Welcome to the Quilting Board!
I need your advice, my friend wants to learn to quilt. I thought I might start her out on a lap quilt. Thing is she has never sewed. I guess first I'll have to show her about the sewing machine.
What pattern would be good to start with, no triangles, please.
I was thinking the same thing with my best friend. I came up maybe with Warm Wishes or Falling charms. I am not sure if D9P is good for a beginner since she bought some charm packs at MSQC.
A Good Friend, like an old quilt, is both a Treasure and a Comfort
For learning how to sew - my suggestions:
Basic instructions on how to thread and run the machine, for starters.
Then a fairly easy project - and potholders is NOT on my list.
A pillow case
Pajama pants
Place mats
Table runner
Tote bag
Do you know what her expecations are?
Her aptitude?
How about a wall hanging?Originally Posted by bearisgray
Karen from Appleton, Wisconsin
Good advice from bearisgray. When I was in my required 7th grade sewing class (required oh so many years ago!), I was advantaged because my mom had already taught me to sew several years before. But I was still required to sew what was called our "gym bag," to hold our tennis shoes, socks, shorts and blouse. It was a simple one-piece creation with a draw-string closure. Perhaps you can do such a first project in which she can carry her sewing items. It will get her comfortable with the machine before have her tackle matching seams and such.
"I keep my end tables full of needlework and quilting so I don't have to dust them." ~ Author Unknown but I agree!
I would have to say nine patch or rail fence are great ones to start on. My first was a nine patch. You might consider looking for websites that are for beginners. Not just quilts but sewing. Tutorials for learning the machine etc.
Erin
Get Eleanor Burns "quilt in a day" book- Irish Chain Quilts. She not only shows you how to do it, she offers King, Queen, twin, couch, and baby size, how to organize, and best of all she encourages assembly line sewing. Taught me everything I needed to get started, and I enjoyed it.
If you always do, what you have always done, The results never change. Change is the wings you give yourself.
I would go with a rail fence. Sew all the stratas, then measure the widths. If her seams are not consistent, you can either trim them all to the same width or unsew any that are way too narrow. Use this same measurement to cut the blocks and she will be working with squares for the final assembly.
"I do not understand how anyone can live without one small place of enchantment to turn to."
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
excellent advice... i vote for rail fence, too. it was one of my first attempts
Nancy in western NY
before you speak THINK
T – is it True? H – is it Helpful? I – is it Inspiring? N – is it Necessary? K – is it Kind?
I would suggest a simple rail fence, with just a three strip block. This would only entail sewing three WOF strips of fabric together, then cross cutting into blocks and sewing the blocks together. If you used 3 1/2" wide WOF strips, the blocks would be crosscut at 9 1/2" to finish at 9" square, and a nice lap quilt size would be 5 blocks wide and 6 blocks long, only 30 blocks. I make some like these for charity and they go together really fast.
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