athena1277 Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 My dd’s boyfriend asked our blessing to propose to dd! I don’t know when it will happen, but he mentioned getting married in Jan. or Feb. after she graduates college. I’m a newbie quilter and want to them a quilt for their bed. I want to take them each to the fabric store to choose their favorite fabrics and then make a quilt combining them as a wedding gift. The surprise will be they don’t know what the other chose and how I combine them. How many should they each choose? 2? 3? What pattern? Remember, I’m a newbie, so nothing too complicated. I also prefer something without lots of tiny pieces to cut and sew, because I don’t know how much time I will have to work on it. I do plan to get it long armed, because it will probably be too big for my machine. All advice and recommendations appreciated! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knitgrl Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 My quilting abilities are limited. I've had success with Jacob's Ladder, and depending on the colors you do, it can be not obvious, iykwim. A strip quilt? Log cabin is classic. You can make it easier by putting strips (maybe lattice) in between the blocks of whatever you choose. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuovonne Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 If you like the look of a Double Wedding Ring quilt but think it looks too hard, check out a paper pieced pattern. Paper piecing makes the double wedding ring much easier! If you want easy and fast, I also recommend a Log Cabin pattern. There are many ways to put together a Log Cabin quilt to get different looks. Have each of them pick a favorite color (make sure the colors look good together). Then each picks 3-4 fabrics in that color. You can google images for inspiration or buy a book. Another classic look is the Double Irish Chain. It can be pieced in strips so you don’t have to cut all the tiny squares, but it has a lot more corners to match up than a Log Cabin. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeLovePassion Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 Suzy Quilts has some great beginner friendly patterns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 I am terrible with advice, I only made one quilt and had to get help with the binding. But DH’s grandmother made us a lovely wedding ring quilt. I think it was a kit with appliqué. I will warn you we didn’t put it on our bed. I bought a large Jersey memory box frame and hung it up as art. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 This isn't a traditional idea at all, but one possibility would be a "pixel quilt" It could be a picture of whatever you want, and all the pieces are squares. It could be them or something they both enjoy, or whatever. Here is an example someone shared recently. Think of a Chuck Close picture. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 My favorite log cabin quilt. Another beginner friendly quilt. Another one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuovonne Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 14 hours ago, Miss Tick said: This isn't a traditional idea at all, but one possibility would be a "pixel quilt" It could be a picture of whatever you want, and all the pieces are squares. While I think a pixel quilt is a neat idea, it might be a bit hard for a beginner. They tend to take lots of different fabrics, and it can be hard to keep track of which square of fabric goes where. When piecing the little squares, it is really easy to accidentally get left/right and top/bottom mixed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 12 minutes ago, Kuovonne said: While I think a pixel quilt is a neat idea, it might be a bit hard for a beginner. They tend to take lots of different fabrics, and it can be hard to keep track of which square of fabric goes where. When piecing the little squares, it is really easy to accidentally get left/right and top/bottom mixed up. Sure. I guess it will depend on what OP finds difficult versus enjoyable. If she has in a past life enjoyed latch hook or embroidery, keeping track of multiple colors might not be a blip on her radar. If she is a knitter, then keeping track of a chart, and up vs down is no problem. If she enjoys quilting she is probably also friends with algebra and geometry to the extent that designing her own top might be just her thing. Any quilt could be done with a million different fabrics, or monochrome, it all depends on what floats her boat. If she decides to do a 5 color log cabin with 5" squares to cover a California King she will be making a lot of those blocks - which could be easy and encouraging or could kill her with tedium. Maybe you know the OP better than I do <shrug>, but I'm sure she is able to flip through the options people have presented and do her own version of swipe left, not interested or boy, that one is boring but if I .... it would be really personal and fun to make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuovonne Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 21 minutes ago, Miss Tick said: Maybe you know the OP better than I do All I know about the OP is what she put in her post. - She is a newbie - She prefers something without a lot of tiny pieces - She was thinking of using around 4-6 fabrics chosen by the couple. 25 minutes ago, Miss Tick said: I'm sure she is able to flip through the options people have presented and do her own version of swipe left Sure she can. However, when I was a newbie quilter, I had a hard time judging how difficult a particular pattern would be just by looking at the finished result, so I thought I’d let her know that this particular design can have challenges that may not be obvious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grace Hopper Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 “A Log Cabin quilt is a thing every young woman should have before marriage, as it means the home; and there is always a red square at the centre, which means the hearth fire.” Margaret Atwood, Alias Grace OP, your idea is lovely! I know the log cabin quilt has a lot of small pieces but this quote always comes to mind when someone asks about a wedding quilt. Of course you will decide on one to fit your skill/comfort level and it will be a most thoughtful gift. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cecropia Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 Disclaimer: I sew but don't quilt. How about this? Maybe it's too hard for a beginner? But I think alternating their fabrics in one heart is cute and symbolic. Being an unconventional heart shape is a plus for my older boys, when envisioning it as a possible bedspread (I asked them). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkXuvAVEvu4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 What about a bear paw pattern. It is very easy, can use seemingly non matching fabric, fairly quick as the squares are big and the results are stunning 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted April 22 Author Share Posted April 22 Thanks for all the ideas! I’m not ready for a pixel quilt, but they do look really awesome. I’m working on a sampler quilt this year (1 square per month) with the quilt group I have been learning with. We made a log cabin square last month. Mine came out well, but I’m not sure yet if I want to do a whole quilt of them yet. I’m leaning towards something like one of these: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/24558760456590946/ https://www.diaryofaquilter.com/quick-rail-fence-baby-quilt-tutorial/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuovonne Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 25 minutes ago, athena1277 said: I’m leaning towards something like one of these: Of those two, I think the rail fence would be much easier to sew. Far fewer corners to match. If your pieced strips don’t end up the width you planned, it is very still easy to cut them into squares, even if they are slightly larger/smaller squares than originally planned. Any difference in final size can be adjusted by the width of the final border/sashing. Plus, it is easy to adapt to different numbers of fabrics. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted April 23 Share Posted April 23 Rail fence would be easy enough to piece and also give your longarmer a good opportunity to make her quilting shine. It’s a great choice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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