That's how my sister got me into this business ... with that first little quilt I have pictured in my avatar that I made for her son.

That said, better that than what my mom is constantly telling me "I just don't get why people pay so much for your quilts. It just doesn't seem right." Needless to say, I haven't made her a quilt and don't intend to. I just focus on my adorable little 3-year old niece who is absolutely fascinated by the quilting process and will listen to me talk about it for 40 minutes straight (usually she has the attention span of a gnat)! She goes around telling people that "everyone should have a quilt" & I trained her to say "if they can't make one, they should buy one from Auntie". Makes me smile every time. :p

If you've made a rail fence baby quilt, it's probably not a good idea to jump right into a king-sized lone star. Odds are, it will end up in a box - half done in odd angles. (Yes, I have one of those)

Yes, it is not much fun to do a lot of the prep work (washing, pressing, cutting, etc) BUT doing those steps as precisely as you can WILL save you hours of frustration later.

Paying attention to pressing the seams is a big deal. Nesting seams make the quilt lay better.

There is not ONE WAY to do everything. Almost every step in quilting can be accomplished in many different ways. Find what works for you. You may change your mind from quilt to quilt. For example, I mostly press my seams to the dark, but at times I press to the light or I press open - it all depends on the project.

All of the above mentioned!

Very good guide lines to follow. I also wish I knew these things as I started to teach myself to quilt. I spent so much money of fabric I will never use. I was saved the gadget dilemma, I have always worked with just a mat, rotary cutter and basic rotary ruler and never seen a need for anything else until I found the Bloc- Loc Ruler for HSTs. Lucky me.

Over 25 years and several thousands of $ in fabric, I still consider myself lucky!

Thanks for your insights. They are always helpful, even for old dogs like me!:D
peace

I have to tell on myself here.

If you have seriously stupidly said you will make a small quilt for a friend as long as she buys the materials, DON'T do it!!! I did and halfway through the quilt she changed her mind about the fabrics and wanted to go in a different direction. So I pulled from my stash but did not charge for for the fabrics or the aggravation. I also seriously undervalued my work. When she received the quilt, she didn't have the complete amount of money nor was she satisfied with the new fabrics which she had approved prior to cutting nor the quilting which she had approved of as well. She is still griping about the quilt. She did finally pay me.

Get a design wall or take a picture of your laid out quilt - the floor is not very good. A mistake you do no want to make!

Don't wear the I'm Cheap badge when it comes to quilting. Save money elsewhere and enjoy using the good stuff.

I learned when shopping for fabric do not be afraid to take it outside to make sure you like the way it blends with other fabrics. Many stores do not use natural light in the shops and once you get it outside you may find it does not go the way you thought it would.