Any quilters here?

[Sue G in PA]

I can't believe I am even asking this question. I don't sew. I don't even own a sewing machine. :001_huh: But, I've been feeling recently like I want to learn and quilting has always appealed to me. It is something dd13 and I can do together and we can teach dd4. Could somebody explain the basics to me? What do I need? How do I go about learning? I can use a needle and thread...just don't own a machine. I am looking for one on Craigslist. DD13 really enjoyed the sewing portion of her Home Ec. type class at ps this past year. I would really appreciate and ideas, suggestions, advice, instruction, websites, etc. Thanks so much!

[KS_]

Here is my favorite quilting website - the drop down menu has links to instructions and other info, and (my favorite) quilt block patterns, rated by difficulty:

 

http://quilterscache.com/

 

I don't do a lot of quilting, but do like the process of piecing the blocks together. I have 2 old Singers that are very basic, but great old machines. If you happen to find an older Singer, here's a great Yahoo group on how to care for them and fix them:

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vintagesingers/

Edited April 28, 2010 by KH_

[Brenda in FL]

You should visit a local quilt shop - they can answer many of your questions and they probably offer beginning quilting classes.

 

You can learn hand piecing to start with since you do not have a machine. That may be a bit more difficult to find a class though.

 

If you buy a machine from Craig's list you should include the cost of having it serviced (unless it's brand new - never used!). I'm not sure how much a tune-up would cost - $40-60 maybe?

 

Good luck!!

[Imprimis]

You don't need a sewing machine to quilt. I do all my work by hand because I enjoy hand-sewing. Plus, I can take my work with me to music lessons, appointments, the kids' outside classes, anywhere.

 

It absolutely is something you can do with your daughters. Both of my daughters quilt. My 14 yo prefers the machine, but my 6 yo hand sews with me.

 

A great resource to start with is The Quilter's Complete Guide by Fons and Porter. You could check this out from the library, but it's nice to have on hand. I still refer to it. Better Homes and Gardens also has The Complete Guide to Quilting, another good introductory book.

 

Here's a website that covers a lot of information, and they have tutorials for hand-piecing.

http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/

[justamouse]

Ohhh how lucky to be you. If I were you I would start with mini quilts and hand sew them until I got a machine.

[Shelly in the Country]

I like the free projects at Debbie Mumm's site. There are archived projects linked at the bottom of the page in addition to a block of the month type thing.

[Anne in CA]

My first 10 quilts were made entirely by hand. I would draft patterns, not as hard as it sounds, trace the pattern on fabric, cut out pieces and sew on the lines I marked. This step can be done while waiting for piano lessons, car trips, ect. Then I would make a quilt sandwich with batting and backing and hand quilt with the sandwich stretched out on a hoop. Last I would sew on the binding.

 

I found hand sewing to be less frustrating than dealing the the cheap sewing machine I owned then. Now I have a much better machine and make quilts with the machine.

 

It is quilting month at the Sew Mamma Sew website and there are LOTS if tutorials that should get you started as well as give you ideas.

[Rachel in KY]

I started with rag quilts. I will give you directions on how I did it...

 

Choose 5 or 6 different fabrics for the top, one for the back, and get lots of 1/4 loft cotton batting. Cut 9 inch squares from the fabrics and 8 1/2 (or a little less) for the batting. Now, pin together quilt sandwiches: a square of backing fabric, put a square of batting on the backing fabric and center it, top with a square of topping fabric. Pin diagonally both ways. Use up all your fabric making these quilt sandwiches.

 

Now, sew all your sandwiches diagonally (corner to corner) and you'll end up with a big stitched X across your sandwiches. You don't have to worry about backstitching because when you sew them into strips you'll be sewing across all these ends.

 

Now arrange your quilt sandwiches into strips. Take the first two sandwiches and pin them WRONG sides together. Sew them together. Your edges are going to be ON TOP of the quilt. Take some nice scissors and snip the edge, but make sure you don't snip the seam you just made. You're fraying these edges so when you wash the quilt, you'll have a pretty textural effect. And this techinque is very forgiving for the first time quilter. Continue adding sandwiches to your strip till you get the length you want. Make another strip of sandwiches and sew that to first strip, and so on.

 

As you sew your strips (WRONG sides) together, snip the edges. When you've got it to the size you want, sew all around the perimeter and snip that. Then throw it in the washer and dryer and WAH-LAH!

 

Google "rag quilts" or I would be happy to send you pics. I've made about 7 of them and got the confidence to make a "real" quilt through my experience.

 

Hope this makes sense and helps.

[elizabeth]

http://books.google.com/books?id=cq1HVIT41KkC&dq=crazy+quilt+judith+montano&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=U8rYS_-fI5PA8wSRl-CrBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CB4Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false

At my house we crazy quilt, all by hand. There is nothing more enjoyable in my mind as far as fiber arts are concerned. Be careful you will end up collecting discarded laces,scouting garage sales for scraps of velvets, silks etc. It is a beautiful madness.

[Giraffe]

You've been given great advice. I would second all of it, especially finding a local quilt shop and finding out about lessons. You will find a hand piecing class or at least the friendly people in the shop will know a hand piecer who can help. Quilters are very friendly people.

 

Think about making a couple of small quilts for dolls (or DD4) at first as you get your bearings. My first one was a throw - we STILL use it about 25 years later.

 

I made my first quilt when I was 15. I still love it. How wonderful your daughters can do this with you!

[Sue G in PA]

Thanks for all the advice and instructions! I'm excited to start. The rag quilt sounds like fun. I do love hand sewing...not that I really make anything of value. I just sew things back together when seams rip or what-have-you. Not sure we have a quilting shop nearby, but perhaps JoAnns would have quilting classes? I'll check it out!

[BigMamaBird]

They best thing you could possibly get is a quilter. Find a friend, co-worker, family member, church member, someone who knows and loves quilting. That way you have someone to hold your hand through the process. There's a gal at our church who's a rabid quilter and has a weekly Friday night quilting group at our church. It's so awesome to sit around with older ladies, learn from them, listen to their stories.

 

If you can't find a quilter and need something spelled out for you, Joann's sells something call the Block a Month. It's a complete package for about $8-12 a block. There are 12 blocks and you complete them all then join them together to make a quilt. The package comes with very clear, full color directions and all the pieces are already cut out so you don't have the initial expense of the rotary cutter, cutting mat, etc. Very easy.

 

And have fun!! What a great thing to do with your daughter.