For my first full size quilt (78”x94”) I chose Lynne Edwards’ ‘New Sampler Quilt Book’.
I would really recommend this book to any beginner quilter, as a full size quilt can be very daunting. It took me a little over fifteen months, but I never felt overwhelmed at any stage, because everything is explained so clearly. She never assumes you already know how to do things.
There are twenty different blocks, each fully explained with diagrams, gradually teaching you new techniques. There are over twenty full sized photographs of the quilt made by herself and her students, so along with her suggestions for fabrics, you can see how different combinations work, and have the confidence to choose your own.
She explains how to quilt as you go, so making a block up at a time, I took the plunge and (after hearing how so many board members love the experience) decided to hand quilt it. I would never have attempted to hand quilt a full size quilt, but single blocks I enjoyed. Even when they were all joined, and I added the border and then had that to quilt, it wasn’t so bad, as it was always at the edge.
Thanks for looking.

That is stunning!

Beautiful quit...Im inspired to purchase and try it!!Thanks Barbara!

WOW and a first timer !!! Your colors are GREAT - the quilt top is amazing :thumbup: Thanks for recommending the book - your work is the best reference :thumbup:

Amazing work!

It is awesome work. To think that you challenged yourself each step of the way and now this beautiful quilt will always be a reminder of things you can accomplish : )
It is beautiful.

Thanks for the info and the picture of that beautiful quilt!!! When do we get past "beginner" stage? I've been sewing and quilting seems like all my life (learned at age 3) and I still consider myself a beginner because there's so many blocks, techniques, and styles I haven't even tried yet. Sampler quilts are so much fun because you can try so many different blocks without committing to making a whole quilt out of a block that you might not enjoy.

Gorgeous!

What an awesome sampler quilt!! Good job :D:D:D

Beautiful :!:

Beautiful quilt..........thank you for sharing!

Beautiful thanks for sharing.

Whoaaaaaaa that's gorgeous!!! :D:D:D
Thanks for sharing!

Well, my goodness...that is absolutely beautiful!

Wow--wow---WOW!! That's a work of art.

Beautiful quilt, thanks for sharing. I'm not always a fan of sampler quilts but I love this one and if I ever decided to make one, I would use the book you've recommended.

I am a little bit passed the beginner stage but I have never done anything this beautiful! And I want to buy the book and do exactly what you have done!

Thank you for being an inspiration to us all!

Great job, beautiful

Fabulous!!! That's your first full size? My....
Thanks for the tip. You know, I think Fons and Porter put out a similar 'teach as you go' kinda of sampler quilt/learn how to quilt book. Heck, I probably have it somewhere. !!!

Fabulous!

Your quilt is beautiful and I love your fabric/color choices. I am a beginner quilter and your quilt provides a huge recommendation for the book. Thanks for sharing your photo and book recommendation!

OMG! Gorgeous! Beautiful! Fabulous! Awesome! Stunning!

Very nice..

Wow, that is beautiful and I really like the celtic applique too.

What an awesome quilt. I love the colors and your quilting is great. Thanks for sharing.

I love this quilt, what a beauty!! Nice work!!! :thumbup:

That is beautiful. Your fabric choices are so beautiful and really give the quilt unity. I'm planning to teach a sampler course this coming summer and I'll definitely be checking this book out - I have heard of Lynne Edwards but not this book so thanks for the info.

EDIT - Just seen you're in Hants, a couple of counties over from me! Helloooooo! :-D :-D :-D

Gorgeous! Really nice colors!

stunning quilt. Well done!

That is beautiful.

Amazing job, it's stunning.

Whoa! What a great first full-sized quilt! Colors are soothing and still very interesting. Fabulous job, thx for sharing!

You did an awesome job....I think I will try to find that book, I have wanted to try quilt as you go, sounds like this is the book to learn with. Thanks for recommending the book.

Your quilt is beautiful, love the colors, all the blocks, and your hand quilting.

Beginner? Are you sure? Beautiful work and I really love the border!!!!

I love everything about your quilt; gorgeous colors too. What a great job, especially for the first one! I am very interested in Quilt as You Go, and will look into this book as it seems to be a different method from the one I use (Crazy Short Cut Quilts).

Thanx for the heads up Barb, I am trying a new technique every month this year, and Celtic is on my list I will surely look for this book

There are blocks in your quilt I would hardly recommend for a beginner, yet yours are stunning!

You did a beautiful job. I have never pieced AND handquilted a top within 15 months.

That's really gorgeous, Barbara! I love samplers and this one has so many "different" blocks on it. Love your colors, too. May have to look for that book!

Thanks for showing it!

Got it just now from Amazon!

wow..what a beautiful job for your first large quilt