So glad to see your enthusiasm!!! Since you are new and s i i i i i n c e you plan to sew by hand (major, big, humongous, ginormous no-no) and since you don't have a sewing machine, you might want to consider going to a garage sale or Good Will or second-hand store and check for a sewing machine there. Take friend who knows something about sewing and when you find a machine be sure to try it out to see if it even sews. I've bought several machines at garage sales and I even bought one for $8 or $10 knowing it didn't work (I tried it out) but I figured for that kind of money if my DH couldn't get it work we weren't out much. Turns out all it needed was a switch which we found at Menard's for around $7. Once that machine was oiled it was off and running! As for a brand of machine...I think you might be better off 'testing out' your sewing adventure to see if you really like it because if you do... then buy all the bells and whistles you can!!! Good Luck. Let me know how things turn out for you.

If you are planning on sewing by hand, I recommend PaperPieces.com. They sell English Paper Piecing supplies and have a section on patterns that include instructions and the paper shapes you would need. Here is a great free tutorial on English Paper Piecing, to give you some idea of how to get started. You can use this technique to piece anything from a tumbler quilt, to a nine patch, to complicated star patterns. And you can easily make your own templates at home with some sturdy card stock. Good luck!

Wait, am I reading this wrong? Are you saying that sewing by hand is a no-no?? If so, I have to pretty strongly disagree with that! People have been quilting by hand for (literally) centuries!

Thanks everyone for your recommendations. I live in Olney, Texas. A small town about 45 miles from Wichita Falls. I am going to check out the YouTube videos and check out some books from the library before I invest to make certain that this is something I can do.

Brother makes some cheap machines that are fine for a first machine. I paid less than a hundred for one that I use to take to meetings.
As a beginner make lots of half square triangles.
Hand sewing takes up so much time and there are so many quilts to make.

If you don't have a Quilt shop near you , I think even Walmart has quilting stuff to start out with. For free info try the library or IMHO one of the best magazines for beginning quilters is Quilty Magazine. The website is HeyQuilty.com and it has lots of beginning projects , videos and resource stuff. I don't know how young you are , but they seem to lean more toward modern quilting projects whereas the library will have a lot of traditional books and magazines. Have fun with your new adventure!!!

Another soloution is to check thrift stores for a older sewing machine. Many times they have them in good shape for a good price.

You've received some great suggestions so far.

My first quilt was a rag quilt (actually my first three) which is more forgiving than many pieced quilts - mainly because your seam flaws and oppsies are largely hidden.

From there, I moved on to teaching myself to quilt using Harriet Hargraves Quilter's Academy series. I've since joined a local guild and take advantage of workshops whenever I can to learn new techniques.

Is is possible for you to test drive a few sewing machines? Have you ever used one? I grew up using my mother's 1960's Singer - fabulous machine, but very heavy. So when it came time to move out on my own, blindly/blithely picked out a new Singer (1990's base model). Boy is there a difference. I keep meaning to donate that machine as we have never gotten along.

As I started researching machines, I decided to look for 80's era Berninas - and now have an 801 and an 830 as my go to machines for piecing. These are solidly made and the ones I found on eBay and Craigslist were generally well maintained.

I also have a Brother PC-420-PRW, which is barely out of the box - attractive to me for the alphabets and decorative stitching - and the blanket stitch for applique work, if I need/want a good blanket stitch.

For quilting, I have a HQ Sweet Sixteen, and recently picked up a 1950s Featherweight for my son and I. He currently has a bit of a love-hate relationship with it, but I think they will develop a good friendship in time.

There is a huge variety of machines to choose from, depending on what you think you would like to do. Once you choose a machine, take a look at local quilt stores to see if they have a basic class - ours is "Get to Know your Machine" where we make a simple project to become more comfortable with the machine. It was not brand specific.

I've done a little hand piecing and agree that it is a great take-along project.

Welcome and Have Fun!

Cheers, K

I recommend a visit to the library to look for a basic reference book that covers fabric selection, supplies, cutting, piecing, seam allowance, etc.

Next, I'd visit a quilt shop to look at beginner patterns to get a feel for what is out there and the types of designs that appeal to you.

When you're ready for a machine, test drive as many as you can and make notes about what you like and don't like about each one. Resist pressure from your sales rep/dealer--this is a big decision. Buy the very best you can afford at the time and then have fun!

I teach quilting at a local museum and I have one lady that ONLY does hand quilting - making the block to quilting. She's afraid of the sewing machine and she does beautiful work BTW. I would also suggest a Brother from WalMart as a beginner machine. But if you could find an older machine at a thrift store for $20 it would be even better. Just check to make sure it really sews before you take it home. Take some thread and a piece of fabric and maybe a needle to test.