DianeN

I have a question as a newbie to the message board.
I've learned to quilt a little bit and made a small quilt which I like very much.
My question is about big quilts. I don't have a quilting machine and I am not of the means to have a quilt quilted by a company with a big long arm machine. Too rich for my budget.

Can I quilt my own quilts on my regular sewing machine anyway. I don't really care how time consuming it is. But is it possible?

Thanks for your response and help
Diane

patricej

it's totally possible. :P i'm personally not very good at it, but Search on phrases like "freemotion quilting", "Machine quilting", etc. gazillions of posts.

keep watching this thread, too, because i'm sure you'll get lots of good advice. :P

DianeN

Thank you Patrice I will do just that.
Aw your little kitty there is so cute.
A friend tells me all this " one can never have too many cats" I have one.

I've had the experience of only quilting in the ditch. Which worked just fine actually for that time.

Diane

Rebecca Chambley

Diane
I just finished a King Quilt this past July, Machine quilted, I have made several and machine quilted. I'm presentely working on 5 others. It seems daunting at first, but read all you can, look at different techniques, and then decide which way you want to go. I hand quilted for years, but I started researching machine quilting, attempted a few, stayed committed, found my best technique, and now I'm delighted with the results. Alot faster to. Just stay determined, and pratice before the big jump. Fear is your enemy.

DianeN

Rebecca thank you . Honestly fear is not my problem
You see I really think I can do anything but then have to know a little something just to protect the whole effort. Mistakes don't make me real happy. With paint, I can just paint over a mistake.
This is different. I won't give up
Diane

zyxquilts

DianeN, the Fearless Quilter!! I love it! That is definitely a great attitude.
You may not want to paint over a quilting mistake, but you can do the dreaded "rip stitch"....or you could paint over it too - why not?

And, as to cats....I recently learned a new saying that is begging me to make a quilt out of it:

"Every life deserves 9 cats"

:D

DianeN

Truth about the whole thing is that once I learned to paint then in different mediums I developed this attitude as why not I can do anything I suspect. Well I've just started to learn portrait painting and the good lord has blessed me with a wonderful teacher. So we'll see how that goes. And believe it or not you most certainly can paint quilts. Quilt squares painted have been happening for some time now. I recently purchased brushes to help with this.
In Ohio at the convention for painters I just attended the girls who sponsor this event painted and raffled a wonderful quilt with a bird painted in each quilt block. It was absolutely gorgeous. Now when they call me as to being the winner of it I'll take a picture and show you.
They also quilted around each bird. Very pretty indeed.
Diane

DianeN

I forgot to say your cat looks like mine except my Rusty has long , very long hair and it 's a permanent fixture in my house the hair that is.
Can't get away from this very fine all over the place hair.
Love the kitties that's for sure
Diane

Rebecca Chambley

Diane
You have a painting background, so do I. Took lessons in oil, switched down the road to acrylics. Have made a few quilts with hand painted sqs, as well as novelty seasonal quilts, and used paint for highlites and shadowing. The sqs I painted where of violets and hydranges, it was and is a keeper, for my G-daughter.

DianeN

Got a picture of that lovely quilt for your granddaughter.
I'll bet it's really nice.

Diane