Quilters, can you recommend me an idiot's guide?

[Islay]

I really want to try my hand at quilting. My mother is an antique dealer, so has a house full of pretty bits and bobs of fabric, and I'd love to do something with them, rather than have them go to waste in drawers and cupboards.

However, I know nothing about quilting, not a clue. Do I need lots of equipment? Is there a good website/book you can recommend? Any help much appreciated!

 

[delia_peterson]

Glad you started this thread! I would like to learn also..I dont have the time or money for classes- its expensive here to take a class! But would love to learn!

 

[rebecca100]

I want to learn, too! I was going to ask my neighbor who is a professional quilter, but I would rather learn on my own in my own time.

 

[MorelCabin]

If you go to your local library there are tons of books there to teach you, and lots of easy quilt pattern books to learn from. I just learned last October, and I am loving it! I have to say though that a class makes ALOT of difference, you will learn from them what the books just don't show you. I took after making my first five quilts and it made my next quilt experience a whole lot easier!

 

[freemotion]

Books are great, but some things are hard to learn from a book. Not impossible, mind you, just easier with a visual and even easier with a live teacher. I did learn to milk a goat from reading about it....but cried many tears of frustration! It was only that bursting udder that kept me going! Quilting should be much easier...

Start with a simple pattern with biggish pieces and straight lines, maybe a lap quilt or a baby quilt....or even a potholder. Just to learn the steps.

I started my first quilt when I was in 7th grade, it was made from 6" squares cut from discarded clothing and fabric scraps from my mother's stash. I made 9-patch blocks as fabrics became available, used an old blanket as the batting, and there was no border. Can't remember what I backed it with, must've been free, though! Since the stuffing was a blanket, I tied it, but I used hidden tacking in the corners of the patches because I didn't like the look of tacking with tufts of yarn like I'd seen done.

Then I lived near a factory that made blanket sleepers, as they were called, and bought garbage bags of scraps (pre-polar fleece stuff) for a dollar and made lots of baby quilts and matching stuffed toys. The fabric was thick enough that I didn't have to stuff it. I did applique' baby chicks with embroidered beaks, eyes, and feet...so cute. They were a nice shower gift.

I've made more complicated patterns and larger sizes since then, but it was a great start and cost me nothing to learn.

 

[patandchickens]

Do you already sew? (Hand or machine). If so, learning to quilt is dead easy. Pick something simple to start with, like something involving just sewing together squares in a random or simple pattern. When the quilt top is sewn together, skim a book or website to find out how to lay it out on the kitchen floor with batting and backing and pin-baste it all together; then machine or hand quilt it in a simple pattern, slap some binding on and voila it's a quilt.

I did my first few quilts that way (actually the first one I didn't even look at any references, I just sorta guessed how to do it, which led to a slightly odd product but was very educational and the quilt is still hanging on the wall) and it worked just fine. This from a background of adequately usable, but far from stellar, hand- and machine-sewing skills.

If you do not currently sew, I would recommend spending a week or two doing some simple sewing projects first, to get more adept with the needle or machine (whichever you choose). Pillows are always a good project, also tote bags. Once you can accurately handle/mark/cut fabric and sew a straight, accurate, flat, strong line of stitches, see paragraph 1 above

Honest, I know our society is very invested in the idea that you have to buy stuff or take courses or have a teacher to learn to do something -- and if you happen to HAVE a friendly gramma or neighbor who wants to teach you to quilt, that's obviously wonderful -- but you really, truly, absolutely CAN learn to sew and quilt quite well on your own. Learning by doing

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Blackbird]

I agree with Pat and Monique, if you know basic sewing its pretty easy. My mom taught me how to sew by hand and sewing machine when I was 7 (so manly, lol), together we made a basic quilt soon after, which is on my bed right now. I doubt I'll learn all the fancy techniques and methods, basic is fine with me.

Friendly gramma or nieghbor? Bet you could steal someone from a nursing home to help you out too!

 

[big brown horse]

My mother is an avid quilter and even has a big "quilting frame" in my old bedroom now. (I forgot what it was called.)

She is part of a quilting guild that meet at eachother's house monthly and end up the year showing off their finished quilts at the civic center. These ladies are serious and each quilt is original.

I learned how to make patchwork quilts and they are super duper easy to make. They don't require any elaborate stitching either, a good starter quilt for you.

I went to a few meetings as a child and those ladies were way too thrilled to teach me how to carry on their tradition.

Perhaps there is a guild near you?

Good luck!

 

[keljonma]

I started with Lap Quilting with Georgia Bonesteel. http://www.georgiabonesteel.com/

A number of her books are available at public libraries. Then I visited the Quilt shop near us at the time and talked to the ladies who worked there and shopped there and got some great tips. I also took a class, after I finished my first quilt.

Basically with lap quilting, you make 4 large blocks and sew them together to make a large square. Then you can hand quilt on a large embroidery type hoop. Then as you get sets of blocks done, you can join them together to make a large quilt.

I got my first quilts done while the children were young. Mostly sewing and quilting at doctors, dentists, playgrounds, dance practice, ball practice. I liked that no large quilting frame was needed and it was very easy to carry about.

Start with a simple pattern for your first quilt. I didn't and I was frustrated early in the process. If you have a fabric/quilting shop near you, you probably have a resource for good information.

Have fun with it!

 

[big brown horse]

So that is what it is called!! My mother would "lap quilt" on all of the family road trips. Her purse was allways filled with all sizes of embroidery hoops. Thanks keljonma!