craftystitch

ty all for welcome forum right were do i start get your tea girls going be long day
ve never quilted before and i dont own a sewing machine last bit quilting i did was 35 yrs ago in school and made a pin cushion so thought i need new hobbybored knitting.crochet.cross stitch ect i need a new challange so i always wanted try quilting
so here we go so far i have pk of 4inch squares fabric cotton needle ? now what i do next ? do i need paper templates? can i sew two squares togher ? i havent a clue any advice or help plz

earthwalker

Hello....you may want to try English paper-piecing. You will find many tutorials, here and elswhere on the net. You also need minimal supplies. You will need templates, but you can use scrap card etc.

craftystitch

so i need sure forum for paper peiceing i thought basic sew squares togher but not sure how
were can i get paper square blocks from ?

QM

Yes, you can just sew them together. Make 2 pairs. Line up the seams and sew those. We call this a 4 patch. One thing that is different about quilters is that we usually use 1/4" seam allowances. you won't get much of a quilt from a 4 patch. fortunately, you can extend that with pieces from old clothing, stuff from Salvation Army stores, etc. If you look at what people post here, you will find lots of inspiration. for patterns, there are many sites, including www.quilterscache.com. Early quilters did all their sewing by hand. You can too.

craftystitch

arrrhhh so i got u i leave seam and sew togher what size square u recommend for newbie could i sew my 4 squares togher then sew this square onto bigger square ?

Mary O

Start by taking a beginners quilting class.U-tube has great tutorials.......Good luck

charsuewilson

You need to have some pattern in mind. You didn't say if the 4" squares are many of the same or all different. But a 4 patch might be an easy pattern to start with. Just sew 2 squares together using a 1/4" seam. Sew another 2 squares together, then sew the sets of two squares together. Start another 4 patch, continue the same way. A common pattern would be one light square, one dark square, then the second row would be one dark, and one light square.

When you have enough 4 patches, sew them together into a long row, the width you want your quilt to be. Keep sewing rows, and then sew the rows together, until you have the length you want.

I you tell us how many 4" squares you have, someone here can help calculate how big a quilt you can make, or how many squares you will need to make the size quilt you want. The squares will finish at 3 1/2", so you can calculate it, too. A baby quilt can be as small as 36 x 45". I like lap quilts to be at least 45 x 60". Then there are bed size quilts.

jcrow

Go to Youtube and type in 'Jenny Doan' and watch a few of her videos. She has very easy tutorials. Or watch 'Beginner's quiltings'. Good luck. I agree - take beginner's class!

craftystitch

i have 4x4 squares of mixed floral pattern and some dotty some striped ect i now its 1 flower 1 dotty ect i now now how to sew these togher but the beginners tatorial all use machines i want to sew buy hand useing tiny stitches and its for a lap quilt

NJ Quilter

I would suggest mixing up your squares so you have no 4 alike in any of the 4 patches. You'll want to (probably) draw a line on the back side of your squares 1/4" away from the edges - this will be your seam line. Do as charsuewilson suggests...make up one 4 patch; then another and so on. Then put the finished 4 patches together into a row as wide as you want your quilt to be. Continue making 4 patches until you get enough for the size quilt you want.

You'll want to knot your thread - and I would use it doubled - start sewing with a basic running stitch. If you know how to do a back stitch, so much the better. When you get to the end of your seam, knot your thread again before clipping. If you're not familiar with either a running or back stitch, look up those terms and you might find some useful demos for hand sewing.

Not sure what kind of rulers you may have, so if you don't have one with a 1/4" marking; use something close to that. Since you're using 4" squares, consistency in your seam is more important than the actual measurement here. You just want everything to line up correctly.

You can do this!