I went to my first quilting class and while I wasn't the youngest in age, I was certainly the newest to quilting. It was a beginners hand quilting class and I loved it. Our instructor brought all sorts of thimbles for us to try in addition to teaching us the basics. I fell in love with a Roxanne thimble and had to have one. I've had it on ever since (instructor's suggestion for those of us not used to working with thimbles).

I like hand quilting with the hoop, but want to learn some other methods until I find the one that works best for me.

The other plus was the store where I went to the class had a huge bin of fabric scraps and they sell them by the pound. For 5 dollars I came home with a huge bag of greens and pinks. I need greens for a frog quilt and pinks because my best friend's little girl wants a quilt "with pink and purple cars" (go figure).

I had a great time and really enjoyed my first class and I look forward to my next one in August on Cotton Theory. However, I was really frustrated :) How can something that looks so simple be so hard to execute? I have LOTS of practicing to do!

Do any of you remember your first quilting class? Any fun anecdotes?

Lisa

Oh yes :lol: it wasn't my first class but it was when I first started experimenting with colour. we were making two blocks in the class and they basically fitted together to make a large triple square in square with a secondery pinwheel effect. The origional instructions were for a two colour quilt and I decided it would be a good idea to enhance the pinwheel by using a third colour. My other colours were pinks and greens and I decide to use yellow as my third. Well that quilt looked like a technicolour yawn :lol:

The poor teacher struggled so hard to find something nice to say and tried to be encouraging by trying to suggest ways to save it. I felt really bad for her, What an awkward postion to be in poor thing, she was trying so hard to be nice :? :lol: In the end I told her that I was ok with it, that I could see it wasn't working, that I would just replace the yellows with something else, that it had been a valuble experiance and thanked her for a great day. And it was true I'd had a great day despite the disgusting quilt :lol:

I dropped out of my first quilting class :( This was a beginner's class and I had signed up a year in advance and was really anticipating it. But...I just couldn't wait a whole year to start a quilt, so I forged ahead. I bought a few books, used the internet and this forum to educate myself. My top was pieced by the time the class started. Essentially, by the time the class started I was no longer a beginner. I went to three of the ten classes and was bored and uninspired. No fault of the teacher because she was a good teacher. I've been sewing since I was 10 years old and some of the class participants had never touched a machine. Things plodded along at a painful pace, LOL. I still have a LOT to learn, but I guess I just like learning at my own pace. I'm finishing my first quilt and have already ordered fabric to start the second :lol:

Editing to say the class fabric was incredibly ugly - at least to me. I hate working with ugly fabric!

I haven't taken a class want ot buat time is a problem with me at least in the boating months. :shock: But I did have to laugh at the pink and purple cars because it is so cute, that is something I would have wanted when I was young, remember Daring Darren?

No class here. No time and cost to much; on a bugget.

I never took a class. I learned from watching quilt shows over & over.......

I learned how to sew when I was younger.
Quilting?? Never took a class, pretty much self taught and watching and reading and listening to others.
Wait, I did take a class. Wasn't really much of a class, was fun, but didn't really learn anything that I didn't already know.

My first class happened 8 yrs ago by accident, never quilted but I was into garment sewing. I just moved here and we were building a house,I wanted a sewing room with cabinets,I found a viking sewingmachine shop
in the area,stopped in for info and there was a sign up sheet for beginning quilting class, $4 a week . I did not think twice and I have been going every Wednesday since.
8 years still $4 for 2hrs. and many quilting friends, just bring your projects and everything is there. I don't even have to take my machine! I can get
Moda's for $6 a yard and her red rooster line are $4.50. can't beat it.
Oh, I never did get the cabinets.

I belong to a quilt group. It is so fun to learn from others! The association with these quilters is a BIG plus! I also participate in a local quilt show each year where classes are offered. This gets my head brimming with new ideas and also sparks the "old" ideas in my head to try something new with them.

Susan

It's a deal here where I live. The nearest guild is over an hour away. As big as metro Houston is, we don't have a guild near the Deer Park, Pasadena, La Porte area that I can find. That would be my first choice for "learning'.

Luckily, though, there's a quilt shop in La Porte that offers various classes pretty cheap ($20-60 depending on how involved) so that's my only option.

Ironically, many people I've met lately in my area are interested in a guild, but no one wants to lead one. I would consider it except I'm back in school and that limits my desire to take on yet another major project which I think starting a guild would be.

Any of you ever help start a guild in your area?