I'm going to teach a new teenager to quilt
 

Hi,
Can you please help me decide on a pattern to help a teenager learn to sew. She is a new friend to my daughter. My duaghter wants to make a quilt at the same time. But the catch is my daughter does not like doing the same quilt twice.
So BQ and Turning 20 are out.

Any ideas?

Should I let her pick her fabrics or should I look for a kit. Her foster mom said if she wants to learn that would be great. She does not sew at all. I'll PIF her an older machine that does straight stich only. Nothing fancy- one that I picked up for under 20 dollars. I think she will be great- she looked at a book and picked out a complex quilt and I said I think we need to begin simple.

Please send ideas my way.
Thanks in advance.

buying a kit will ensure that her colors are coordinated. the instructions should be clear. you are wonderful to be her teacher and give her the machine

4 patch,9 patch, split rail, antique tile.....these were some of my first quilt blocks and were very easy to do. Glad you are teaching the young folks to quilt!!! I do think you should let her select her own fabrics that way it's truly hers...

Yellow Brick Road is an easy pattern for a beginner. Disappearing 9 patch is also an easy one. It's great that you are teaching your daughter's friend to quilt.

I would let her pick the colors. I know I am much more engaged with the whole process if i like the colors. You should guide her as far as the light, med, dark values, however.

If you include her in the process of picking her own fabric, I believe she will be much happier with the finished product. With just a few guidelines, let her loose to choose what "speaks" to her.

Kudos to you for taking someone under your wing. Alex Anderson has a book for beginning quilters with several patterns in it. She might enjoy having a book.

You need to let her pick her own fabrics. I have taken the kids to Joannsfor the variety and then guided them on color choice, which ia a part of quilt making.

Of course the first step was choosing a pattern. I gave a choice of two like maybe a 4 patchwith solid squares inbetween or a fencerail with large squaresinbetween. For a beginner you don,t want them to lose interest by having them cut too much!

The double slice layer cake is a fun and easy quilt to make.
Here's a link to the pattern:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxC-0T5lXw4
You can use your own 10 x 10 squares.
Have fun.

What is her level of understanding of how things fit together? She could try a block of the more complicated quilt using stash material and then you both could decide what to do from there.

Whatever she does it should be something she really likes. I know of several quilters who started out with more complicated quilts and finished them because they loved making them.

Just make sure you can do the quilt she chooses as you are her mentor.

ali

Rail fence, log cabin

My 14 year old DD did the warm wishes pattern all by herself, I think she did a great job. http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...t-t204321.html
It's a great pattern with a main focal fabric

I agree. Alex Andersons beginning quilt book is wonderful - good illustrations and nice patterns for beginners.

Maybe you could take your student to a quilt shop and let her browse the fabrics and look at the kits. She may see a kit that is perfect or she could help choose her fabrics.

do you have a couple beginner books around? i would allow her to choose a pattern & the fabrics- she may have very different tastes than you-
when my nephew's girl friend decided she wanted to make a quilt i cringed & shuddered over her choices- but she was liking them and completed the quilt---she was so proud of it--and she gave it to her grandmother as a special gift-who was thrilled- it was pink & brown & i hated everything about it- but it was not mine & i didn't have to work on it....had it been something i had to work on it never would have been done.
if you have a stash maybe she could (shop) your stash- then let her look through beginner patterns or pictures on the internet-
all 3 of my grandaughters made their first 2 or 3 quilts without patterns- they chose fabrics they liked-wanted to make into quilts- layed them out & made them the way they wanted- loved them-were very proud of them and were (hooked) on sewing. basically learning to stitch a straight line, cut & iron are the basics- from there--the sky is the limit & teens have such keen eyes & imaginations to be creative if given the opportunities.

I agree with everyone else ... on letting her pick her colors but my advice would be cut 2.5 inch wide strips of your stash and let her pick the strips she would like to use in her rail fence or log cabin.... then use a multicolor print for the border or black (teenagers love black) Since she is a newby and probally does not know how to use a rotary cutter or how to sew a 1/4 inch seam ...practice first on some scrap fabrics.... make sure they use the same machine throughout the sewing of the quilt. Show them a pic of the quilt and let them know it will take more than one hour to make the blocks allow extra time because it always take more time... the reason I know this is because I helped teach teenagers and younger to sew quilts and pillowcases and lunch bags... Summer quilt camps for the kids...
hugs and bless you for doing this..

I love this idea! 1/4" seams aren't crucial because there are no intersecting seams and I think she'd get a kick out of cutting the fabric (of her choice, of course).

There is a great tutorial for the Double Layer Slice on the Doodlebug website.

http://doodlebugshouse.blogspot.com/...quilt-top.html

I would do rail fence or warm wishes with fabric she loves and that will have a great effect when finished. IOW, great fabric contrast colors.

I love this video tutorial on the Irish Chain by Jenny Doan at Missouri Star Quilting Company. Makes it really easy. The link is below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHfIX...eature=mh_lolz

.

OK- I'm looking at this one for the girls. But it looks like there are two different types of blocks. One looks more rectangle and one looks more like a small square.

I'll let her pick the fabric.