Good Morning
My Name is Penny I am so to new to the sewing and Quilting world. The only thing i really no is how to thread my machine.

I would like to know when buying fabric do you buy fabric all in the same line or dose it matter?

2. when cutting fabric dose it what which way you cut it?

Thanks for any help

I buy what I like...it may mean I get one or two pieces from the same line, or 10. :D

Cutting fabric...I use a rotary cutter and ruler. Sometimes with triangles you end up across the bias. Well, all the time actually. :D

WElcome!

1. I purchase whatever 100% cotton that I like.
2. It depends on the quilt, how many pieces needed, and what size the pieces are. I am probably not as picky about this as some people.

I think you would benefit greatly from some sewing classes. Check with your local quilt shop or a Jo Ann Fabric store to see what they offer.

I don't buy fabric all in the same line, because I might like something else that goes with my color scheme. Quilters use 100% cotton. Blends can be less expensive, but can be difficult to work with and don't hold up as well as 100% cotton.

As for cutting it, if you cut it on the straight of grain, it has more strength. If you cut it on the bias (on the diagonal), it can stretch easy, especially if you aren't used to working with fabric. Many pieces have to be cut on the bias depending on the shape of what you're doing (a triangle will have two straight edges and one bias edge).

Welcome to the board! There is a ton of reading here and you will pick up a lot of tips just by reading other people's comments.

There is also a Tutorial section here that you should read. That might have a lot of help for you as they usually include pictures and step by step instructions.

thank you

That is what i have been doing. Got brave enough to ask question

Hi Penny,
Welcome to the group. I too an very new to quilting, check out this site, it is amazing!
http://tutorials.missouriquiltco.com/
They make it so simple.

welcome from Western Australia. take you time don't rush, build up your fabrics, if you have something in mind work out your colours and blends buy a bit extra just in case you goof, (I have plenty of times), the tutorials are great and there are lots of links to look at,
I think one of the most important things is to learn how to sew a straight line, (easier said than done for some people) then learn how to sew a 1/4 inch seam as that is the most common.
after that. just go for it, I have been asked to teach a young friend to sew and they don't even have a sewing machine. the last one they had went rusty from lack of use,

Great thanks for the website

Welcome!

Welcome to the friendliest bunch of people you will ever come across. You will learn so much here and there is always help available for your questions. Hope you enjoy quilting as much as I do. Where are you located? I am in NE Colorado.

Welcome from Louisiana!

If you have a pattern you want to make, then just select the fabric you want for that pattern, no matter what line it is from, or what shop you buy it at. Sometimes you may need to go to more than one store to get just the right fabric, because they don't always carry every line or every color.

When I first started, I would buy extra fabric depending on how much I needed for my pattern. I didn't always have time to work on them right away, and by the time I got around to them, if I needed more fabric, they would be sold out, and I couldn't find it. So if I needed a couple of yards, I would add up to 1/2yd extra. If I only needed 1/2 yd or less, then I would add 1/4 yd. If I really liked one of the fabrics I choose, and thought I would want it for another quilt, then I might buy a couple extra yards.

When you are just starting out, and you don't know what types of quilts you like, it's hard to build a stash. I have changed my mind on what types of quilts I like many times, and the kind and amount of fabric I would buy changes with the types of quilt.

As for cutting like others have said, you want to cut on the straight of grain, not the bias.

I agree with that statement 100%. Particularly if you are new to sewing as well.

My Name is Penny I am so to new to the sewing and Quilting world. The only thing i really no is how to thread my machine.

I would like to know when buying fabric do you buy fabric all in the same line or dose it matter?

2. when cutting fabric dose it what which way you cut it?

As for buying fabric, if you are a beginner at picking fabrics then by all means get a coordinated line. Manufacturers take great care to make an appealing collections of fabrics. However when I buy fabric it is more visceral than anything. In other words I buy what "feels good". I trust my own color sense even if no one else might. You get a lot of surprises when going out of your comfort zone and that is a good thing. In my mind there is no bad combo but pay attention to value and contrast as that will make a difference in the pattern you choose.

As for cutting, yes it matters. Grab a piece of fabric and do this, pull the fabric along the straight of grain, along the selvage, almost no stretch, along the cross grain, some stretch, across the bias, or diagonal, a lot of stretch. Now for most of what you will be doing you will cut on the cross grain. Bias is good for going around curves but can stretch and ripple if not treated with care. Most instructions will tell you when to use bias and when to use straight of grain so unless you know different use cross grain. It would be better to ask a question relating to a specific issue as to getting a recommendation on grain. Don't be afraid to ask here. There are lots of folks happy to answer your questions.

Hi from cedar city ut...we are almost neighbors...lol.
Welcome to the board, read, read & read somemore you will learn alot, make mistakes and learn from them. Over time you will learn what you like and what you are comfortable with.
This is one of the friendliest groups you will find.
Have fun.
dee

morning

here is first question.

cutting with the grain. Dose that mean you would put the grain towards the bottom of the cutting board( towards yourself)?

No, grain refers to the weave. Look for the selvage edge, pull on fabric parallel to the selvage edges, no stretch to speak of this is the straight of grain. now pull on the cut edge that is at a 90 degree angle to the selvage, some stretch this is the cross grain. Now imagine a diagonal line up from the intersection of cut edge and selvage, give it a tug, lots of stretch, bias grain. So knowing the properties of grain you can use them to your advantage. So bias tape is narrow strips of fabric cut on the diagonal and is very stretchy going easily around curves. Cross grain give you a bit of fudge when sewing blocks so most quilt patterns are designed to work there. Now pull out any clothing pattern piece and look at the long arrows, they want you to align the pattern along the grain the arrow is pointing out. Mostly they point along the straight of grain. This is so because you don't need much stretch up and down your body and having too much there could distort the fit. By aligning a blouse with the straight of grain up down it gives you a bit of stretch with the cross grain around your body where you might need it.
Now when quilting you don't want to pair up too many bias grain cuts because they do stretch and and get out of shape and give you rippled seams. However if you are binding a curvy edge, or appliquéing curvy stems you want that stretch. Straight of grain can also apply to making sure that your piece of fabric is aligned according to the weave. Now most off the bolt fabric is not straight, it is distorted by the printing process. So the only way you can be utterly sure it is straight is by tearing an edge. Get a yard of fabric, use cheap muslin, make a snip in it about an inch up from the cut edge at the selvage and rip it. You will see that it is even on the torn side but not on the cut side, do the other end and the piece looks all wonky, this because the fabric is distorted. Two corners are "high" and two are "low" like a parallelogram. take the two low corners, opposite of each other and give a good strong pull on the diagonal, look now the fabric is straight. Having done this mostly it doesn't matter much when making quilts and usually most scrap quilts are cut casually off grain. This is not obvious unless you have a woven plaid or check. However as with every thing quilty make this work for you. I happen to like casually off grain plaids in a scrap quilt, I think it adds interest, catches the eye so to speak.

Everything here has been good advice.. now let me give you a few terms..
Selvage, is the woven edge of the fabric.
Bias, if you open the piece of fabric out flat and pull from top right corner to bottom left corner you'll see it stretch and make a row of ripples.. that is bias.
Straight grain refers to the woven threads.. there is a grain the length of the fabric and one the width.. the width one stretches just a wee bit.. that's why some refer to the lengthwise grain as the "straight grain".
Standard seam allowance for quilting is a 1/4".. or some say a scant 1/4".. your choice. Just be consistent. When sewing garments the standard seam allowance is 5/8".
If you have further questions don't hesitate to ask.. we love to help! Happy stitching!!

Purplerose, this is a great place to ask questions! Please feel free to ask anything! We love to help! Welcome!

Hi Penny: If you lay out your material with the salvage on the right your straight grain will be vertical or up and down. The cross grain will be horizontal and will be a little stretchy when you pull on the fabric. When ever possible make your cuts on the straight grain. If I were you I would stick with only cotton fabric for a while as mixing fabrics can be quite tricky.

thank you

You'll be sorry i have lots of questoion.

do you pre wash material ?

I hope you have a nice cutting mat and a rotary cutter, I find that the 45mm works nice. You should invest in several quality rulers and squares and triangles for templates. A few good quilting books would be helpful, and don't forget this awesome quilting board.

Always always always.

I don't know how you are about colors and patterns, but if you are like me, just get what hits your fancy. However, since you are new. I would only buy fabric for the project that you are working on, well at least until you get the QD that we all have. Right now I am slowly starting to build a stash. I get just what I like. I don't have lots of money to spend on fabric but I buy just a little extra than what I might need for a project. that way any extra can be used for another quilt.
as for the cutting I just starch and fold my fabric then cut the way that will give me the best shapes for what I am working on. It does matter a little, but that is mostly for certain projects. good luck and I hope that you really enjoy quilting. this board is the best for asking all sorts of questions.

pre-washing is a personal preference. I only pre-wash those that I suspect will bleed(the colors run out of the fabric because the dye wasn't set right). These are mostly batiks and many different reds. there are some purple and blue bleeders but not many. if you are worried you can always cut a section to test to be sure.
Another suggestion that I have is regardless if you pre-wash or not is to get starch and practically soak your fabric in it. I have recently started to do that and it has made my cutting and piecing sooooo much easier.

Personally I haven't pre-washed so far. When I work with all cottons I don't have any problems. Working with other fabrics and synthetics is another story. I definitely will from now on pre-wash, starch and press all fabrics that aren't cotton before cutting out any pieces.

if i can figure out how to post a pic i will show you firt square. oh coarse i did this before all your good info.

I think the best way would be to pick up a magazine and find an easy pattern with beginner instructions. Then buy required fabs and go easy with it. Quilting is such a satisfying hobby. It grows with you and in you. Love to hear from you next year as you do grow. Or even show us your first project.

never, never, ,never lol

do I pre wash

Please show us your first project, even as you go long, if you wish. Often, we quilters think our own work is much worse than it really is. Maybe you've noticed headings like 'my worst ever' or something like that, when others don't think that at all! Besides, that's how we improve, is by having others help us where we have trouble or telling us it's not nearly as bad as we think!

OK. I haven't been quilting for long, a year or so. I must tell you if you can't afford to shop at the local quilt shop, and not many of us can, then try Hobby Lobby rather than Joanns. Only b/c they keep the fabric lines together for the most part. If something catches your eye, the coordinating fabrics are usually surrounding it. It makes it easy for me as I am not confident in my fabric color choices just yet. Joanns just doesn't keep the coordinates together in my shop.

Hi Penny and welcome from Arizona. I would suggest a basic sewing class or beginner's quilting class. This will help you feel more comfortable with your machine, the basic sewing skills and guidance in purchasing the correct types of fabric. Once you're ready to get your feet wet the answers to any question you may have about quilting can be found here.

Andie :D :D :D

I checked out a beginning quilting class,but dosen't start till the end of Jan.

Could you work on a basic quilt of squares until then? Cut your various fabrics into same-sized squares and put them together. It can be in a pattern or randomly. That way, you could practice some of the basics, like cutting straight, sewing a straight line, just getting used to working with your fabrics.

I have start one already. lol Boy do i need practice or new glasses. I used a cutting block template and still the sizes seem different.

Recommend Pat Sloan's: I Can't Believe I'm Quilting,Beginner's Complete Guide...not expensive, may be found in Joann's if you're near one.

You've received a load of great advice so far.
I'd like to add one.
Check out your local library. Often they will have "basics" of sewing books, and even some "all about quilting" type books. Some may be a bit old, but the only real thing that's changed in the past 10 years is the use of a rotary cutter rather than scissors for cutting.
The rest is variations of the same thing. Joining pieces together to make a pleasing pattern, adding a layer of batting and a back and sew them together - either by hand or by machine, or even by tying them with wool every 4" or so.
To save money while you're learning, you can even use "cheater" batting. Just pick up the prequilted fabric (usually in baby section), especially if it's on sale. Use that for your practise quilts and save the expensive stuff for when you're more confident. Even an old flannel blanket will work for batting. If you're going to machine quilt, I'd suggest spray basting your layers together, and to stay away from polyester batting as it shifts a lot more than wool or cotton.
And shop around. Some places are a LOT cheaper than others.
It is always worth it to take classes. Even the "experts" still take classes.
And don't forget to have FUN!

Take a beginner class. You will learn the basics.

There is definitely a right way to cut fabric and it can't be explained that easliy on a forum such as this.

As far as buying fabric, anything that goes together is okay. But a class would probably help you determine what is quality and what is not.