New hand piece quilter wanting to start Please Help
 

I have a friend who wants to try to hand piece and I need help as I want to start her off with basics for Christmas present.I have a acrylic tumbling block template and some good Aurifil thread that I haven't used would this be bad to include? I have ordered fat quarters,but what else should I include?Don't want to go broke but also would like to start her on the right path.She does not have a lot to spend on craft but I don't want to discourage her either.Can you Help me .

I don't hand piece but think good needles and small snips would be essential. Does she have a way to cut the fabric? Rotary cutter and mat. I think with a coupon you could get those at a craft store - Joanns, Michaels, Hobby Lobby for a very good price. And if you have the cash left, a container of some kind to hold all of it in one place would be special.

You could also include a little thread catcher. For my hand quilting tools I use a small zippered bag - kind of like a make up pouch to hold everything. Similar idea could be used for her essentials. A small pincushion would be great as well. A thimble of some sort.

Ginny Beyer,'s book on hand piecing - can buy used for around $10.00 on the internet.

What a wonderful and very thoughtful gift idea!

I am sure that it and your efforts to help your friend get started will be appreciated much beyond Christmas and will give you both many hours of sewing time together!

In this day of smartphones, facebook, etc its so important for each of us to reach out and share the joys of quilting so that they dont “disappear” in future generations! 😊

That is very nice of you to help her out and you are right-she doesn't need to get discouraged. I agree with a small pair of scissors and maybe a good pencil to mark her pieces to cut out. As time goes on she will find things that she needs and would make hand piecing easier but it sounds like you have her on a great start.

some sort of instruction/demo - book, suggestions on what to watch on YouTube, class, lessons, sew-along

thimble - they come in various sizes and styles
needles
pin cushion
template plastic
straight edge/ruler
fabric
small scissor
thread
markers for template plastic and fabric
sandpaper or sandpaper board

cutting tools -

I am working on a hand quilted piece now and although it is not my first, it is my first large quilt to hand quilt. Start this newbie with a small project. A candle mat or doll quilt or a small seasonal wall hanging. Hand quilting takes much more time than one would guess. I would not want you to invest in her newfound efforts only to have here be discouraged with the amount of time it takes to finish even a small sized quit.

I second the Ginny Beyer Book. It did more for my hand piecing skills than anything. Aside from that, some scrap fabric to practice with, I would think a small pair of scissors, a pack of good needles, some sort of thimble, thread, a few pins, a marking tool, and a pin cushion.

I started out quilting with handwork, and I still keep a bag of scraps in my car to sew with.

I would have loved just enough tools and fabric to help me get started as a gift...it is very thoughtful of you!

You are what good quilting friends are all about! I have a pouch that has all the tools I need including a 6" ruler and cutting mat. It also has a small rotary cutter, snips, thread needle threader, thread scissors, extra needles and bees wax. I also keep in my pouch any templates I am using and pieces I am stitching. Enough so I don't run out on a road trip. I do a good deal of hand stitching so I have everything I can think of at a hand's grasp.

I agree with everyone's suggestions especially the book Quiltmaking by Hand by Jinny Beyer. That has helped me the most along with her Perfect Piecing tool. I use the tool for a lot of things other than hand piecing such as Y seems and partial seams done by machine. It helps you mark the 1/4 intersection on a variety of different angeled pieces.

I hope your friend enjoys hand work, I find it very rewarding and relaxing.

I think everyone covered most everything. I would add Quilters Dream wool batting and a hoop if she also wants to hand quilt it. I have one on a stand by hintenburg and I love it but it is expensive. I would just get a wooden hoop. May I also recommend that you do not give her BATIK FQs. That are too hard to stitch through. Regular 100% cotton would be perfect.

Keep it simple so as not to be overwhelming. As she progresses you can "gift" her on occasion with additional supplies.
I attended a class for hand quilting because I wanted to make an entire quilt by hand from start to finish. The book used is "Learning to Quilt, a Beginner's guide" by Leisure Art and has 25 lessons (blocks) to hand piece and hand quilt, with templates for both. It is a Leisure Art book and can be ordered online for about $9.00. The class consisted of 8-10 seasoned quilters. Only 2 of us completed all 25 blocks and finished the quilt. Each lesson has a different block so covers a lot of different simple techniques. I highly recommend this book as it is clear and isn't intimidating. I will add that it took me a couple years to complete as I was doing other things.

Jinny Beyer has the best book on hand piecing and quilting I've ever seen. That's what she does, even after all these years.