Beginner Quilting - 3 Tips to Get You Started

Beginner quilting tip number 1: Equipment

You could spend a small fortune on quilting equipment even before you have bought the fabric. It's difficult to know at this stage how much quilting you are likely to do, so don't get carried away and buy half the shop until you are sure that you want to continue quilting - although the chances are that you will continue.

You must have a decent pair of fabric scissors. These need to be sharp and have long blades but you may have some household scissors that fit that description. That's fine. Just keep them separate and don't let anyone use them for cutting paper or anything else that will blunt them too quickly.

You will definitely need a stitch unpicker. Trust me - I don't think I have made a quilt yet where I haven't needed to unpick something along the way.

A rotary cutter, ruler and cutting mat are probably a necessity if you do much quilting, and they certainly do save time and improve accuracy, but the first quilters didn't have any of these accessories and they produced beautiful quilts.

A sewing machine is useful and saves a lot of time. If you don't have one, it's perfectly possible to complete a quilt with hand sewing only, but don't expect to make a quilt in a weekend. If you have a basic machine, that will cope adequately with your needs. Don't feel you need one of the new all singing all dancing machines.

An uncluttered workspace is a necessity. Whether you have a dedicated sewing room or plan to use the dining room table, do clear it before you begin quilting. Otherwise you will find yourself hunting for that pen that you know was there but has in fact now been buried in fabric, or searching for the green 4" fabric squares which are now underneath the evening newspaper.

Beginner quilting tip number 2: Planning Think carefully about what quilt you want to make and for whom. Cousin Janice's baby isn't really going to need a double bed sized quilt with a really complicated quilt design. By the same token, your partner probably won't thank you for a baby sized pink quilt with ruffles.

Some quilters feel that once you have begun quilting you can keep going and make the quilt as large as you want. I can see the logic but a large quilt is more difficult to put together and it takes longer before you see the results of your work. Personally I would advise a relatively small quilt with a simple design for a beginner quilting project.

Beginner quilting tip number 3: Accuracy

There's no other way to say it: size does matter.

In a patchwork quilt you could have hundreds of patchwork pieces coming together to make your completed quilt. If these pieces have not been cut accurately, a small variation can become very noticeable when multiplied up hundreds of times. Almost all quilting is based on a 1/4" seam, not the 5/8" seam that you may be used to if you have done much dressmaking. Again, small variations in seam widths can lead to major distortions by the time your quilt top is completed.

The most important factor when you come to sandwich together the three layers of your quilt is how flat each layer is. If you have been tugging at bits to try and make the seams match when they are quite obviously about half an inch apart, your quilt top is going to be lumpy and bumpy. That means that your overall quilt is going to be lumpy and bumpy. Save yourself time and frustration by cutting and sewing accurately.

I hope that these tips will have allayed some of your fears, but for more tips and advice on beginner quilting, visit ludlow quilt and sew.

Free Quilt Patterns If You Are a Beginner

Quilts are very attractive to see. As you know, quilts are multipurpose. You may either use it to cover yourself, or you can hang it on the wall for decoration purpose.

Maybe you are from one of them who are attracted by the quilt pattern, and now you want to make your quilt by creating your own patterns. For this reason, maybe you felt the need for help in making quilt. That's why you are wondering and searching different sites. If it is so, then you have chosen the right page "free quilt patterns" for your help.

You are always welcome to free quilt patterns. In fact, it is our pleasure, as we are always keen to help you in your interests. Either, this search is for your interest to make a quilt or it is your project, free quilt patterns always ready to help you at the earliest, which will enable you to produce your very own quilt design.

You can make quilt design according to your requirement. You may also use patterns according to the age group. Free quilt patterns refer some important tips for making appropriate quilts.

1. If you are going to make quilts for babies, you can choose the toy designed fabric for applique work.

2. If your quilt is for girls, then you can choose the fabric design having some motives of doll, or you can even use different fairy tale characters.

3. If it is for boys, then these motives would be cars, robots, etc.

4. You can choose your fabric with different animal patterns for children of small age.

Even you can make your quilt by using the outline of the motives for patching on the quilts. You can also sew the patterns on your quilts by stitching the motives along with their outlines.

Colors also make your quilt work attractive. So, the selection of colors while selecting a fabric is of very much importance. All you have to do is to select appropriate colors according to the age group factor. Selection of contrast is also very important.

Designs for quilts also have importance. Your quilt may have different designs or patterns. You can make quilts with the different block patterns. You may also choose horizontal or vertical bars with vibrant colors to look different. There is no restriction for making quilt with any kind of design. It is totally up to your mood or taste.

Making of quilt is not so difficult. The only thing that you require is an idea. You need to know some of the things before starting quilts. Free quilt patterns help you to do so, some of which are as follows.

1. Using patch work in making quilt.

2. How you can use the outline of different patterns.

3. How can you use the applique work for your quilt?

4. How can you use your sewing machine for creating different stitching patterns on your quilt?

Some of our free quilt patterns will help you in producing your own masterpiece. After using our free quilt pattern guide you will definitely realize this, a great help to ease your pain.

If it is true, then you can even bookmark free quilt pattern for future use. We will feel very proud if you do so.

History of Quilting - An Introduction to Quilting for the Beginner

While the history of quilting is fraught with many examples of possible origins dating back as far as biblical times with the story of Josephs 'Coat of Many Colors', it is generally agreed that the more traditional American/European had it's start with the patchwork quilts in the 1780's. Patchwork quilts in essence were quilting for the beginner, in that scraps of cloth were sewn together to provide clothing and blankets as a matter of scarcity and necessity.

The very first patchwork quilts used for blankets were layers of cloth sewn together with a few strong running stitches. These primitive patchwork quilts according to the history of quilting resembled the thick and cumbersome pallets which were slept upon. Due to the difficulty in stitching the many layers together the quilting frame was invented.

Progress in technology deeply affected the number and styles of patchwork quilts made during the middle years of the 1800s. The industrial revolution, the turning point in the history of quilting brought about the most dramatic change as textiles came to be manufactured on a broad scale. This meant women no longer had to spend time spinning and weaving to provide fabric for their family's needs. By the 1840s the textile industry had grown to the point that commercial fabrics were affordable to almost every family. As a result quilting for beginners became widespread.

Another major shift in the history of quilting was in the style of patchwork quilts made. Although a few earlier quilts were made in the block style, quilts made up of blocks were uncommon until around the 1840s. With so many fabrics being manufactured quilting for beginners created their blocks with a delightful variety of fabrics.

During this period the invention and availability of the sewing machine contributed to the history of quilting. In 1856 The Singer Company started the installment plan so that more families could afford a sewing machine. Many patterns were created with the beginning quilter in mind. By the 1870s a good many households owned a sewing machine. This affected patchwork quilt making in two ways. First of all women could make clothing for their family in much less time, leaving more time for patchwork quilt making. Secondly they could use their sewing machines to make all or part of their patchwork quilts. More often the sewing machine was used to piece nine patch quilts but occasionally the patchwork quilting was done with the sewing machine. This made it possible for quilting for the beginner to advance from the crude patchwork designs to the more unique quilting block styles, such as this nine patch quilt called a shoo fly. While there are many hundreds of variations of the nine patch quilt, the shoo fly is great quilting for the beginner to start out with. As for the history of quilting the shoo fly nine patch quilt, it appears first around the 1870's. You will notice that there are 2 basic shapes, a square and a triangle which will be 2 important permanent rotary cutter templates that will be used in quilting other nine patch quilts for beginner to expert. The shoo fly is named after a child's rocker having the seat built between two flat sides cut in the shape of an animal.

Never before in the history of quilting, have the techniques used for this pattern been used for quilting with the beginner in mind. Most experienced quilters will tell you when they did their first nine patch quilt like the shoo fly, they learned how to cut a square in half diagonally once or twice in order to get their half-square triangles. However, this method is not accurate mathematically and with one wrong move, you could wind up with two (2) or four (4) different sizes. It is difficult to place the ruler diagonally in the exact center of each corner while preventing the material from moving or splitting apart, when having to cut twice on the diagonal.

Every quilter knows that cutting strips are not always an exact science. Sometimes it is hard to read the same measurement time after time, and to continually have to re-align the edges as the material starts getting off the mark after so many cuts. When I did my own first nine patch quilt, I would often open up the strip only to discover that I had a "wave" in the middle of the strip from inaccurate folding. It was after many years of trial and error that I came up with these exclusive techniques and quilting secrets that will have you quilting your own award winning nine patch quilt in no time.

There will be no guessing games when it comes to setting shapes together, as you will cut all the points with the permanent rotary cutter template material for easy piecing, which eliminates the "dog ears" and makes the margin of error practically non-existent. You will also be able to slash your preparation time in half so you can have more time and greater satisfaction to create more beautiful quilts.

Joan Gagne is the Unique Quilter who has developed secret quilting techniques, and discovered a new permanent rotary cutter template material that makes even the most difficult patterns a snap to make. She can be reached at Joan@UniqueQuilter.com, or visit her website a [http://www.UniqueQuilter.com] .

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