zozee

Welcome! New quilters create a happy buzz around here!

Has anyone suggested you a buy a safety glove to wear when rotary cutting? I bought the NoCry glove off Amazon and really like it. It actually comes as a pair.

I concur with everyone who said take a class in person. The instant answers to your questions, the ability to learn the "why" behind the "what" as you go, the thrill of finishing a project from fabric selection to sandwiching to binding are all worth the class fee and time. We made a sampler quilt (small lap size) at ours, using Alex Andersen's book called Start Quilting. Several blocks with some repeats gave us practice but we weren't bored.

Be sure to iron large pieces and press smaller ones. I skipped that as a beginner and regretted it. Wash your fabric with Color Catchers to prevent colors from running. It could be heartbreaking to find out after the whole thing is done. It's a never ending debate among quilters --ad nauseum but I highly recommend it .

As for starting out "easy" vs "challenging" you wouldn't believe how many of us didn't know the difference before jumping into our first quilt! My very first was 20 years ago when I taught myself(poorly, long before a class that I mentioned or YouTube!!). It had lots of triangles in a basket pattern with heart applique. I didn't know it wasn't "beginner" stuff.
But I would say that it took me 4 years !

Anyway, enjoy the ride. Quilting is more of an obsession than a hobby!

SarahBethie

Yes, I have all the projects and a few of the books as well. I'll have a second look at the three quilts you mentioned. Thanks for the suggestion.

SarahBethie

No, that hasn't been suggested. I'm comfortable working with sharp objects. The addition of a glove would not be comfortable. It's a matter of feel for me.

Thank you for the reminder about ironing. I inquired about color catchers in the past and have a DIY natural version for future use.

I agree with you about easy vs difficult. I assumed the two items I'd selected were easy! I chalk that up to the adventurous beginner's spirit.

purplefiend

Yellow Brick Road is easy enough for a beginner. http://quiltville.blogspot.com/ has many free patterns that are easy.
The first quilt is "Crayon Box", a free Bonnie Hunter pattern, her blog is the link above.

The second quilt picture is called "Cart Wheels", a free pattern from Moda bakeshop dot com
I quilt all of my quilts using a domestic machine, I have 2 Pfaffs, Quilt Expression 4.2 and 1222e.
Sharon in Texas

SarahBethie

Sharon, thank you for sharing the links and images. You've done quite a lot! How many quilts do you finish each year?

Innov8R

I'd be careful with project #2- round pieces are hard to get right. I am a dive-in kind of girl, so I encourage you to dive in too. I would try something like a lap throw first though. I always use recycled fabrics, so cost isn't a factor. If you are buying new fabric, you might want to go small at first. It costs less and you'll learn just as much.

Beachbaby12

I agree with Super Member - Missouri Star Quilt Company youtube tutorials - wonderful and encouraging. I've not made too many quilts but Jenny at Missouri Star will encourage you and inspire you - at least that's what I felt like when I watched her tutorials. I am now working on the layer cake tutorial from the Missouri Star Quilt tutorial on youtube which has big blocks and a good start for me to make something bigger. Hope you enjoy and try it as well.

sewNso

make an easy 4 patch with a solid block between each 4 patch. using 3.5 inch strips. X's WOF. lap size or twin size to begin with. then take the 3 layers and have a long arm quliltr do a panogram . get one done, and you will be hooked.

cjsews

I just want to add the benefit of a class at LQS or joining a guild. You can ask questions and get answered right then. But mostly if you think you are doing something right the internet will not tell you that it is wrong. You may find that out too late and get frustrated Or you will find the hard way of doing something when there are always options for easier ways to accomplish the same task

purplefiend

SarahBethie,
I'm happy to share my quilts and the links with others. I often make 2 quilts at a time, leaders and enders technique makes it possible. That is explained on quiltville.com too. Take a beginner quilting class if possible, it helps a lot.
I finish 10-20 a year almost all charity quilts. I've probably made 300 or more over the years. I've been quilting for almost 30 years.
Sharon in Texas