Alie Ward

But now I can see so much better.

I'm more motivated to work on them.

Oh, and be prepared.

Big quilts will take up your entire living room while you're working on them.

If you have a craft room, great.

But if not, if you're like me with all your furniture pushed out of the way to make space, that's a good way to lay out your quilt as you work on it.

Sarah Mann says, before joining rows of squares, double check that they're the right way up.

And they say, my grandma taught me how to quilt when I was eight or nine, and I still have my first lap quilt complete with upside down rows.

And if you're still reluctant to jump into the water, Zandra says, try a few different kinds of making.

Like if you don't have or you don't like a sewing machine, try English paper piecing or hand applique.

If you want less math, you can try foundation paper piecing.

It's more like paint by numbers.

So those are good things to look up.

English paper piecing and foundation paper piecing.

So let's get a little more encouragement for starting.

First, wait.

Other Maya wrote out a bunch of advice, not for quilting things, but for quitting things.

And the other Maya, the fact that you sent this anyway makes me so happy.

And I'm going to read it.

So addictive things like cigarettes, you can wean yourself off by waiting as long as possible to pick up the pack and never finish the cigarette.