Where do I begin?
 

:eek: I have taught myself to knit and have been knitting for two years now. I make hats, scarves, sweaters, socks, and many other things. That being said, I want to learn to make quilts. I have a great idea for one that I want to make for my wife. I want the bottom side to be black Muslin and the top to be white Muslin Squares 12"x 12". On each square I want to print a black and white photo. Each photo being a part from her life. I think it will look cool if I use an Unbleached White Muslin. That way it should (I hope) give it an antiqued look. Okay, where do I begin? :shock:

I'm a newbie quilter as well...so I have no advice on where to start with your project...but wanted to say I think that it's awesome that you want to do this for your wife. Such a personal gift...I'm sure she'll love it.

I love your idea...I hope you already know how to sew and use a sewing machine. You should get the basic information about cutting fabric square, assembling and "how to" information about quilting first...practice a little. The photos are another project. There are treated sheets of fabric available to put in your printer...even off white colors to make your antique look. Read up on that and practice...some printers are not great for keeping the ink from running either.

There are good books on this and lots of "tutes" on utube to help you. I am sure there are many on here that can answer specific questions. I wish you well.

There is a product called Bubble Jet Set that can be used to prepare your muslin so the photos won't wash out. After the muslin is prepared, cut it into squares and iron them onto freezer paper. Your fabric can then be run through an inkjet printer. http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/3446-AA.shtml

One other thing - don't suggest to your wife that the story of her life requires an antique look. ;)

I like the idea, really cool. I know nothing about printing on fabric but I love the look of old photos. I think it will be amazing.

Start by checking your library for quilting books. What you are describing is a fairly ambitious project. You need to understand how to sew 12" blocks together, and you need to decide whether you want to print your own photos on fabric or whether you prefer to send them to a place that will put them on fabric for you. There are pro's and con's to both. If you decide to do it yourself, you need to learn the different methodologies. The Bubble Jet Set is one way of doing it, or you can purchase ready-to-print sheets of fabric at the store. You can Google to find more information on photo transfer to fabric methods. It's very important to know which type of printer to use with which type of fabric prep, if you are doing it yourself. It's also important to know which fabrics take photos the best (effects are different on different fabrics).

You will also need to decide whether you want the quilt hand quilted or machine quilted. Again, you can pay someone to do this or you can learn how to do it yourself. Machine quilting involves more learning, but books from the library should help with that.

Printed treasures is good for pics