Christmas Place Mats taught me how to quilt. Share your first project please.
 

I love bringing out my Christmas place mats each year because they bring back some favorite memories of learning how to make a quilt. One summer, I took a beginners quilt class. The teacher used the example of a place mat to teach us the quilting skills of piecing, applique and quilting and binding.

Please share a photo or memory of what you made when you learned how to quilt!

Those are so pretty, and it sure is that way with starting a small project to use all those skills. :)

Very nice. good way to learn

lovely place mats

Very pretty. My first project was a tied quilt for Daughter, now 51. It has been gone a long time, not sure what I did with it.

They're very nice and the teacher was right on by having the class make placemats. Great idea.

Ha! I should have started with something small ... and a class! Your placemats are beautiful.

I started with a queen size quilt because I wanted a bedspread with particular colors that I couldn't find in ready-made. I had a book and bought a cutting mat and rotary cutter. I didn't finish the quilt for it's original intended purpose, but many years later it now adorns the bed in one of our guest rooms. It's a triple Irish Chain pattern.

Very nice!

Those are really nice!!

Your placemats are lovely. My first project was a hand-pieced and hand quilted pillow top with a drunkards path pattern. Right after that I hand pieced a twin size quilt for my daughter which I hand quilted, too. She still has it.

wonderful memories .... how far you have come!

I've been quilting a very short time (just started last year). I don't have a photo right now, but my first hand quilting project was made from some scraps that francie yuhas (fellow board member and awesome mentor!) threw together, sandwiched, and told me to practice on. I had a couple lines quilted when she said "Yeah, that's good, go work on the big quilt" (paraphrasing). The big quilt that all the women were hand quilting that would be raffled off later! She's one who will throw you into the real work quickly.

I took the square home, practiced some more, and then started hand quilting my first baby quilt within a week.

ohhhh....those are all very nice!!!!

This was my first quilting project - probably way too ambitious for a beginner, but...[ATTACH=CONFIG]585400[/ATTACH]

Oh my! My first quilt was so bad...!!! And ugly! I donated it to the local Animal rescue league and they were thrilled to get it. And I am thrilled to say I do not have a pic of it.

In 1988, I took a Quilt in a Day class with my sister.....this was the result and I didn't sew another quilt until 2016...lol....cracks me up that I even fuzzy cutted the middle. Tied and no binding...

Wow....very impressive...and so pretty. You were born to quilt!

This was ingenious of the instructor. You learned so many techniques and different blocks. Beautiful work.

This is the 1st quilt I made -- saw it in the window of a quilt shop--- went in and asked about the pattern. Was told it was machine embroidery - no longer available - but they would try and find one for me. The pattern was their own design (no pattern) but they would take pictures of all the blocks so I could see how it was made. So I bought my 1st embroidery machine and made this quilt for a granddaughter.

Thank you for your stories and photos of your 1st quilting projects.

Sometimes it still amazes me that I love to quilt. I took High School home economics class and learned to sew clothes.
I could sew the pattern, however nothing ever really fit me well. Every quilt fits me perfectly! :)

Lovely placemats !

I had no sewing or quilting experience when I decided to design and make this queen-size quilt. It was hand quilted and took me a year.