Patience and Practice

Learning a new skill can sometimes be frustrating. I tried riding an ATV once, boldly taking a rougher terrain, just because I rode a motorcycle and thought they would be the same. NOPE! They were nothing like each other, except maybe the fact that they both had handlebars and a similar ignition. The motorcycle was 2 wheels to be ridden on a good road. The ATV was all-terrain, 4 wheel contraption that we were trying to ride on sand in a dessert wash. WHAT WAS I THINKING?? We were riding with a group of about 20 people and it was clear to me I was holding up the train. So I got off, dusted off my ego, and let the train go.

So you're thinking, what does this have to do with sewing? Well, just because you can operate a domestic sewing machine and have been doing so for the better part of your life, does not qualify you to be an instant success with a long arm quilting machine. Yes, they both have a needle, and are called a sewing machine, but they are entirely different beasts. This process takes practice. WAY more practice than sewing a straight seam on the DSM. There are probably people who are gifted in this skill and take right to it. I think for me it's going to require practice, practice and more practice. But part of that may be the perfectionist in me!

It's kind of amusing though, walk by my window and you'll see this crazy woman with a monstrous sewing machine, pushing and pulling over the quilt frame while Queen's "We are the Champions" is blaring on the speakers. Whatever it takes... practice, practice, practice...