Start Building Skill: Beginner Series Part 2
Last week, we discussed perfectionistic thinking and how it can ruin your momentum. I also showed you the very first quilt I have ever made. It was not perfect, I didn’t know what I was doing. My son had stolen that quilt from day one. He bundled up in it during cold nights, built a couch fort with his little brother, and still (at nearly 18) uses it on his bed as his preferred blanket.
That should be the goal of your quilts: to be used and loved.
So let’s stop chasing perfection and let’s start building skill. Here is the challenge: stop asking “Is this perfect?” and start asking “Am I better than I was last month?”
Perfection is a finish line that doesn’t exist. Getting better is something you can do today, tomorrow, and every time you show up. Your skills level up, your confidence grows, and the work gets easier.
So, for quilting and longarm work in particular, here are some actionable steps you can take to start building skills.
Learn in a Community
Take a class at your local shop. Learn from people who know, and surround yourself with others who are learning too. Skill matters, but so does not feeling alone. There’s something powerful about being in a room with other people who are also figuring it out. There are people who understand the frustration of tension issues, the triumph of nailing a motif you have been practicing. Being apart of a community reminds you that struggle is part of the process, not proof that you are failing.
Have a Beginner Mindset
Once you consider yourself a “master” at anything, you are closing your mind to other possibilities around you. Don’t close yourself off to that. Get books, watch videos, sign up for the monthly challenges, skill builders, or boxes. Look beyond traditional quilting instruction and study album art, architecture, film lighting, botanical illustrations. These can translate beautifully into longarm designs.
Scrap Fabric and Muslin make for Great Practice Opportunities
Load the frame and try a new design out without the pressure of putting them on your projects untested. You only get better the more you practice. And when you are done with that first test piece, cover it with a second and stitch over it again. It doesn’t have to be just one use and done, but having that second scrap on top means that you can see more clearly where you are going. Think of it like a painter. Painters don’t approach a blank canvas with any proficiency without learning to mix paints first. Free-motion doesn’t get easier without repetition either.
Challenge Yourself
If you have only ever made quick or familiar patterns, try something that aske more of you. Something designed to build confidence through intentional complexity. Try dense designs in a small section, explore combining designs in negative space.
Be Intentional with Your Time
Attention is one of your most valuable resources. If you are watching a show, sketch a quilting motif while you do. If you find yourself scrolling for an hour at the end of the day, ask yourself if you were truly resting or just numbing yourself to the world. Dedicate your time to the things that matter. Growth requires intention. You don’t have to choose between rest and progress, but you do have to choose where your energy goes.
The hours you invest will either move your forward or keep you stuck. That’s not judgement, it’s just how skill building works.
And finally:
Be kind to yourself when you are learning something new.
You didn’t start life knowing how to walk, drive, type, or cook. Those skills took time, sometimes years to become decent at. You had to practice to get better at them. Consider that the next time you get frustrated that you cannot do free-motion quilting in a way you imagined in your mind, or those seams don’t come together like they do in the picture.
Ask yourself: how much time am I dedicating to this? Am I expecting show stopping results without practicing? Am I being fair to myself?
You have nothing to lose by showing up and trying to be better. You GAIN clarity, skill, and trust in yourself. Offer yourself some grace. Learn from mistakes and keep moving forward.
It only gets better from here.
Next week, we will look at realistic practice schedules and expectations. See you there!