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Believe what is right for you and be true to yourself. Be open to tips - and this Board is a great place for that. If they work for you adopt them, if they don't move on. Quilt for fun and enjoyment. Don't take the critics to heart. Life is too short to waste one moment on thinking about that. You are the expert for your quilt.
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While I am predominately a hand quilter, but I make a lot of Linus Quilts on the machine. My two requirements for a quilt is that it be made of three layers and finished either by hand or machine. In my experience "good intentions" don't keep any one warm.
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Originally Posted by SlightlyOffQuilter
(Post 6768843)
I don't think its as much about what you can believe, as it is about what you prefer. There are as many opinions on how to make a quilt as there are quilters. Pre-Wash vs No Pre-Wash, Steam vs No Steam, Starch vs No Starch ... the list is long and all sides are very firm believers in their decisions !
There really are no "rules" when it comes to making quilts. Quilting is an art form. One would not presume to tell Picasso that he was using the wrong brush or technique, yet we as quilters do it to each other all the time. Even the " 1/4 inch seam rule " . Yes, the most basic of all quilting lessons tells us that we MUST use 1/4 inch seam allowance or we are doomed to fail. Not so true. You could use a 5/8ths seam allowance if you really wanted to. You would just need to make adjustments to what size you cut your fabric to compensate. You could always go back and trim your seams down before quilting. Is it the " standard " method ? No, but it can be done. For me, learning to quilt was rather daunting when I first started, because there are SO MANY different ways of doing or not doing things that I never knew which one was the " right " way. Once I learned that it was less about right vs wrong and more about what works for ME and what doesn't, things got ALOT easier. I still try new ways of doing things, because it may work better for me than what I was doing before. |
A common misconception:
That one will learn what is and how to do something "the one and only right way" immediately. I think many of us are still learning new things, even after many years of sewing and quilting. |
I agree with bearisgray. We are all still learning - I think that is one of the reasons we all read the posts.
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That's the thing--there are as many opinions as there are people, but the longer you stay involved with quilting and the deeper you go with it, you will find yourself forming your own opinions about everything from fabric and thread quality to color and design, to the best way to master a skill or technique. Reading quilt books by established authors, taking classes and participating in forums such as this can add greatly to your knowledge base, but personal experience will steer you in the direction you are most comfortable.
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Quilt30, I understand where you're coming from. I sorta feel the same way at times. Case in point - the wedding ring quilt. I've seen it sewn together where the rings are pieced to the background fabric, (way too much work for me) and then I saw a tute from E.Burns where she put together the rings sewing them with fusible interfacing as you would an applique then ironed it in place then sewed it down on the top of the ring - nice, easy, my kind of sewing- BUT IMHO only, while I like this method, I would only make a quilt like this for myself, I'm not sure I'd like to make one as a gift using this applique application, but I feel that the wedding ring quilt would look better sewn together with the background material rather than the look of being appliqued sewn. Don't get discouraged, we've probably all been there. There's just more than one way to make a quilt as you will learn. You might want to start off doing small projects using various blocks with various battings like baby quilts and/or place mats or maybe holiday banners. Two things I would emphasize is to 1-preshrink your material-this is one that gets debated full circle-"p r e s h r i n k!" - bottom line on this - you take your chances! 2- Finish your project! If you start with a small project it will probably be alot easier to complete than a quilt. I personally have found that I've put down a quilt because I wasn't happy with it only to complete it 'years' later while in the meantime it was taking up valuable real estate in my sewing room. Complete it and get rid of it-at least you will have a sense of accomplishment A N D.....once the quilt was completed as ugly as it was I found I really liked it after all!!!! go figure!!! Most of all have fun with your quilting and you can always depend on the QB family for support and really great help and suggestions! Good luck to you and most of all the QB family loves to see pics so be sure to post some when you can.
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A few misconceptions I run into on a regular basis
1. Its something "old ladies do" 2. Expensive machines make better quilts 3. Its a inexpensive hobby 4. They all look like something my grandmother made 5. There is nothing new about today quilting 6. If its a hobby "you love so much", then you won't mind making me a quilt for little to no cost |
Originally Posted by Lori S
(Post 6770086)
A few misconceptions I run into on a regular basis
1. Its something "old ladies do" 2. Expensive machines make better quilts 3. Its a inexpensive hobby 4. They all look like something my grandmother made 5. There is nothing new about today quilting 6. If its a hobby "you love so much", then you won't mind making me a quilt for little to no cost |
I guess the one I hear the most is 'my great grandmother made real quilts by hand with a frame suspended in her living room'. Well yeah, it was the only way she had to make them.
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