All of the above are all very good advice. Each quilter has their own way of doing things. For me I always wash my fabrics before using to let it do any shrinking or bleeding before I put it in my quilt. I always measure twice so I only have to cut it out once. I keep cheap fabric around and always make a practice block of any new pattern as some patterns can be off,as I learned the hard way when using one from a magazine. Take your time and enjoy and don't be afraid to try something new.

Measure twice, cut once! Also make sure you cut accurately and sew your quarter inch seams precisely.

Start with the best tools you can afford -- if you have an inexpensive rotary cutter or a bad mat you will hate it and you will probably not be able to cut accurately

Take good care of your machine -- clean it and oil it (if it needs it) frequently and it will like you.

To get an accurate 1/4" foot, use a lined note card (the lines are 1/4" apart) and put blue painters tape on the bed to mark the spot. I did this for years before I had the 1/4" foot and it really helps.

When cutting things out, decide how are you goin to position the fabric with respect to the ruler line to get your measurement -- on a side or maybe in the middle. If you aren't consistent, your blocks won't be the same size.

Start with fabric from a thrift store so you don't feel bad if you make a mistake and have to toss the block. This is good practice material and a lot of folks here on the board use what the get at the thrift store or garage sales all the time since fabric is soooo expensive.

Take your time and learn how to sew an accurate 1/4 of an inch seam.......

Take a picture of every project you make. I have been quilting for about five years and have a picture of almost every project I have ever made. I love to look back at them. I enjoy looking at the progress I have made and reminisce about my quilts and the people I gave them to.

Believe in yourself and the fact that you CAN make any quilt that you want to! Some are just more of a challenge than others but do-able. Don't listen to the nay-sayers.

Nearly everything I know is from trial and error. I wish I had someone standing next to me back in 1992 when I started and told me to pin, pin, pin. I once tried putting on a binding without pinning first, and it shifted so that I had to rip the whole side out. 66 inches!! Yikes.

Finish your first quilt! You might see your first finished quilt top and only see your mistakes and be tempted to put the top away and make a different one (or worse, quit altogether!), but don't. You won't believe how much better it will look when it's quilted, bound, and washed. Everyone has a first quilt. You learn something from every one you make. :)

Use the same brand of ruler for every project because the lines on different brands are different thicknesses. Invest in good thread. Go read about it. Finer thread makes for better quarter inch seams! Change your rotary blades more often!

Don't listen to the "quilt police." Enjoy this great hobby and remember there's many different ways to achieve the result you're after. Not every technique works well for everyone.

I agree with QuiltnNan. I joined the Quilting Board when I started quilting. I have found the answer to every quilting question here. Members are so encouraging and helpful.

Have fun! And more fun

Don't point out mistakes, no ones sees them other than the maker

I've only been quilting for a little over 2 years now and you have received some of the very best advice possible. I have learned so much reading the QB, everyone here is so eager to give their experienced advice when needed. And go to open sewing, sewing clubs and classes at your local quilt shop, I've learned so much from being a part of different groups and believe me there is a lot to learn. It seems if I am frightened by the prospect of something there is always some one who can walk you through and you discover all types of "short cuts" or methods that make things so much less complicated. Most of all, as advised above, truly enjoy the journey and remember nothing is ever perfect but it's always fun.

Join a guild.... You will meet a lot of nice quilters and learn a lot from them...workshops, retreats, trunk shows, quilt shows, there is so much to share and learn...have fun...

I agree with you whole heartedly. This QB has been my biggest & best piece of advice & inspiration.

Take a beginner class. I learned so much in that Quilting 101 course.
If you buy cheap, you'll most likely get cheap material.

Start with EASY patterns. Then progress as you get more experience. It will save you lots of frustration to take it a little at a time.

Keep it simple. Progress slowly. And try to learn something new with each project.

Start learning to quilt your projects from the beginning. Regard it another technique to grow in. FMQ does take lots of practice but so does cutting and stitching correctly. You do need good tools-but not too many! You do need good fabric. Poor fabric will always yield a poor product just as surely as poor techniques will yield a poor product. Find good quilting friends and share experiences-learn from them and let them learn from you. If you want to grow in your ability to quilt well seek out people who will be honest with you. Keep it simple to start with and grow in your technique. Most of have faith in yourself-you can do it!

Take the time to develop good habits and techniques right from the beginning instead of rushing to finish a project. For example, fold carefully before you cut and then cut as accurately as you can. Practice so that your scant 1/4 inch seam just comes naturally to you. Press (not iron) seams being careful to not distort the block, then square up carefully. Those little tiny, seemingly insignificant steps, make so much difference in your finished project.

One final thought once you get a little experience, take time to carefully read your pattern BEFORE you start cutting, sewing and so on. I take a yellow marker and highlight important points so I understand exactly what the designer had in mind. Why? Because I have made some really dumb mistakes going off half cocked instead of taking time to read and plan ahead. LOL

Listen to all the advice above. I have been quilting only 15 months. My sister is my mentor. The videos, tutorials, the quilting board are all very valuable resources. Most of all I learned from my mistakes. I was told to be accurate. That didn't come until I had to rip a few times. This is the greatest hobby. Give yourself time to grasp it all. It really doesn't take long. I started with table runners and small quilts and it wasn't long before I graduated to queen size bed quilts. I can now actually look at a picture and figure out a pattern by myself. I told my sister that would never happen. You will surprise yourself. Good luck to you.

How true. I am a complete newbie, just a wanna be and it completely overwhelms me to even begin.

good advice from all. the one thing I learned here and loved was (if I don't explain it well, someone please jump in) to line up my seams stick a straight pin in the top seam and make sure it lines up with the matching seam underneath before you sew it. it helped me use the seam ripper a lot less.

this ruler brand is one suggestion I believe in whole heartedly. Using two different brands can lead to tiny miscuts that will drive you insane until you discover what's happened.

Press, do not iron as you go....

Don't overwhelm yourself by taking on too big and too complicated a project. I knew nothing and I mean nothing. Didn't know what a fat quarter was and what was a scant seem...etc. Took a class which was supposed to be for beginners and it wasn't. I finally learned, but not without feeling stupid, making mistakes and almost giving up. If I'd have started with a pieced hot pad, or a table runner in a simple design, I wouldn't have put my project in the closet for 8 years before trying again. The youtube videos are in valuable and so are the websites that are now all over the net.

Love what you do and forget about the quilt police.

Don't take shortcuts. The devil is in the details but if you cut correctly, sew accurately, and press correctly, then the top will fall in place. And ENJOY - don't stress.

Patience: You will not become an expert overnight.

Practice: You will become an expert overtime!

Anita

You have received great advice from everyone, and I agree with all of it. In addition to cutting and sewing accurately, the one thing that will help a lot is to either ALWAYS hold your thread tails at the start of a seam or put four stitches in a scrap of fabric, leave it attached, sew on air for one stitch, and then start your seam.

Join a guild, hang out at the quilt shop, and find a quilting buddy that is more experienced than you. I have 24 years of quilt-making experience and I wish you were close as I would gladly take you under my wing. (I'm in Western Mass/Northern Connecticut should anyone be interested.)

Besides going on the Quilting Board, where the quilters are the best, try to take a quilting class, don't expect perfection the first time out (I still have a problem with that from time to time), get good tools, rotary cutter, mat, ruler - 6"12" to start and try to maintain a 1/4" seam. Most of all just have fun, jump in and get your feet wet. I was mostly a self-taught quilter in the beginning, then I took a quilt class, joined a quilting guild and took as many classes as I could afford, you'll always learn something you didn't know before. Good luck and enjoy the process and the journey.

Accurate measurements !!!!!

For me the most important lesson was to measure twice and maybe twice again before cutting. When I first sat at my sewing machine, my sister advised me not to worry about the quarter inch seams or slightly off cutting as it would all disappear in the quilt. After having to remedy the inbuilt errors this slapdash approach creates I opted to be very careful with the basics. I find that when I've been ultra careful the progress of the quilt flows more naturally. I gave my sis a right telling off for having been a bad teacher !

I love this thread! *Following along and taking notes*

the one thing I learned that made all the diffence and most ppl might say, "duh", was that more important than the size of my seam allowances, was the size of the block itself.
I was always cutting out a block and then marking the 1/4" seam allowance with a mechanical pencil for the thinnest line I could get.
When I learned to measure for the "finished" block and then put the seam lines there, then I was getting accuracy.
I know, it may sound simple, or to some complicated, but it made all the difference between my feeling I was stumbling along, and I now actually becoming a quilter :)

Do one complete block before cutting up all your fabric into pieces. If the contrast is too low you will know before cutting up all those yards of fabric...ask me how I know?

ohhh, good tip! :eek:

start with a "no brainer" project (single Irish Chain is a good one). The nine patch block is easy to do.

When doing your first quilt, make a template that has NO seam allowances...trace onto the back of the fabric...leaving at least 1/2" between pieces...which becomes your seam allowance. You sew on the lines you drew. This will help you have success with your first quilt.