iluvquiltin

Anniedeb, there are no quilt police. I have taught beginner quilter for quite a few years and there are no fast and hard rules. I do say if you wash one piece, then wash them all, because cotton does shrink. Also if using strong dark colors like red, navy blue, black, dark green etc. you do risk a having them bleed if you don't prewash. Some teachers like the crispness of unwashed fabric. I am one of those, however, if you wash first, then just spray with sizing and you can get that crispness back. Since I don't prewash most of the time, I throw a color catcher sheet in with my quilt and don't have a problem. If you don't pull up the bobbin thread when you start to quilt your quilt sandwich, you risk a knot on the back of your quilt or a tangle. I prefer a walking foot when putting on a binding, which by the way does not have to be cut on the bias unless you are going around a curve. Straight of the grain is fine for a quilt with no curved edges. If you are comfortable with an acrylic table, then use it. As for as your machine---if it sews a straight seam and you use a quarter inch foot and it works well for you, then it is just fine. Sounds like she was wanting to sell you a machine. When quilting we rarely use anything more than a straight stitch, a zig zag, or blanket stitch. If yours does that then you can do anything you want with it.
I teach students from the book---Start quilting with Alex Anderson-- which you can probably get on Amazon really cheap. Walk yourself through that book. Once you have compleated each of the blocks, you can make almost any quilt. If you would like to have one of my hand outs, let me know and I will send you one. We were all beginners one time. I wanted to qult for years and was too scared to get started. Thanks to my sweet husband, He signed me up for a quilting class at a quilt shop in Houston, bought me all the supplies, and a gift cetificate for fabric and gave it to me for Christmas one year. Boy did he create a monster. You should see my wall of fabric.
Good luck and QUILT ON!

iluvquiltin

Anniedeb, there are no quilt police. I have taught beginner quilter for quite a few years and there are no fast and hard rules. I do say if you wash one piece, then wash them all, because cotton does shrink. Also if using strong dark colors like red, navy blue, black, dark green etc. you do risk a having them bleed if you don't prewash. Some teachers like the crispness of unwashed fabric. I am one of those, however, if you wash first, then just spray with sizing and you can get that crispness back. Since I don't prewash most of the time, I throw a color catcher sheet in with my quilt and don't have a problem. If you don't pull up the bobbin thread when you start to quilt your quilt sandwich, you risk a knot on the back of your quilt or a tangle. I prefer a walking foot when putting on a binding, which by the way does not have to be cut on the bias unless you are going around a curve. Straight of the grain is fine for a quilt with no curved edges. If you are comfortable with an acrylic table, then use it. As for as your machine---if it sews a straight seam and you use a quarter inch foot and it works well for you, then it is just fine. Sounds like she was wanting to sell you a machine. When quilting we rarely use anything more than a straight stitch, a zig zag, or blanket stitch. If yours does that then you can do anything you want with it.
I teach students from the book---Start quilting with Alex Anderson-- which you can probably get on Amazon really cheap. Walk yourself through that book. Once you have compleated each of the blocks, you can make almost any quilt. If you would like to have one of my hand outs, let me know and I will send you one. We were all beginners one time. I wanted to qult for years and was too scared to get started. Thanks to my sweet husband, He signed me up for a quilting class at a quilt shop in Houston, bought me all the supplies, and a gift cetificate for fabric and gave it to me for Christmas one year. Boy did he create a monster. You should see my wall of fabric.
Good luck and QUILT ON

kathyd

I'm glad you are finished with that class. I wouldn't take another one with her. My thought would be "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" In other words, if it works for you keep doing what you're doing. Lots of us do it however works for us. Like someone else said, keep reading the board and you'll learn lot's of different ways of doing things.
kathyd

QuiltNama

Annie it sounds like you already have some things that work for you so don't let someone else discourage or try and side track you into things that may not work for you. I some times wash, and some times not, use all my machines for piecing (my FW being my favorite) and some for quilting. Never use bias binding unless I have to and enjoy every minute I spend with my quilting hobby. The only two rules FOR ME are...take time to cut accurate and do my best to stay with the 1/4" seam. Find what works for you, and that includes thread, scissors, cutters, blades, cutting matts, machines, needles, patterns, fabric and guilds. Just enjoy the craft as it is supposed to be fun. Welcome

beadywoman

Well, I think that this should all be taken with a great big grain of salt. There is a huge "controversy" over pre-wash and don't pre-wash. User's choice.

I had never even HEARD of pulling up the bobbin thread until I watched some videos on-line. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't. Depends on what I'm working on. Again, User's choice.

A walking foot is the Bee's Knees as far as I'm concerned - maybe she had a reason why she preferred not to use one.

IF a person is lucky enough to have a drop-in table for their sewing machine, there would be no need for the acrylic extension table. But for the rest of us mere mortals...

Basting. Well, there's spray basting, the Sharon Shambler (SP?) way, using straight pins with or without pin moors, the method of laying the sandwich out and basting away with the needle, OR using safety pins. Baste away with what ever method warms your heart.

Binding is binding to me. I hate cutting bias binding and so I don't.

Scrunch, roll, wad, mash - whatever works to get the quilt in there so you can work on it! LOL

But to even think of blasting your machine goes beyond the pale. You must have felt like crawling UNDER the table after that lovely comment. Again, us mere mortals use what we have/can afford! If it sews, it can quilt. And applique. And thread paint. And free-motion. It's ALL sewing. Go for it and have fun!

MargeD

The one thing I can say about quilting is Rule Number One: There are no rules. It sounds like you have found your own way in quilting, like most of us, whether we are self-taught or have taken many classes. Do what works best for you. The first quilt I machine quilted was king-size, using a crib size pattern, thinking all I had to do was make more blocks. While that was partially true, I know I made dozens of mistakes in that quilt, but I also learned a lot, and it was on our bed for many years. Just for chuckles and giggles, it was a pieced basket block, with a pieced handle I found on another pattern, while I spread all the blocks on our LR loveseat, my husband told me that I had become a "basket case", and the name stuck. Nobody told me I couldn't do some of the things that I did on that quilt and there were some things I wish someone had told me about, however,there is nothing like jumping in with both feet and ending up with something you love. Just do what feels right for you, just because you take a different road to the same destination doesn't make it wrong. Enjoy your quilting, it has been my sanity and love for over 25 years.

redbreast

While it is always interesting to take a quilting class;unfortunately many times you will find--as you obviously have learned the instructor is off b ase. But don't give up on classes because you usually come away with one or two new hints you never thought of and you just have to use the ones that you find helpful and ignore the "crap".

Bluelady

If what you have been doing works, then dont stop! Hopefully you got a few tips out of the class that work for you though! Some of what she told you sounds a bit out there ...

starshine

I just came across this today, only thing I have to say is I took my beginner class from a very respected teacher and she said always prewash fabric. And I have heard from more than one source to bring up the bobbin thread.
So I think like others have said do what works for you. I'd say listen to their reason for the method, if it makes sense to you go with it, if it doesn't go with what you want.

My time

Was she also trying to sell you a sewing machine? Geez Louise so long as it sews a straight seam, and yes fits a walking foot, your good to go! Why didn't she like the extension table? I can't figure that one out , can you?

I often prewash my fabrics before they go in my stash. I snip the corners so they don't ravel so much in the wash.

I only use a bias binding when sewing curves, and I hate to admit it but I rarely hand baste. I use both 505 spray basting and I'm just starting with Elmer's school glue. Learnt this technique from this board.

It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on this quilting thing. I would take what makes sense to you from a teacher. Especially one who claims to be teaching beginners. The most important thing about quilting is to relax and enjoy it!!