Nervous Beginner
 

I am totally new to quilting and very nervous about where to begin. I was wondering what the best project to begin with would be. I don't have a sewing machine so I will be doing the stitching by hand until I can get one. Also, what brand and type of machine is suggested?

Have you done any sewing before? I suggest you go to your local quilt shop (LQS) and see if they have a class..intro to quilting or quilting for beginners or something similar...or do you know a quilter perhaps that might be your mentor....or go to the local library and see if they have or can get thru their network some beginning quilting books.....my first quilt was a batch of squares I picked up at a garage sale...bored one night and sewed them together using 5/8" seam....showed it proudly to my neighbor the next day who was a seasoned quilter.....she took me under her wing and the story continues........20+yrs.....and still learning...eagerly! So don't rush into it blindly...it can be a lifetime experience.....and you are lucky to have this board and all the other things available today......

I piece and quilt by hand....I would suggest a table runner or project of similar style. It is what I started with and allows you to learn the different steps to making a quilt without having to make a bed sized quilt. I learned a lot from that project that will put me in good stead when I make a bed sized quilt. I hope you jump in soon, quilting is so enjoyable especially when done by hand. I don't have a machine so I can't help you there.

I started with hand piecing because when I used the machine it was a big mess...nothing lined up, I didn't know about the 1/4 inch seam allowance, etc. The nice thing about hand piecing is you can take your project anywhere. As far as a machine, I would suggest going to a dealer and looking at used machines. I personally like Berninas, but others prefer other brands. My opinion would be to get a solidly made older machine that makes a nice straight stitch and maybe a few decorative stitches. I have many decorative stitches on my big machine, but really only use the steaight one, zig zag, and occasionally a buttonhole stitch. Have fun on your new quilting adventure!

Welcome! You are starting out on a wonderful journey. I hope that you can find someone to take you under their wing and help you get settled in. Wish you lived close to me, I'd love to help you. As far as a machine goes, I would try to buy an older machine. The older Singers are great...well built. The newer ones, not so much. One of my sewing buddies buys the lower priced Brothers at Wal-Mart and gets along just fine. Just what ever you are comfortable with. Have fun!

I recommend starting at the library and reading up on quilt-making. Jinny Beyer is a famous hand-piecer, hand-quilter. If the library doesn't have her book(s) on the subject, make a request at the library desk.

Welcome! For learning to quilt, as well as the library, there are terrific resources online - lots of you tube videos, craftsy.com, Quilter's Cache (http://www.quilterscache.com/QuiltBlocksGalore.html), Quilting Tutorials by Jenny Doan from Missouri Star Quilt Co - http://quiltingtutorials.com/.

There may be a quilt guild close to you filled with quilters so eager to share their knowledge :)

As for sewing machine recommendation, any machine with a good solid straight stitch will work. Fancy machines are wonderful, but you will be mostly sewing 1/4" straight seams (a 1/4" foot is great but you can also quickly and cheaply add guides to the machine bed). A walking foot is very helpful - and you can buy a generic one if it doesn't come with your machine. A few decorative stitches are great for finishing the quilt, and a zig-zag or blind hem stitch is good for applique. When you're looking at machines, if you're at a dealer, try to sit down and do some sample sewing yourself to see how they feel. If you're lucky, you'll find a great dealer who will sell you what you need (not what they want to sell), and who will service the machine. Many dealers offer lessons with the purchase of a new machines. And many local quilt shoppes are also sewing machine dealers! Depending on how many dealers are near you, it may be more important to find a great dealer than be set on a specific brand. And lots of dealers sell used machines too. Lots of options!

Good luck, enjoy the journey :)

As a beginner I started out with a basic low end brother and have grown from there. Igot my mechanical off of overstock.com but now I use my SQ9050 from walmart and my travel, class machine and also have a TOL brother, but it was many years before I purchased. Another good machine to grow into would be the brother PC-420 off of amazon, good rating, solidly built. Janome is also another popular brand but I can't comment on them because I love my brothers

I always suggest starting with the kitchen. Make some "sampler" blocks for place mats, potholders and table runners. You get to sample different blocks and techniques but still don't invest too much money till you learn if you are going to like your new hobby.

Don't be nervous, we will help you. Watch You Tube videos, haunt the quilting web sites, ask questions. You will be rewarded so much more than you know by learning this new skill.

Where do you live? There may be someone here on Quilting Board who lives close by and could help you!! I certainly would!! I am in UK!!!

This is my suggestion to. There are books out called Learning to Quilt. it teaches you everything and at the end you have made a quilt or whatever learning all the ins and outs of quilting

Welcome from Northern California. Where do you live? There is probably someone here on the board that lives near you and would be more than willing to take you under their wing. Have fun. BrendaK

I agree with Tartan. There have been numerous posts recent on this site about Hexs (hexagons). The are a quilting project that can easily take on the go. I have never tried the English paper piece. I have just cut out plastic templates of the size I want to make. They are easy to pop out instead or trying to remove the paper.

We have ALL made mistakes so there is Nothing to fear. Welcome to the board.

This is a great idea. Also you can make a few templates at a time and few hexies ahead of time. Cereal boxes are great for hexie templates and other templates. Little more flexible. DO NOT BE NERVOUS! It's a hobby not a job. You do it at your own free will.

What about doing applique instead of piecing?

When I started, I did not have a clue, or the benefit of the internet. I picked a block back in 1992, that I still could not do today. Start with something very easy like the Boxed Squares pattern. It will give you the feeling of accomplishment and will build confidence.

Check with friends and family members to see if they have a good sewing machine they don't use. Perhaps you could borrow it for a while to get an idea of what you want to buy when you do purchase a machine. I know so many people who don't sew but have machines stuck away somewhere that they would be glad to lend you.

Laura, It would help if you gave us an indication of where you live. We might be able to recommend a shop or class where you could get some basic training. I am in rural Maryland just south of Hanover, PA. I have been sewing since puberty but had the advantage of having a Mother who sewed and was willing to share her Singer Featherweight with me. That was 40 years ago and I am still sewing and or quilting almost daily. I wouldn't invest in an expensive sewing machine until you find out if you really want to do this. There are some very expensive machines out there whose monetary value drops drastically the minute they leave the store. I am a person who hand quilts. I enjoy the process and makes it possible for me to spend time with my husband and or family and still get the quilt done. I don't hand piece or applique. My favorite is whole cloth quilting. That means that a quilting pattern is drawn on a whole piece of fabric and I hand quilt it by stitching on the markings. This can be done on a pillow top or up to a king size quilt. In my opinion machine quilting is good only for objects like kids quilts, that will be drug around and washed often. I make at least 21 Linus quilts a month using the sewing machine or crocheting around pieces of fleece. For my personal quilt projects it is always hand quilted. A reputable sewing machine dealer offers classes to go with the machine and often gives you the full value of your machine, if it is in good condition when you decide to trade up. I am a Bernina lover but it was more than 20 years before I was willing and able to trade up to a Bernina machine. Good Luck and welcome to the world of quilting.

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.

have a good ripper close by....I started with large blocks...they went real fast ...and I learned a lot about 1/4 in seams an squaring up each block...good luck..
everyone had to start somewhere!

I suggest just jumping in and making something. I tried hand and didn't like it but machine went better. My first quilt was really really ugly and still is not truly finished. My next one was a baby quilt for my son when he was a baby. It was a simple pattern. Just a bunch of squares. It helps to do something small and simple. Then work to larger more elaborate projects. I also have never taken a class so if classes are not for you just watch videos and make sewing friends. I agree with borrowing a machine till you get a chance to get your own. They do make simple cheap machines to start out with. The are good for other things as well as sewing. Good luck.

Laura,
I used to teach beginning quilting, the first projects I taught were the 4 patch and 9 patch blocks.
I suggest you stay away from the new Singer machines. Older machines from the early 70s and older are great, they will last much longer than a cheap new machine. A Singer 237 is a good starter machine, it has 2 stitches; straight and zig zag. My machine was electric, but the motor didn't work any more, so its a treadle now.
Sharon

I'm still learning how to quilt although I have 4 machines. I had the slight advantage of knowing how to sew on a machine by making clothes. For a machine look at Estate sales, Goodwill, Salvation Army ect...I always have a ziplock baggy in my purse with a machine needle, thread, and a piece of fabric to test out the machine before I buy it to be assured it works and then I take it to my sewing machine repair place for a check up & tune up. Walmart has great easy to use machines at a fair price for what they do. Do watch a lot of Jenny Doan videos via Missouri Star Quilt Company, I have learned more from there and this board than I have anywhere else. This board is awesome with any question you can come up with, just ask them a question and you'll get quite a few helpful answers! needless to say I LOVE this board and learn something new EVERYDAY from it! good Luck and welcome to the beautiful bounty of the board!

OF COURSE NOT! But I doubt there is anyone who would 'want' and 'like' to sew a whole quilt w/o a sewing machine. I sew by hand what I cannot sew easily with a machine. I wonder if those who quilted (or sewed) by hand for centuries wouldn't have welcomed a sewing machine 'centuries' ago?!!

..so from looking at the pic with your post....that machine that you are working on is a manual treadle now? Wow.......do you have an electric one too?

I don't sew/ piece by hand...just never thought to do it...but I do like handquilting.....it is relaxing to me. I do not do much h/q....have a L/A.... And I do know from this board there are quite a few who piece/quilt exclusively by hand. But, thank heaven for the invention of the sewing machine...in my world anyway.....

buy 1 book: Better Homes and Gardens
Complete Guide to Quilting. It has marvelous photos and copious directions for most every quilting techniques. Study it as you piece. I would look for an older machine which will be cheaper. I sew most on my Singer 401A slant needle) 58 years old). Sews like a dream and will embroider, etc. You just have to adjust manually but it will do most everything the newer ones will do. Welcome to the Board and welcome to quilting. I hope you love it as much as I do!

I have one of the really old, belonged to my great grandmother, machines that has the metal pedal. I have never used a machine of any type. I've made maternity dresses but made them by hand. Would the machine I have be hard to learn?

Actually...people DO still sew entire quilts (piecing and quilting) by hand! Not *me*, but other people with more time and more dexterous fingers than I have. I just recently joined a quilt guild and there is a group of ladies doing English paper pieced hexie quilts and every single stitch is by hand. Amazing work, those tiny stitches are truly impressive, and the hexies are just one inch per side so everything is so tiny! Very cute and very precise and not something I have the patience for at all, although I'm strangely drawn to trying it out. Maybe I can make a pillow cover or something small, LOL. It looks amazing.