My pick is a sampler quilt. That way you learn most all the quilt

techniques at one time.

You know SZQ is right. A sampler is a great idea.

Log cabin.

My project in my beginner quilt class about 25 years ago was a set of oval placemats with a Grandmother's Flower Garden applique in the center of each one. Lots to be learned: hand piecing, applique, set in seams, binding with curves, etc. However....I am not a "placemat person"! Neither was I ready for that beginner class....so I'd recommend what I taught myself on, which was a set of sampler blocks. They never made it into a quilt (YET, ok?) but I learned soooo much more than I did in that class! Oh, and I'm not/never will be a hand piecer either! :)

I teach a sampler quilt which contain many of the blocks that have been suggested.

I think a nine patch would be good with some of the patches having s scene or something on them and some solids.

I have found that a log cabin pattern is always a good one for beginners. It lends itself well to learning all aspects of quilting and is an easy one to be successful with. It also gives the quilters many options in how the final quilt will look.

My first quilt was a log cabin. I think it is great for beginners.
Good luck

Everyone teaches differently, but I need more than just a single block quilt for a six week class. If people are going to shell out money for a long class of mine I feel they should learn more than just squares and rectangles. I live on a fixed income and have to watch every penny I spend which may influence my thoughts and opinions.

My first quilt was a log cabin. I had my daughter do a nine patch when she was 6. Rail Fence is a good one also.

My beginning quilting class was a log cabin using Eleanor Burns book, which had very good instructions.

9 patch or rail fence would be my choice for a beginner. Don't want them to get overwhemed on their first quilt!

Hi, Sis. I liked the two quilt patterns you taught in your last class, but then I might be a bit prejudiced. :) As a beginning quilter, I really appreciated everything you taught us. I wish I remembered it all. I don't even remember the names of the two patterns you taught, but I love my finished quilts.

There are good ideas here though. I even recognize most of then names of the patterns!

That is a very nice quilt, and I don't think I've ever seen that combination before.

9-patch is versatile--from scrappy to one-three colors for a single Irish chain. In my quilt class last year, we started on a Trip Around the World, then we did a sampler to learn different techniques. The Log Cabin is one our instructor said she always had trouble with. I think she was just too particular and didn't like to have any mistakes.
Our sampler had a rail fence in it, and it was not as easy as it looked like. Getting the seams exactly 1/4" at the beginning and at the end was my bugaboo. It also could be a Basket Weave. Good luck!!

My quilting teachers gaves us one block cut out with directions to follow and we brought them back next times and we put the sampler together as I thought we were all sewing the same thing. My it was pretty. It was queen size and it was a great teaching aid for all the class.
Forth class was a row of applicated flowers and we then sewed them in rows with sashes inbetween. We had to make more than one quilt and all were given to the Skagit Cleaners for fun raising to help a self help group. I do the hand sewing and another lays it out and one steples it.
I am handicap when it comes to sewing so must get someone else to cut things out for me to sew. I can't keep my hand
steady enough to rotory cut any thing out but believe me I
try. Angeline....

In my Beginner class a couple of years ago, we did Yellow Brick Road by Atkinson Designs.

judee

Our girls were in a homeschool quilting class a few years back and one lesson they had was on using the color wheel and how to coordinate colors. They even brought their own color pencils and ,ade their own color wheel to use. It was great and they all enjoyed it.
Just a suggestion.:)

I too learned by doing a sampler. I learned so many different blocks with different techniques...it was the best foundation for learning to quilt because it included so much.

My class to learn quilting went for the same amount of time and I was taught a bird nest's - it was a straight tree with a nest at the top with leaves - all appliqued etc

If I were ever able to take a quilting class, I would love for it to be a sampler quilt that had curves and all other aspects of quilting in it, that way I would feel like I could do any pattern I wanted to, when I finished the class. God bless. Penny

I'm a retired teacher too. I agree with the above suggestion. I would use the 9-patch as my main theme and then add variations of the 9-patch.

Edit: oops. I hopped onto the wrong post, I had read the one about the 9-patch and thought that was a great idea. My suggestion remains the same.

Good luck in teaching your class. You may want to have lots of samples on hand for them to see -- pictures as well as the actual quilts or quilt blocks.

I have taught three begining quilting classes and I use Turning Twenty....only I make it Twelve. This teaches nesting and color -light , med and dark. Also any mistakes a beginer makes cannot be found once it is put together. I think it gives a better sence of accomplishment.

make it a simple design so you can emphasise the need for accuracy and the students can complete it in the time frame.
Stay away from complicated seams. Rail fence is good

Great idea!

I like the photographed quilt of the 9 Patch Variation! Nice!

Are you familiar with the Warm Wishes pattern? It turns out very nice. It is a Rail Fence -- in a sense -- with a little fussy cutting. I think some people call it 3-D.

I started with a sampler quilt. It opened up many doors for me.

When I took a beginning quilting class, I knew NOTING about sewing, I didn't even own a sewing machine, I used one from the shop, I didn't even know how to thread a needle. The pattern the instructor used was an Ohio Star small quilt, four to six 12-inch blocks with sashing strips and borders. I appreciated the fact that the class taught us how to cut squares, HST, QST and strips for the sashing and borders. IMHO, if I am taking a beginner class, I want to acquire as many skills as possible. A six-block sampler would be a great option too, try to incorporate different aspects, but suggest a smaller quilt so that students are able to finish what they start.

I did a king size Eleanor Burn's Log Cabin in a class.

My first classes were for a sampler quilt, which taught me how to make templates, how to rotary cut,selecting fabrics,placement of blocks, sashing,basting,binding all the basics. Each week I was taught a different block. I still refer to this quilt for ideas as I can see what the blocks look like and how to do them if I look at a pattern in a magazine or want to make my own quilt.

I agree that the nine patch is an easy, easy quilt to make. I actually taught grade school children using the nine patch and it went very well!

Alex Anderson has a book, "Start Quilting," that would be perfect for your class. She shows six different quilt blocks, and then she makes them into a quilt that is 40 1/2" x 40 1/2". They are: Friendship Star, Log Cabin, Nine Patch, Rail Fence, Flying Geese, and Nine Patch Variation. The NPV has a four patch in each corner, a darker square in the middle and light squares separating the four patches. (Sort of an Irish Chain.)

There are 6" blocks in her book, or you could make them any size. For beginners, I would think it would be better to have a larger block.

None of these are difficult. When the class was over, they could actually make six more quilts out of these patterns.

She shows a quilt made from the Nine Patch plus the Nine Patch Variation.

Love the nine patch, split rail. I think I can do that. I will PM you for pattern if you don't mind. I am a widow and I work full time so I have to really work at finding time to quilt. I do love it.

My first quilt I made was using the friendship star pattern and wasn't hard at all!

Yellow Brick Road!! It is easy.

Welcome to the board from South Lousiiana. You will enjoy your time here. If you go to Quilter's Cache you will find a wealth of free patterns in all difficulties. I'll bet one of the board members can even give you the link to click on to get to it. I'm not very savvy with the computer, but I know enough and I'm learning more everyday. The people here are so willing to help.

It is:

www.quilterscache.com

Thank you, quiltingmimipj. I knew someone would jump in and help. BTW, I'm a "Mimi" too. My little GGS was here yesterday afternoon and he is finally saying my name. He has been calling his Toto (his GGF and my DH), but he also calls his pacifier his mimi. We don't know if there's an association there or not. :lol:

I am a beginner quilter and also wish to be in your class! LOL! My first quilt (self taught more by making mistakes than anything else) was a crazy 9 patch. Nothing had to patch up perfectly. The next pattern was disappearing 9 patch! Really loved that one. Each one was different! I moved on to a pin wheel and am now doing a strip quilt. It's a real trial by error learning experience for me! Best of luck to you and your class. Wish I knew short cuts, for cutting, sewing patches together, etc. Simple things that I'm sure have been perfected by someone.