I like sewing and I thought this was a sewing board
 

I joined because this was the most friendly-looking and comfortable place to me that seemed related to sewing, it's too bad it's for quilting and nobody really talks about sewing here. I thought it'd be a generic sewing machine related crafts forum so I made a couple threads for help with my machine and surprisingly I got more responses than other places.

I made an avatar for this site which is unusual for me so I'm quite comfortable here.
I own a sewing machine that my grandmother used and I guess passed down and I tailored a winter coat of mine that I bought but was disappointed with so I tailored it and it came out great. I've always liked sewing by hand but this was my first time using a machine and it was a lot of work because as you know winter coats have layers and stuff. I remember when I sewed by hand I learned a technique to hide thread in seams by folding fabric with another piece of fabric and sewing through both of them down a line it creates one side that has a very smooth seam and I thought I was very smart and learned this was a common technique used. Anyway this place seems nice.

I've never made a quilt before but it sounds easy to do, I'm not sure what kind of quilt I would make. Aren't quilts just blankets? But with patterns on them? I wonder what kind of blanket I would make.
I think I would make a picnic quilt, one for a picnic.... I wonder what other things a quilt could be for..

One good thing to start with. Sewing garments is somewhat different that quilt making. One is in the basic seam allowance. Garment is 5/8" and for a quilt you have a 1/4" seam allowance. In my experience there are 3 types of quilt. Utility quilts that are the go with on the ground type of quilts then there are bed quilts which are more the blanket type of quilts that can take a lot of time to make. Who ever though of taking a full piece of several fabrics and cutting it into pieces, coming up with a design and finishing it to sleep under or sit on??? Third are Show quilts or Art quilts. They are quilts that would rarely find their way onto a bed but are hung at Quilt shows, judged or are just plain beautiful quilts to look at.
Here we have a lot of quilters of all types from newbies to professionals. We also have a number of crafters and sewist but not as many. Then their are sewing machine enthusiast. I personally now have 15 older machines that fall into the category of vintage machines. I follow those threads closely and have learned a great deal
People here are always willing to share experience and knowledge. There are a lot of fun things to that are non-quilt related I am glad you are finding us a fun group. Just keep joining in.

I come from a many years of garment construction, and how I feel is that quilting is simply fun and creative. No matter what I make, someone will love it and I don't have to worry if it's going to fit them (or me) or not.

I get to play with lots of colors of fabric, and it's all 100% woven cotton which in my mind is the simplest fabric of all to use.

Quilts are my creative outlet. I often design my own layouts and figure it all out. I liked doing that with garment construction, but that is a lot more work and the end result is a lot more questionable. With quilts, since it's all pieces, adding another if you got a measure wrong is no big deal!

BTW - there are many people on this board that have a decent amount of experience in garment construction, so if you ask a question about that, you'll probably get advice too. Just be willing to get sucked into Quilting because you're going to be seeing a lot of pictures of beautiful quilts and it won't take long before you are going to want to make one yourself.

Hi TaylorAlaska, and welcome from sunny Southern California. I have a background in tailoring and discovered quilting as another creative way to use fabric. The main difference for me between garment sewing and quilting was the need for accuracy. Even in making tailored garments (and I taught that for many years), you can fudge things because of the ability to stretch or ease in fabric. In quilting, even art quilts, you will regret it if you're not precise. However, it's going to be an exciting adventure for you, and I think learning is one of the best parts. Please let us know how you're coming along.

[QUOTE=TaylorAlaska;8465175]I joined because this was the most friendly-looking and comfortable place to me that seemed related to sewing, it's too bad it's for quilting and nobody really talks about sewing here. I thought it'd be a generic sewing machine related crafts forum so I made a couple threads for help with my machine and surprisingly I got more responses than other places.

Welcome TaylorAlaska! This board is friendly and you will get lots of good information about quilting. It's not "too bad it's for quilting"...that's the point. It is called the Quilting Board because that is the main focus here. There is plenty of other sewing and crafts discussed here but I am on this board because it is Quiltcentric :-) Since you are versed in sewing you definitely need to make your first quilt; then you will see why we are so obsessed haha!

Welcome from Idaho! Your world is about to open into a place of beauty once you start down this lovely quilting path. Enjoy...

Welcome from Michigan!:)

Welcome from South Louisiana. We do see some crafts and garment sewing from time to time featured here and we welcome them. But the name of this board does explain really well what it's all about.....quiltingboard As others have said, once you get sucked into the quilting, you may get addicted, like many of us are. We are still sewing but size is negotiable where in garments, size is never negotiable unless it's a one size fits all and those never fit to begin with. Most people here use only cotton. Others make crazy quilts and use every and any fabric that is washable in their quilts. You will see everyday quilts and beautiful show quilts here. These folks are amazingly talented and freely share their expertise with all the rest of us.

Welcome...I too started sewing garments and used that skill to save money when our kids were growing up in the 70's and 80's. Not something that happens for today's families. Inexpensive clothing can be easily found. Over time quilting took center stage, but so many of the basic skills and knowledge gained are utilized while piecing...needles, threads, tension, cutting on grain, machine maintainence to name a few.

There are many aspects of quilting I don't do...machine embroidery for one. One can pick and choose the topic you are interested in. Enjoy and have fun!