New here and quilting
 

My name is Sheryl and I want to try quilting. I just became a grandmother for the first time this past April and did some knitting and crocheting for my granddaughter, but I found a magazine with a cute baby quilt and thought I'd like to try making it. My daughter in law loves elephants and the magazine had a quilt with an elephant applique in the center. I don't know the first thing about quilting so I started looking for some help on line and found this forum.
I'm hoping I can learn from some experienced quilters.
I guess on the plus side, I do know how to sew and I own a sewing machine so hopefully I can figure out how to make this elephant quilt.

Hi Sheryl! Welcome to the wonderful world of quilting and the QB! Congratulations with the new addition to your family! Ours will get bigger in September! Welcome from New York state!

Welcome from New Hampshire and congratulations on your new grandchild. I became a grandma for the first time 3 1/2 years ago, and he is the love of my life!

Thank you and congratulations to the two of you.

Welcome from western NY and happy quilting :)

Welcome from Kentucky

Waving from NC. Welcome, come on in and set a spell. If you have any questions, just ask. Someone will get back to you very soon. We are a very friendly, chatty group of people who love quilting. Once the bug bites you, you will be hooked for life. What a way to go!

:wave::wave::wave:Welcome from Arizona. You will learn a lot from these great ladies.

Hi, Sheryl, and congratulations on your first grandchild! How exciting! If you already know how to sew and have a machine, you'll catch on to quilting pretty fast. Do you have a quilt shop nearby where you could take a beginner class? It really helps to see things up close with a teacher in person when learning the basics. YouTube is good for filling in gaps or being able to replay at your leisure once you've got some class time under your belt.

There are many ways to do appliqué but it's not typically taught to a brand new quilter until you learn rotary cutting techniques, master the 1/4" seam (which is the standard seam allowance in this craft), familiarize yourself with basic piecing and block assembly, sandwiching, quilting, and binding. I'm not saying you can't start with applique--heck, no-- but it's one of those skills that is normally learned after the nuts and bolts of quilting.

I'm in Maryland, by the way. You?

Welcome from Michigan!:)