Shemjo

Welcome from St. Louis! You have a great QS there, New Beginnings, and I am sure they offer a beginner level class! I began with a class and learned so much: terminology, techniques, how to USE those tools correctly, etc. The cost may surprise you, but register for the class, and then buy your fabric from the shop (you should get a discount on the fabric you buy for a class). I found it well worth the price and formed a friendship with the classmates who were in the same boat as I was, and the teacher who took us under her wing to make sure we were successful! My first quilt was a sampler nearly 30 years ago! :lol:
Also find a quilt guild. They offer classes and help at each meeting. :lol:
I hope you got home okay. Snow in Seattle can slow things down dramatically! :?
Ballard is a beatuiful area! :lol: Used to go to Seattle to visit my cousin who lived just up from the Edgewater Hotel! From her window on the 7th floor, we could sit and watch the Sound. How relaxing! :lol: :lol:

Shemjo

My bad, the shop is "In the Beginning"! :lol: Must have been thinking of some book I was reading! :? Sorry. :?

leona07

I don't know how I have managed to live in Seattle this long and not know about In The Beginning! I looked them up online. They will be getting a visit from me soon!!!! Thanks for the tip!!!

leona07

Oh bummer!! I didn't read far enough on the website. In the beginning is no longer there. They closed the store in 2005 to focus solely on designing fabric. Oh well. I am going to look into classes at my local Quality Sewing & Vac store, I hear they offer classes on the cheap!

Shemjo

Sorry, I always LOVED to visit In the Beginning when I visited, but it was a few years ago. So sorry! :( :(
I would definitely find classes. Our local community colleges offer classes occassionally. They are usually though the extensions at local High Schools or community centers.

pocoellie

Welcome from NE CA. Glad you joined us. There's a lot of friendly, talented people on board. There's tons of easy quilts, nine patch, split rail, disappearing nine patch. I know there's more, I just can't think of them right now.

rita333

HI LEONA, I'M FROM OLYMPIA, WA. FIRST OF ALL I AGREE WITH JANSTAR. GO TO YOUR LOCAL SHOP, THEY WILL HELP YOU FIND JUST WHAT YOUR LOOKING FOR, PERHAPS IN A KIT. QUILT IN A DAY PATTERNS ARE ONE OF MY FAVORITES. HER LINE OF RULERS MAKE PROJECTS SO MUCH EASIER. I WOULD TRY TO FIND SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T HAVE A LOT OF MATCHING POINTS. ANOTHER TIP FOR YOU, CHECK OUT CHANNEL 12 PBS ON SATURDAY MORNINGS. STARTING AT 8:00AM. ALL KINDS OF QUILTING PROGRAMS TO GIVE YOU IDEAS AND HELP. I USUALLY RECORD THEM ALL SO I CAN SIT DURING MY FREE TIME AND WATCH THEM ALL. SECONDLY, YES WE HAVE HAD SOME CRAZY WEATHER HERE. THE SUN IS OUT RIGHT NOW, BUT THAT WIND IS VERY COLD. STILL A LITTLE SNOW IN PLACES ON THE GROUND HERE IN THE CITY AND LOTS ON THE HIGHER HILLS. ONE THING THE SPRING FLOWERS ARE BEGINNING TO BLOOMS.

leona07

I LOVE watching those shows!!! I catch them whenever I get a chance.

Luckily, the snow didn't fall to long the other day, and it didn't stick. However, my mom lives up north in Granite Falls and they got a ton of snow (about a foot). She was bummed because her flowers were starting to come up and bud. it is beautiful today though!! Even though it's nippy out there, I still love to see the sunshine.

In regards to points, I hear ya on that one!! My first project when I got back into sewing and had to re-teach myself was some placemats for my mom. I did mitered corners on the border and I had a heck of a time getting the corners to make a nice point on the corners of the main fabric. Thankfully, I didn't get frustrated and kept at it. I got a good laugh at myself because by the time I got to the third placemat it was going smoothly. Therefore, I imagine making a quilt that has a lot of matching points on my first go would probably be a disaster!!! : )

Jo Mama

Good for you. I am from Seattle (Magnolia) but now live in Florida. I took my first quilting class from the Calico Cat in Auburn. That's kind of far to drive but I would encourage you to take a beginning quilting class from a shop near you. I am currently a quilt pattern tester for ToaduSew, a pattern designer (www.toadusew.com).

Also, look on line at the fabric manufacturer's home pages. They have lots of free patterns and most times will identify the easy ones. Below are some of my favorate mfgs.

Robert Kauffman
Hoffman
Alexander Henry
Benartex
Marcus
RJR
Moda

Good luck. Jo Lax

Bevanger

Hello & Welcome from Port Angeles. WA