It's me again, the greenie :P

If it were your very first project on the machine, what would you pick so you could learn on your own?

I won't be able to enlist physical help b/c I have a little one and I'm too pooped at night to go for a class right now. I have a couple of must does, but I want to then back track and do it from the start to learn.

Thank you

I would start with either a simple nine-patch, or something that doesn't have points.
I made my first quilt with 8 inch squares grouped in a color.
You might try that.
Do something you would like. And get familiar with your machine first.

I would get an Eleanor Burns Quilt in a Day book or a Terri Atkinson pattern. Both have very good, accurate, clear instructions and illustrations.

I would do this one:

[IMG]http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z.../28b-TradP.jpg[/IMG]

Just kidding! I have this pattern but haven't even attempted to start it. I love looking at it though.

My first quilt was a simple log cabin. It's a great pattern for a beginner and looks great even with a few opps.

I would do a simple rail fence.. 3 stripes per block, 6" blocks.. very simple, but very pretty and you can add your own touch by how you set the blocks and the colors you use.

BellaBoo you are funny. That picture made my heart sink. lol

I did a basic rail fence as an early project. It limits the number of fabrics, and you can practice all the parts of making a pieced top. The result looks more difficult than it is.

http://www.equilters.com/library/qui...ail_fence.html

I did simple squares with fussy cut princesses for my first one. A log cabin is a good choice too.

BellaBoo.....

I would do this one:

Just kidding! I have this pattern but haven't even attempted to start it. I love looking at it though.
My first quilt was a simple log cabin. It's a great pattern for a beginner and looks great even with a few opps.



Now that was too funny......lol.....just couldn't resist huh.....my kinda ....lol...... I bet her eyes did this number :shock: ....lol......:-) :lol:



I would do a four patch...like Beverly's.....

I don't know ... That warm wishes seems even easier than the log cabin! I too made a log cabin for my first quilt by elenore burns. Back then you tore the strips and sewed your heart out for the day and had it done. It is a good first for beginners because there is so many settings you can go with to make it different than anyone else's. Very fun and she explains it perfectly in her book. She is on line and sells her books and rulers.

So far you have had lots of good suggestions.

I did a Quilt in a Day Log Cabin for my first quilt. It was fun and straight forward. Directions were clear and easy to follow. I backed it with flannel and tied it. Twenty five years later, it still is on my son's bed.

Oh i agree with the warm wishes quilt, i've never done one, but there's one in the photo section right now, that looks so gorgeous, but so easy, here is a link to it:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/19177.page

I always think rail fence is a great first quilt. For a second quilt, I would recommend log cabin. These quilts don't require matching seams, which is the most difficult skill to acquire IMO, but let you practice all of the other skills -- accurate cutting and sewing, making a sandwich, basting, quilting, binding. For a third quilt I would recommend a largish 9-patch, which requires matching seams. Fourth quilt would be Warm Wishes, which requires cutting up a 9-patch and matching even more seams. After that, anything goes!

oh prism, warm wishes is rail fence blocks, alternated with a plain block, unless theres another warm wishes i dont know about

:oops: You're right! I was thinking of the double 9-patch.

Also, rail fence and log cabin *do* require matching seams when you sew the blocks together! It's just that you don't have to match seams within the blocks, which means there is much less matching of seams required.

These senior moments are the pits!

see now i don't even know what a double 9-patch is, so you know more than me lol :) :)

prism,

do you have a link for the double 9-patches so I get an idea?

Not sure what you mean by matching seams b/c it looks to me that you have to match those square perfectly or else when you do the outside... so I guess I am missing something.

Thanks :)

--

Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions. Taking notes.

Moose here is the addy for the one I was suggesting:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/19126.page

Okay, I screwed up again with the name. I meant the disappearing 9-patch rather than the double 9-patch!

Do you have a beginning quilting book? I really think it is a good idea to have one on hand to help you with techniques, especially if you want to learn strip-piecing (what most of us use to speed up the process of making blocks).

Here is a link to a picture tutorial on how to make a double 9-patch by means of strip piecing. A 9-patch quilt is composed of just 9-patch blocks; a double 9-patch alternates 9-patch blocks with plain squares.
http://tinyurl.com/cd7w9k

Here is a link to a picture tutorial on how to make a disappearing 9-patch. For this one, you make a large 9-patch block and then cut the block and rearrange the pieces.
http://tinyurl.com/ccn6hn

The fewer seams in a block that need to be matched, the easier the blocks are to put together. With a rail fence pattern, the first time you need to match seams is when you sew one row of blocks to the next row; you just need to match the block seams. When you make a 9-patch block, you already have to match seams inside the block when you attach row 2 to row 1, row 3 to row 2, and then you still have all the block seams to match when you sew row 2 of the quilt to row 1 of the quilt.

What I was trying to say, in my senior moment way, was that the easiest quilt will have a block pattern that does not require matching seams within the block. Rail fence is like that.

Thank you for the links and clarification.

I was also told that the yellow brick road would be a good first project. Any opinions?

TIA

I don't think you can go wrong with a Yellow Brick Road done in blues and yellows for a first project (unless, like me, you have a husband who doesn't like yellow!).

Use El Burns methods that use oversize then cut to size. You cant go wrong that way.
Two and a half inch half square triangles have so many design uses that they are a great way to learn.
Take 2 fabrics, one light one dark. Cut into 6 in squares and put them togather right sides facing.
Draw an X corner to corner then sew 1/4 inch on each side of line.
Cut in half at the 3 in measure on both sides of square +. Then cut on drawn lines. You will have 8 over size half sqs that you trim to 2 1/2 inch squares.
Put them togather however you want to make an 8 1/2 square. 8 inch
finished in quilt.
Be sure and watch lots of videos on http://www.quilterstv.com

It would be great if you posted pictures of what patterns you suggest so us newbies and me daft newbie,lol would know what your talking about :wink:
thank you for taking the time to do so

This is a basic star block using half square triangles. There are so many different ways to use them. Just play with them till you like the design.

Go into the Pictures menu and click on WIP I am working on now. It is another way to use half square triangles.
You can also combine squares with HQT for even more patterns.

Hello Rose Marie,

Thanks for the picture and the link. I haven't had a chance to look at it; I hope the method you speak of is there as well b/c I'm not familiar with it or any other for that matter at this point in time. :)

Is there a place where I can look up the acronyms? Not familiar with them yet either.

There are lots of El Burns videos on quilterstv. She also has some videos of her methods at her web site, Quilt In A Day.
She has special rulers for doing flying geese that are a must once you are more knowledgeable.
So many experts push their products and rulers that it can get very expensive. I found that the squares for HST is the best way and no special products or rulers involved.
If you need a different size HST you just add 2 in for each size. 6 inch makes 2 1/2 inch, 8 inch squares make 3 1/2 inch HST, 10 inch makes 4 1/2 ect.
Be sure and watch Billie Lauder videos too. She has some quicky methods.

Hi,

Thanks again.

What's HQT, WIP and HST?

Is there a place that explains all these?

Thanks

half square triangles, work in progress, hqt is a mistake for HST.
No I dont know where there is an explaination, you just pick them up after awhile on the board.