Lilyized

Also, my husband bought me a slotted ruler for Xmas, and I love that thing. Enables you to cut straight lines, and makes cutting go much faster which pleases me because piecing is my favorite part of quilting.

akrogirl

My first "real" quilt had pinwheel blocks. If I could do it, you can too! Just hang in there. I found that I had to play a little with the 1/4" seam allowance because the thickness of the thread affects things when you press the seams.

The Shape Cut slotted rulers were a life saver for me. Like you, I had a really hard time cutting straight lines with a regular ruler - my rotary cutter would go shooting off in all sorts of directions, lol.

kellen46

The best quilt tip I ever got was always stay consistant. for example;If you start out sewing the light square on top of the dark square do that all the time. Every time I forget this I end up doing a lot of ripping out.

zquilter

Summer, try keeping the good stuff, ie: block, strips etc. under the ruler when cutting. This way if you veer off then you are only cutting into waste. Happy sewing.

catrancher

Pinwheels are hard for a beginner. Don't get discouraged. It's not that they're hard. But getting the seams matched up and the triangles cut evenly can be a challenge if you're a newby. You'll need to be very forgiving of yourself for a while, but once you get the hang of it, you'll have started a wonderful hobby that will last the rest of your life.

inletjerry

Welcome from Murrells Inlet, SC. Any time I am starting a new pattern, I always make a sample block from scraps, saves ripping out the real thing. Good luck!

dixiechunk

Learning to quilt is a process, just like learning any other skill.
The fun is in the journey, and trust me, next year at this time those pinwheels will seem easy. A class would be nice but there are a whole lot of us out there who are mostly self-taught. Maybe joining a local guild will open up some doors.
Whatever you do, don't give up. You're gonna luv this quiltin' stuff!

Sewze

And LOL :lol:

jean knapp

hi dont worry it will all of a sudden make sense. I still dont have a perfect seam. But one of my daughers always says to the untrained eye it wont matter.

ajohn52

I think there are some tuts on proper use of the ruler and rotary cutter. Check out the help section here or the tutorials lists. This may help you. We have all learned to make your quilts turn out right it is imperative to measure and cut straight and proper and to get that 1/4" seam allowance. I would also suggest a local quilt shop for a beginner class on using the rotary cutter and ruler. They are always to helpful. Good luck and Happy Quilting!