ghostrider

Be sure and let us know your badge number, Officer RST. There's no right or wrong way in quilting, so feel free to do what works for you without public criticism of whatever way others choose.

Cherri House is an experienced quilter, pattern designer, and published author, not even close to the fool you make her out to be. If her method bothers you so much, why not ask her about it directly instead of talking about it behind her back?

RST

Geeze, chill out Ghostrider.

I did not call her a fool, nor did I set myself up as quilt police or master of all techniques. I asked a question, giving some possible scenarios for answers that occur to me, and asking if other had other insights. I did not call Cherry House out by name (it was in fact the particular quilt along that triggered my question, but it's a general trend, which is what I was asking about.)

There are no methods of quilting that "bother" me, though some do puzzle me, particularly when they are presented by people who set out to teach others.

Why so defensive? I find that surprising, specially since Walmart was not even mentioned in this thread.

RST

chq

Hello! I'm Cherri House of Cherry House Quilts, the author of City Quilts, and the designer of the quilt along that is being widely discussed. Is your question, why do my instructions called for all those 1 1/2" squares vs. strip piecing? Because many of the quilters doing this quilt along are creating their first quilt. I'm all for doing things faster/quicker, but there is nothing wrong with knowing and working on the fundamentals...perfecting your 1/4" seam allowance, working on accurate cutting skills. This quilt along is part of a skill building series that I will be hosting. If you want to participate, great! If it's all too elementary and you are not interested, great. Above everything else, I created this free quilt pattern and quilt along to provide a sense of community, and followship amongst quilters - old & new.

Cherri

RST

Thanks for the input, Cherri, and for answering the question. I'm a fan of yours, and a sometimes blog reader, and honestly, my question implied no snark, nor was it specific to your quilt-along alone. I was querying about a wider trend I've seen online.

I'm all for building fundamental skills in new quilters. I also know that many, particularly new quilters, get frustrated with something that takes a long time, requires precision and ripping out, etc. The vast quantities of UFOs in the quilting world supports the assumption that this is a problem for many. So to my mind, knowing how to do something quickly and efficiently is a great gateway to many happy years of quilting.

Thanks for your contributions to community amongst quilters online. I do love the web and the ability to connect with such a wide range of people with similar interests.

RS

JanetWall

I would like to join a quilt along.

Aurora

Could it possibly be that for some it is as much about the process. I know I am interested in making quilts using more of the techniques used by my grandmother.

My rotary cutter has not been my new best friend in most cutting scenarios. Most of my scraps were created by inaccurate rotary cutting. One of my coguild friends gave me some pointers last week when I was cutting strips for my new siggy blocks. I will give strip cutting another chance, but for now my rotary cutter is on my endangered species list. Don't get me wrong, it does have its uses once accurate strips are cut.

I really enjoy the process more than the speed.

quilter1943

That is how I was taught many years ago, and still do that if I'm looking for a design to stand out in the center, eg, did one with a cross for a pastor friend. Some of the popular TV shows show how to do things using their latest tools in ways I would never use because it's time consuming. But I know people who order every ruler and tool they see. That isn't for me.

annieshane

Very good point, that many folks start out with scraps and not whole strips so pieces are all they have.

I am really learning to read pattern more carefully to see if cutting strips is possible instead of small blocks.

sherriequilts

glad it works for you. I know about limited space and take out & put away too! happy quilting anyway.

steelecg

Strip piecing does make things a lot easier