quilts to donate to your local hospital. These small projects let you practice all the steps of quilting (cutting fabric, piecing, pressing, basting, quilting, binding) over a shorter span of time so you can do it over and over and get better more quickly. Plus small projects give you a quicker sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
  • Buy cheap fabric to practice with. Many quilters can be fabric snobs (raising my hand), but if you're afraid to cut into your designer fabric, go to Walmart, Michael's, or Hobby Lobby, and buy some cheap fabric and make some NICU quilts (see point above). Stick with 100% cotton fabric. It will still be loved and appreciated by the families of the NICU babies, and the NICU quilt doesn't have to necessarily last a lifetime to be passed along as an heirloom to the next generation so if it's not the highest quality material, it won't really matter.
  • Take a class or workshop. Your local fabric shop will typically have classes available, and there are many online, too. And watch for more information coming from me in the future about tutorials!
  • Make a list of skills you'd like to develop and then work through them one-by-one. Some that I can think of are the following:
    • Quilt Math
    • Curved Piecing
    • Foundation Paper Piecing
    • English Paper Piecing
    • Free-Motion Quilting
    • Flanged Binding
    • Improv Quilting

I hope this list gives you some ideas for how you can build confidence as a quilter. Sign up for my newsletter if you'd like to stay in the know about when I release new patterns and tutorials.

 

 

 

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