newbie quilting question
 

Ok, newbie quilting question. My closest friend is getting married in July, and I would like to make them a wedding quilt. Very basic, but in their wedding colors. (black, purple and silver) I have no idea how much fabric I will need! They have a queen sized bed, but I would like to make it King size, in case they get a larger bed in the future they can still use it. Very basic pattern, with one large solid square in the center (black), a thin (5 inch wide) silver stripe around that, and then a wider (8-10 inch) stripe of purple around that. The back would like to be one solid purple piece. The stripes could also possibly be two rows of alternating (5in) squares of the silver and purple- what do you think would be better? Anyhoo, I have no idea how much fabric I would need to buy! For fabric types I don’t want satin because that is hard to wash- so probably a mid- weight soft fabric.

would I just take the dimmensions of a king bed and go from there? (it is friday and my brain is fried so this is probabbly a really simple duh answer. :-) )

Are you new to quilting?? If you don't have much experience with quilting, it is best to start with something small and have a pattern selected. I would suggestion you make a bed runner that they could place on the foot of their bed. Making a king size quilt is quite a huge undertaking. As you get more experienced, you can make a king size quilt for a future anniversary. I have seen so many new quilters get burned with taking on such a large task. You are so sweet to try. I wish you the BEST of LUCK! I have Electric Quilt 5 and if you give me additional information, I will be happy to help you plan your design, just PM me.

A lover's knot by eleanor burns is a nice easy pattern
http://www.amazon.com/Lovers-Knot-Qu...ds=lovers+knot

I would pick a pattern because there really isn't a way to determine how much of each fabric you need without a pattern

Getting this done by July is a HUGE undertaking no matter how simple the pattern. Why not go with the bed runner idea for now and then plan a bed quilt for their first anniversary.

How about place mats?

Please don't try a king size quilt if you are a newbie. I haven't done a King size yet and I've been quilting for a number of years. What about something that people can sign instead of a guestbook at their wedding. Just an idea.

For your fabrics, you want to use good 100% cotton. I agree that you would probably do better with a smaller project. Of coarse that is not what I did when I started quilting. I have sewed for years so I just jumped in with both feet. If it gets to be overwhelming, you can always stop and say it was meant to be a lap quilt. Good luck with the project and welcome to quilting.

All of the above advice is good. Like almost everything in life, quilting is more complicated that it looks at first. Starting with a smaller project like a bed-runner would be smart!

That said, my first project was a twin-size French braid quilt following Jane Hardy Miller's directions in her book, French Braid Quilts. In the introduction (I think) the author states that the pattern is appropriate for beginners. While I am blessed with a good eye for color and had a wonderful time putting together the "color runs," I couldn't begin to understand her instructions. Luckily I had a friend who translated them for me. The quilt took me months to construct, and I ripped out many seams along the way.

The twin-size quilt turned out quite well - better than it should have, given my skills at the time. (Note: I took it to a professional long-arm quilter for the actual quilting!) Would I advise anyone else to start with such a project? NO! Heck, in the three years I've been making quilts since then, I've yet to make another as large as a twin.

How 'bout a bed runner with matching pillow cases/shams?

My first quilt was a king size on a regular sewing machine. Lol who knew it was a daunting task! Not moi!
i would recommend a rail block or a simple block pattern quilt with those colors. Find a free block pattern on quilter's cache. I would be more than happy to help you! You can do it!

I'm going with a yes you can make a king size quilt. A good size for a cal king bed is about 100x110 it gives you plenty to hang over the edge of the bed it will overwhelm the queen bed.

Get some graph paper and draw out what you want to do to scale. That will be the finished size of all your pieces. Remember when you cut those pieces out you need to add 1/2 in inch all the way around If you want an 8" finished block you need to cut it at 8.5 inches. If you want a 2" strip it needs to be cut at 2.5 As a beginner stay with straight edges and away from biased cuts they stretch too easily and difficult to match your seams. Once you draw it and and get your cut sizes you can figure out the yardage you need.

If you really want to do this you can but it will take time and it is not cheap. After your top is done do you want it quilted? The actual quilting is not something I would advise a beginner to do and it is expensive to have something that size quilted minimum of $150.00 probably more for a very basic all over quilting. And do not forget to factor in the cost of the quilt fabric, the batting and the cost of the quilt back. To save some money you can put it together with the birthing method the tie it.

Still want to do it? Go for it just start soon and don't rush it.