When you were Beginners -
 

How many of you - when you were beginners - jumped off the really deep end - with your first project?

If you were one of them - what did you see that you liked? did you finish the project? what did you learn along the way?

I think many of us have seen something like "New York Beauty" or a Judy Niemeyer pattern and think that is so cool - and then try to make it without having much of a clue on how to put it together.

Mine was the GFG - I bought a plastic template and drew them on to the fabric to cut out, then I drew on the 1/4 inch line - never gave a thought about bias edges. It was so wonderful when they came out with the rotary cutters.

Me. When I had my first home-ec class for sewing, I chose to make a wool plaid jumper with a full bias skirt. Hadn't ever made anything but doll clothes before that. In spite of the steep learning curve for that project, matching plaid at the seams, hemming a full bias skirt, etc, I managed a 'C' for it. And I wore it proudly for a couple winters. Figuring out quilt patterns was never a problem.

When I asked my neighbor to teach me how to sew, she thought we'd start with something simple - I picked a dress. I actually finished and wore it but half of the skirt never flowed right. Now I know that I didn't cut the fabric on the bias.

As for quilting, I thought I could tackle a Lone Star - how hard can it be, right? Well, all my angles are off and it is still in a box. I've been thinking of trying to resurrect it. That is how many years experience later...?

My first quilt was an Anita Murphy pattern. It was so easy to follow and I never felt frustrated or at a loss. It is still one my favorite patterns. And when your done you are done, it's quilted as you go. I learned everything I needed to know to jump right in quilting any pattern. Reversible Quilts: An Easy New Technique by Anita Murphy. Really cheap on Amazon now.

My first quilt was a sampler for our bed. I thought it would be good to have a variety of techniques--geometric piecing, appliqué, curved piecing, paper piecing, embellished blocks. And a block that was our house. Stood in the driveway about 50 feet away and sketched it. Well, some turned out better than others, but I learned something with every block. Thirty some years later, we still have the quilt.

My first attempt was a king-size Texas Star. A professional finished and quilted it for me - I'd had enough of it 2/3 of the way through!

mine was a pine tree state -- tree of life for my son. As I recall it was 50 pieces to a 12 inch block. And I hand quilted it. I "learned" from a library book.

Back then (50+ years ago) there weren't quilt or fabric shops -- Ben Franklin and Sears were where I got fabric.

Sometimes I look back and wonder at the stuff I did. I had fun doing it all

Mim

i decided on a baby blocks... what was i thinking??? i did get it finished and my grandson loved it.

I did, bear, and I'm still new and still working on my first quilt. Tumbling blocks the Y-seam way. I've made a lot of progress and now have a beautiful medallion that needs to be set into fabric to make the rest of the rectangle for a queen-sized covering. "Without a clue as to how" to proceed is right. I didn't want to set them in rows --- I didn't have a final plan --- my seams are coming out really good --- and the 1st backing bought online is not right. Now I have the proper backing though still working on the top. At this point I am not too fond of hexagons. I started EPP without a plan after seeing pictures of La Pass quilts...then stopped those bits to take a class and start my TBlks quilt.
No plan - no clue - YOLO haha. It gets wearisome to be so scattershot and unskilled: I won't give up. This is my creative life continuing.