Nervous Beginner
#13
Power Poster
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: new york state
Posts: 10,307
This is my suggestion to. There are books out called Learning to Quilt. it teaches you everything and at the end you have made a quilt or whatever learning all the ins and outs of quilting
#15
Power Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Southern California
Posts: 19,127
You might be interested in hand stitching hexagons together. The hexagons are made into flowers for a Grandmothers Flower Garden pattern or can be hand stitched to a plain background fabric square. A simple Nine Patch block can be hand stitched from squares of cotton fabric and would be good for a beginner.
To get familiar with quilting, check out the youtube videos by Jenny Doan for the Missouri Star Quilt Co.
To get familiar with quilting, check out the youtube videos by Jenny Doan for the Missouri Star Quilt Co.
We have ALL made mistakes so there is Nothing to fear. Welcome to the board.
#16
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Corpus Christi, Tx.
Posts: 16,105
This is a great idea. Also you can make a few templates at a time and few hexies ahead of time. Cereal boxes are great for hexie templates and other templates. Little more flexible. DO NOT BE NERVOUS! It's a hobby not a job. You do it at your own free will.
I agree with Tartan. There have been numerous posts recent on this site about Hexs (hexagons). The are a quilting project that can easily take on the go. I have never tried the English paper piece. I have just cut out plastic templates of the size I want to make. They are easy to pop out instead or trying to remove the paper.
We have ALL made mistakes so there is Nothing to fear. Welcome to the board.
We have ALL made mistakes so there is Nothing to fear. Welcome to the board.
#18
Power Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: East Oklahoma - pining for Massachusetts
Posts: 10,477
When I started, I did not have a clue, or the benefit of the internet. I picked a block back in 1992, that I still could not do today. Start with something very easy like the Boxed Squares pattern. It will give you the feeling of accomplishment and will build confidence.
#19
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 2,061
Check with friends and family members to see if they have a good sewing machine they don't use. Perhaps you could borrow it for a while to get an idea of what you want to buy when you do purchase a machine. I know so many people who don't sew but have machines stuck away somewhere that they would be glad to lend you.
#20
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 381
Laura, It would help if you gave us an indication of where you live. We might be able to recommend a shop or class where you could get some basic training. I am in rural Maryland just south of Hanover, PA. I have been sewing since puberty but had the advantage of having a Mother who sewed and was willing to share her Singer Featherweight with me. That was 40 years ago and I am still sewing and or quilting almost daily. I wouldn't invest in an expensive sewing machine until you find out if you really want to do this. There are some very expensive machines out there whose monetary value drops drastically the minute they leave the store. I am a person who hand quilts. I enjoy the process and makes it possible for me to spend time with my husband and or family and still get the quilt done. I don't hand piece or applique. My favorite is whole cloth quilting. That means that a quilting pattern is drawn on a whole piece of fabric and I hand quilt it by stitching on the markings. This can be done on a pillow top or up to a king size quilt. In my opinion machine quilting is good only for objects like kids quilts, that will be drug around and washed often. I make at least 21 Linus quilts a month using the sewing machine or crocheting around pieces of fleece. For my personal quilt projects it is always hand quilted. A reputable sewing machine dealer offers classes to go with the machine and often gives you the full value of your machine, if it is in good condition when you decide to trade up. I am a Bernina lover but it was more than 20 years before I was willing and able to trade up to a Bernina machine. Good Luck and welcome to the world of quilting.
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