Hi there,
After reading too many Jennifer Chiaverini novels, I finally decided to try quilting myself. I'm making a quilt for my two-year-old's "big girl bed," using a modified sailboat block pattern. I just started tonight, and managed to complete 1/4 of my first block! (considering I don't actually know how to sew, I'm pretty proud).
I do have a few questions, though. First, the pieces I've sewn are really stringy -- threads keep coming off of the edges. Is that supposed to happen, or am I doing something wrong? (and if I am, how do I stop doing it wrong?)
Second, how exact does your cutting need to be? It turns out I'm not a natural at rotary cutting (I wasted an entire fat quarter tonight just trying to cut squares properly), and I feel like even my "good" patches still aren't quite precise. Is there such a thing as "good enough," or do I need to get back to the cutting board? My patches aren't horrible, the lines just seem to waver a touch.
Thanks in advance for your help. I'm so excited to learn how to do this right!