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Self taught here, too. My Mom sewed for other people when I was little, and she taught me to sew ( commercial Wilcox and Gibbs machine) before I started elementary school.
Made my own clothes from 4th grade on, and watched my Mom and grandmothers do quilt piecing. Did not take up quilting on my own until my own kids were grown, and by then, my Mom and Grandmothers were gone. Have gotten magazines and books, and endless information online. |
When I stared I Made acover for my mom & dad they were four blocks with strip around them. Moms had a pink border with pink flanal on the back. Dads had blue around the four blocks and a different Blue border with blue flanal on the back. The blocks where different colors with flowers in them. the borders where plan and so where the ssssstrip around the blocks. They are both gone now and I don't know what happen to the quilts.
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In Dec last year I started working my way through Harriet Hargrave's Quilter's Academy book. I am now about to start on my 13th quilt top.
Yep, 13 quilt tops in 2 months - all from one book. I'm just about to do the last project in the book - a quilt top with no pattern and no instructions! After that, I need to put on borders and then make all those tops into quilts. I have 3 months to do this before book 2 comes out and I progess onto more advanced designs. So, self taught from a book. I've blogged my progress with this which you can read here http://patchnblock.blogspot.com I'm also learning to applique and quilt from Harriet's other books. Joining a guild is helpful too. |
I am self taught, except for the
Home Ec classes in school. I have had a sewing machine since I was 10 years old. J J |
Never :)
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Self taught... books, mags, and Fons & Porter
That is why I used heavy cardboard from "All" detergent for making 6" squares. Still just into squares...no desire to try anything else. |
Took sewing in High School in 68 and my Mother was a seamstress and made 6 kids clothes. Learned more than ever from her. Would love to take a quilting class too..oh well, think I've done pretty well on my own too.
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never took a class, they always seem to be in the afternoon, and i'm at work. my grandmother taught me some when i was little 4-5-6 yrs, and i sewed my own clothes in high school, but i started quilting when my granddaughter was coming & i saw a great quilt on the cover of a magazine. lemoyne star probably not the best choice for my first quilt. but my granddaugher still sleeps with it, and it hasn't fallen apart in the wash in 4 1/2 yrs, so i guess i got it right enough!
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There are certainly a lot of self taught quilters out there. But I can't claim the same - I took a hand quilting class at the Quilted Fox in St. Louis County that started me off a few years ago. It was very good and taught me a lot. Since then I've taken a couple more machine quilting classes but I do use books and the internet for further education too. And I've learned a LOT from this site to be sure.
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Like many of you I started out quilting on my own, but then joined a great quilt guild. They are the best. Instant sisterhood. Not only do they ooh and ah over each others work there is always someone to ask if you are having difficulties with a project and sometimes give personal support when needed. Our guild does a show every two years and has always been spectacular.
Most guilds have a goal of teaching others to quilt and ours has several classes each year and sometimes workshops to work on current projects. Check out your area for guilds. You may have to check out a few to find a perfect fit, but it is worth the effort. |
self taught: got interested because of PBS: read books, & this sight
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another self taught... started in '67 or '68 with my mom when we lived on Oahu. Mom was an artist and the first quilts we made were her own design. I have those quilts somewhere...
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Originally Posted by mcdaniel023
Self taught except what I learned from El Burns, Kaye Woods and Simply Quilts. That was a lot of learning. They used to be on all day.
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Granma showed me some very basic stuff, I joined our local small town quilt club and learned a few more things, then bought all the used books I could find and a few new ones. At quilt club they give a BOM and we go home and do it.
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Self taught....watched Eleanor Burns for years when we still had an antenna and got 3 channels.
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Other than Home Ec class in Jr. High, I am self taught. I started with clothes and have added quilting over the last few years, but I have been sewing for 30 years now.
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My Grandmother taught me to sew and quilt but My sister and I take quilt classes and have learn a lot of simple ways to make a detailed quilt . We love class they call us the bobbsie Twins . It is so much fun and the quilts we make are beautiful
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I have books By Billie Lauder, She shows you how to do every thing the easy way and come out with a beautiful quilt, I made one from her book. The books are Quilc Quilt Tricks, Quick Tricks squaared,,Beyond the Rail Fence. these are great books, and they do not cost much.
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Riversong love your hearts with blinking eyes.
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Chrickett, That is a very beautiful
Cougar !!! I love, Love cats, all sizes. Right now we have a female tiger named Bunny due to the fact that she came to us on Easter a few years ago. ( not a real tiger, LOL |
I am also self-taught and get many ideas and inspiration from the many members and links from this very board. The doll swaps were a wonderful way to learn new techniques and to try different things. What a blessing this board has been.
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Self taught from piecing to needle turn applique. Have never learned how to manipulate large quilts through the sewing machine comfortably to quilt them so they are tied. I only machine stitch the smaller Linus quilts.
Tried teaching myself to hand quilt with some success but since it took so long to do 90 blocks, my fingers were so sore and punctured and bloody (bottle of peroxide my chair side companion) since I've not been able to get used to using a thimble, I've given that up. Am hooked on simple quilting, however, and will continue for as long as I am able. Someone has to use up the mountain of fabric stash I have accumulated since no one else in my family sews at present. Hopefully one of the grandchildren will pick up the bug. |
Originally Posted by Ellie
Self taught from piecing to needle turn applique. Have never learned how to manipulate large quilts through the sewing machine comfortably to quilt them so they are tied. I only machine stitch the smaller Linus quilts.
Tried teaching myself to hand quilt with some success but since it took so long to do 90 blocks, my fingers were so sore and punctured and bloody (bottle of peroxide my chair side companion) since I've not been able to get used to using a thimble, I've given that up. Am hooked on simple quilting, however, and will continue for as long as I am able. Someone has to use up the mountain of fabric stash I have accumulated since no one else in my family sews at present. Hopefully one of the grandchildren will pick up the bug. So I continue to quilt until the fingers are too sore to go on. |
Hi Ellie, I know what you mean about not being able to find a cmfortable thimble. My problem is arthritis. wierd shaped fingers don't seem to be able to find a thimble that fits.
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I never taken a class, Lots of trial and error LOL!!! In school, I was so horrible on the sewing machine that I flunked that part of Home Ec. My mother never really did any sewing either, so it's a fluke, that I even took up this hobby.
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Have you tried a leather thimble? It is the only kind I have found that works for me. I think they are deer skin. white with a blue elastic part at the bottom. They do wear out but work well for me. They also have some with a little metal disk in them but I find them to stiff.
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Originally Posted by Tippy
I have always stitched. Never took a "home ec" class until my senior year when I took Family Living. really ticked the teacher off as I was already sewing and cooking for the family without her help. Then I won the "Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow" award at the school which REALLY irked her. Nothing on the quilting front until about 12 years later when I decided I was going to make a quilt. I first bought a pattern and made a baby quilt on the machine for my nephew. That went ok..just following a pattern so I decided I was going to hand stitch one for myself.. I picked out fabrics and couldn't find a Grandmothers fan with the right number of spokes so I drafted it myself and sat down and stitched the top. I had lots of trims so I added those to each fan. LOL.. No one ever told me it was difficult or that I needed a class... and I've been doing it my way ever since.. the only classes I've attended are those I've taught, or helped teach.
Anyways, I have sewed all my life and helped my Mother make quilts, those were used for warmth when I was young. Later on we make the fancy stuff. I have made lots of quilts and never had a class. |
Originally Posted by Howard
Chrickett, That is a very beautiful
Cougar !!! I love, Love cats, all sizes. Right now we have a female tiger named Bunny due to the fact that she came to us on Easter a few years ago. ( not a real tiger, LOL I got it off the internet, but do not remember where. :-) |
self taught, but the internet has opened up a lot of ideas. :D
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Boy I am in the minority, my husband bought me my first sewing machine when I decided to retire/quit my job. The quilt shop/Bernina dealer had clubs that they offered free, learning to quilt and use the embroidery machine. I take classes and belong to sewing groups and guilds. It is a good social activity as well as a place to pick up many good tips for every aspect of quilting.
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I'm self taught too. I loved watching Simply quilts and often saw pictures of quilts I would have loved to make. I was inspired but still didn't start making quilt tops until I watched Eleanor Burns one day and saw the many short cuts she is famous for. I decided to go for it and the rest is history. I had already collected quite a bit of fabric, so my dilemma was how to use it.
What has struck me about being self taught is just how many mistakes one can make to learn from. Between great books, TV shows (now defunct), YouTube videos, web sites, and the wonderful information from this forum, I think I have become pretty good at making a quilt top by piecing, and now have to expand onto paper piecing and templates. I do a big thanks to Fons and Porter because I now make a great binding! Diane |
Never took class. Can't afford it and you can learn just as good from this board, you tube movies and lots of other quiltsites.
I agree that taking classes is a very good for socialising, special when you don't have a bee where you can meet quiltfriends. |
Originally Posted by PatriceJ
Simply Quilts was my classroom until it went off the air.
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Originally Posted by Boston1954
I mean you NEVER took a class. Everything you know about quilting is from trial and error, or books and television.
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Originally Posted by crazicorn
Originally Posted by Boston1954
I mean you NEVER took a class. Everything you know about quilting is from trial and error, or books and television.
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My Mom and grandmother quilted, i started it years after they had passed away, so basically self taught from books and trial and error. Been quilting for about 18 years now and in the past few years i have taken some classes, they are fun, but basically i get my patterns from internet, or quilt books and magazines.
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I made my first quilt top in 7th grade(oh no--40 or so years ago). That was totally on my own. I have watched programs like Sewing with Nancy, Georgia Bonesteel, and the best Simply Quilts. I have magazines Quilters Newsletter, and Love of quilting, and have more recently have taken classes from the Quilt festival and my local quilt shop. If you have never taken a class I really recomend it. Folks do things differently, and it is wonderful to get a different perspective. Then there are the things I want to do, silk painting-fabric painting, dying etc. That going to the experts in class makes such a difference. It also helps with your confidence.
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Originally Posted by Pepita
I made my first quilt top in 7th grade(oh no--40 or so years ago). That was totally on my own. I have watched programs like Sewing with Nancy, Georgia Bonesteel, and the best Simply Quilts. I have magazines Quilters Newsletter, and Love of quilting, and have more recently have taken classes from the Quilt festival and my local quilt shop. If you have never taken a class I really recomend it. Folks do things differently, and it is wonderful to get a different perspective. Then there are the things I want to do, silk painting-fabric painting, dying etc. That going to the experts in class makes such a difference. It also helps with your confidence.
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Self taught here also and sharing information with friends and learning from them as well. This board is the shisnitz.
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I watched my mother quilt but never had any interest until I was expecting my first baby. Hand quilted a whole cloth quilt and it turned out pretty good. Made a lot of baby quilts for family members and the rest of our kids (5 total). Later moved to a larger community where a friend and I started a quilt guild which is still going after 25 years. We have had a great run. Get lots of tips, tricks, and ideas from others. Did take a class with my daughter last spring. It was a blast. Have taken a few through the Nebraska Quilt Guild when they come to North Platte. I have been quilting for 54 years and now I am trying to use up my scraps. They don't seem to disappear, just get smaller! If you can afford it, find a friend and take a class. They are really a lot of fun.
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