Discouraged
#122
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Dothan, Alabama
Posts: 914
Originally Posted by Dmacc502
For weeks I have watched videos, read articles, searched forums, and I am more discouraged than ever. All you quilters make everything sound so easy. I can't find just a simple patch pattern. I don't want stars, diamonds, triangles, just squares. I am getting burned out on all the info and still not knowing anymore than I did when I started. I think I'll just buy a quilt.
#125
My first quilt was not designed nor did I use any pattern. I asked friends who sewed if they had any old fabric they would give me. One woman gave me lots of scraps. I was very careful and cut 6 1/2 Inch squares out of her different fabrics and the rest from plain white cotton fabric I bought at walmart. I did'nt know any one who made quilts and knew nothing about them except I wanted to make one. I took each square and using a pencil and a ruler, I made 1/4" lines around each square.(all of them) and there were quite a few. I then started hand sewing them together, one colored or print and one white. the next row I alternated so there were never 2 whites together. It took me almost a yr with 2 small boys and a parttime job and being a wife too. That quilt is on my bed and I love it to death. It is now almost 20 yrs old. I look at it now and think I did a wonderful job. every corner matches perfectly. I bought a little flower stencil and a heart stencil. On the white ones, I stitched the flower and there was still room so I put little hearts in each corner. On the colored ones, I used a school ruler and made diagonal lines. I love my quilt. It was a full size for several yrs and then we bought a queen size bed and I took the binding(white) off and added about 10 more inches of white on the front and back with batting between and sewed it to the edges of my quilt and added to the binding and finished it with a stencil I bought. Please do not be intimated by these wonderful women here. Everyone of us started somewhere and I am as much in awe of them and their artistic ability as you are. I only hand stitch and that way I can control my sewing better. I make baby quilts for every new baby in the family. I started a dresdon plate yrs ago and it is waiting for me to put together but I have to get on here everyday and read every single post. I will get my quilt out soon and finish it and then you will get to see my quilt on here. They are all here to teach us newbies and to show us what is possible. I will be looking for a quilt from you in the near future. Suzette
#127
Nothing easier than a rail fence. Grab three fabrics, cut strips 3 inches wide, sew the strips together, iron them, cut the strips into 8 inch sections, and assemble your quilt. Or do a simple 9 patch and square. When/if you run into a snag come to the board, or take your project to a local quilt shop, and ask for the next step.
#128
Try a Double Irish Chain quilt. It's classic, and looks much harder than it is. Eleanor Burns has a wonderful book on this type of quilt called "Irish Chain in a Day." Her directions are very easy to follow. Check your local library. I'm sure they'd have a copy.
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