Quilting for beginners

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jemberelli
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Quilting for beginners

Post by jemberelli »

Well, I have this overwhelming desire to make a patchwork quilt for the bed. I have been looking into it on the internet and thought I would appeal to you lovely creative Laners for info & advice!

Firstly, I do not own a sewing machine! I appreciate that this means it will be a real labour of love, taking forever and I think this will make it all the more special if I ever get it done!

Secondly, I have not got a creative bone in my body but if I have a pattern of sorts to follow then I should be fine. I have been checking out quilts and like the look of the nine patch look. What is the difference between this and disappearing nine patch?

Thirdly, sort of linked to the first point, I am not a good sewer but can cross stitch so I sort of know one end of a needle from another!

Do you have any hints, tips or advice that would help me, other than give up before I start?!

Thanks in advance {hug}
No girls at the moment but look forward to getting more in the future. Proud mummy to Hector, a Bedlington Terrier x Jack Russell
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LittleBrownFrog
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Re: Quilting for beginners

Post by LittleBrownFrog »

I would try the library to start with - ours has lots of books outlining the basics of quilting. Starting is easy, it's just a matter of sewing pieces together, and if you can do cross stitch, then you'll pick it up easily. I like 'paper piecing' for hand made quilts.
Ali (the better half of Totally Scrambled) makes AMAZING quilts, and I'm sure she'll spot this and offer advice.
The making is easy, and then the more you make, the better you get.
http://www.popularpatchwork.com/news/ar ... atch/5294/ - this explains the disappearing nine patch quite well.
"Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder..." Thoreau.
HazellB
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Re: Quilting for beginners

Post by HazellB »

I've made a few quilts and they aren't that bad once you get going. It sort of grows before you've realised, then all of a sudden you're faced with a mass of edges that need sorting by hand and you get deflated at the final hurdle - but when the first long edge only takes an hour and it's all finished the next day you instantly want to make another!

My advice is look at ways of making it faster when working by hand. For example, I use sticky tape to fasten the patches to backing paper (I use old books that would have been burned after not selling in auctions) rather than tacking. Why tack when you really don't need to? Plus, with tape you can alter angles in tricky bits that aren't quite as exact as they should be. I don't press each patch either, just press the whole thing once an area worth doing is fully sewn together and ready to join to another.

For some reason purists make patchwork by hand a labour of sewing, ironing, following exact rules and measuring too often, when frankly it's a relaxing way to spend time if you do it my way. The results are the same, too, which always surprises me!
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Re: Quilting for beginners

Post by Totally Scrambled »

Morning,
I will ask Ali when she gets home.
I think ,whether it is 9 patch, 16 patch or whatever, that the straight "patch" one means you can clearly see each block making up the quilt while a disappearing patch means that all the blocks blend together with no easily defined borders.
However I am a bloke so have probably got that completely wrong.
I do know that if you are not deadly accurate with your peiceing that each block will not be identically sized and then the blocks will not go together properly which will spoil the end result.
I also know that a sewing machine makes it all a hell of a lot easier to piece the blocks and then sew them together. A cheap machine that just does a simple stich would probably do the job.
Dom
PS The above is a quilting widowers view of quilting :-D
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jemberelli
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Re: Quilting for beginners

Post by jemberelli »

Thank you all so much, I really appreciate your input! Once I have read up a bit more and got myself sorted I will keep you posted on how things go!
No girls at the moment but look forward to getting more in the future. Proud mummy to Hector, a Bedlington Terrier x Jack Russell
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p.penn
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Re: Quilting for beginners

Post by p.penn »

I did some hand patchwork when I was younger - a small baby quilt, a cozy toes and a bag. The quilt and bag were made up of octagons and sewn by hand. Have to say I was very pleased with them when they were finished, but they were not really anything special!!

I hope you enjoy doing your patchwork. aren't we a crafty lot at the moment? :-D
Helen xx

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jemberelli
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Re: Quilting for beginners

Post by jemberelli »

They sound lovely Helen! I have to say, I am not at all crafty really but reading about the Laners' projects has inspired me to try my hand at something different!
No girls at the moment but look forward to getting more in the future. Proud mummy to Hector, a Bedlington Terrier x Jack Russell
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MissEllie
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Re: Quilting for beginners

Post by MissEllie »

It sounds like a great project Gemma, good luck with it and please keep us up to date on how it's all going, it might inspire others of us along the way to try our hand at new crafts :-D
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wendy
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Re: Quilting for beginners

Post by wendy »

Ooo good for you. They are so lovely. But I somehow don't think I would be able to do them.
Piccies when you have had a go.
http://www.busheyk9.co.uk

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you will just have to be a horrible warning
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