To pin or not to pin

Hello everyone,

I was recently facing with an issue of preparing my quilt top for quilting.  For years, I have been using pins to baste my quilts and recently have been hearing about spray basting.  With my newest quilt, I was tempted to spray baste my quilt but I, once again, I went back to my old way of pin basting.  Fear of getting into new things is getting to me.

I do not have a room exclusively assigned for sewing/crafting yet.  The room is still in a renovating stage.  Right now I'm sewing in my dining room.  For spray baste, I would need to have a very large area with good air ventilation to work which I don't have.  I saw on Pinterest that some quilters use their big design wall to spray baste their quilt.  I only have 47" x 74" movable design wall that leans against one of my walls and I would move it out of the way when not in use.   I also saw some quilters spray baste their quilts on a small table using the rolling method.  I've never tried that, but then again the ventilation problem. And I was worrying about all layers not tightly basted together.  Again, Fear!!

  
So I pin basted this quilt, as you can see in the first picture, and set out to do the quilting.  I started in the middle of the quilt, the pressure foot pushed the fabric outward as in the second picture.  Even though I paid extra attention to basting and put pins closer together.  I had to move pins and re-smooth the fabric as I moved to the next area.  That caused me anxiety, so much that I couldn't continue for sometime.  

I was quite upset at myself for being like this.  Later I realized that fear stops me from working on my projects.  This is a present for my dear friend and the fear of messing it up and ruining the beautiful top gets to me.  I know my quilting is still lacking and I need to practice more.  I need to do more of it to be better at it.  My husband said, 'So what?  Make a new top if you mess this one up.  Do you know how many paintings Michael Angelo painted white over them and re-did them?'  Once again he's right and he's trying to cheer me on.  

So back to work and try to get rid of this fear.  This is the most beautiful time of the year.  I should be light hearted and enjoying myself with lights and music.  I will not let fear get in the way......

Here is the picture of my Christmas tree.   The family portrait on the mantel was done by my artist daughter in fourth grade.  I found it amid her papers.  It needs to be framed.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

May God bless you and keep you safe!

Link up to Alycia Quilts, Can I get a Whoop Whoop,