mizunogirl

I'm a newbie and I have finally succeeded in making that toddler quilt and am 80% done with my other baby quilt (just gotta do the "sandwich" and it will be ready for the baby, who is due in Dec, guess I was in a hurry).

I really want to make a larger quilt and I am so attracted to both the NY Beauty, and also the Drunkards Path. I love how the blocks can be arranged and so many different patterns can be created.

BUT, I am a relatively new quilter, and both those patterns seem to me to be difficult....

Is there something that is similar but slightly less difficult that you might suggest? I am thinking that I should not really attempt the curved seams yet. But..who knows.

THank you all, hope you are having a good weekend!

redmadder

I learned to do curved seams by making a Grandmas Fan. Make a small project first, view a tutorial on curved seam piecing and just practice. They aren't that hard, make a dozen and you'll have it down just fine. As for NY Beauty, not for me. Good luck and have fun.

erstan947

My suggestion is to find the quilt you want to do and do a practice block. Sometimes it is good to stretch your skills. There are some quilters that start out with advanced blocks and do great 'cause no one told them it was too hard. Follow your passion:)

LisaGibbs

I loved the tube quilting (youtube.com video) and had great success at it and it was super EASY with little chance at errors. It was a post on here when I first joined and I loved it.

SparkMonkey

I agree--pick one you like, even if you think it might be hard, and do a practice run. If you don't like the idea of "wasting" fabric, you can make your practice block into a pillow sham or sofa cushion or something.

amma

Find some inexpensive fabric to practice on. A Drunkards Path is not that hard to make. Generally speaking, a bigger block will be a little easier than a 2" :wink:

Once you can do that? A NYB will be a snap :D:D:D

hopetoquilt

Why not do a sampler quilt? That way, you have not committed yourself to doing a ton of the same complex block and you get to experiment with a bunch of different blocks/patterns. You can make it as small or big as you want and you could use just a few fabrics or a ton of different fabrics.

ontheriver

Great idea. A sampler will give you a taste of different blocks and they look great. It's a good way to find blocks that will become your "favorites."

bebe

do a sampler using blocks using different blocks that challenge u

curves, points and etc :D :D :D :D

ScrappyAZ

Don't make the same mistake I made when I first started quilting. My first quilt was an easy 9-patch, using only three fabrics. After that, I let a more experienced quilter talk me into a pattern that was clearly beyond my skill level, and I had to buy 20 (yes 20!) different fabrics. My friend said she would help me through the process, but sometimes life takes over, and just as I started the project, she bailed on me. I had such a difficult time trying to finish the quilt that I stuffed the entire project (and fabrics) into the closet. Six years later, I learned enough to finish the quilt, but it didn't bring me the joy I hoped it would.

So, know your comfort and skill level when choosing your next project. Quilting should be fun!