Quilting For Beginners

If you've ever seen a beautiful quilt, you might have thought about how amazing it would be to make one for yourself one day, or to even make one and give it to someone you love. But if you don't know how to quilt, it can seem like a daunting task to become a quilter.

Quilting for beginners is not an impossible task, if you know the right way to start. One thing you will want to do before even buying any materials is to either go to the library or bookstore to find a book on quilting. This will make it easier for you to see the basics and give you a few ideas. You can also go on the web to see directions on how to quilt so that you know the basic steps to creating your first quilt. There are many places you can go online and get step-by-step instructions that are great for the beginning quilter and will make it very easy for you to get your first quilt done.

When you have learned a little about the process, you will be ready to decide what your first quilt should be. Never start off with a complicated pattern. There are many simple blocks that you can choose that will make a beautiful quilt, and will not be very complicated or take a lot of time. If you choose something simple, you will be able to see it through and have your first finished quilt in your hands before you know it.

Once you make the first few blocks, you will get the hang of it and realize that it is not hard to do. All you have to do is follow the directions on making blocks and putting the blocks together, and you will have your first quilt in your hands in no time.

One thing that quilters who are just beginning might worry about is that it takes too long to make a quilt. There are many tips and tricks you will find that will help you make your quilt faster, and easier. So this is nothing to worry about. If you choose a simple block and a reasonable size quilt, you can easily have your first quilt done in a weekend.

Even if you have never quilted before in your life, and are a complete beginner, you can easily learn how to make your first quilt. Just because you have never quilted before is no reason not to learn how to, as it is not as complicated as you might think. Before you know it, you could be looking at your very own quilt on your own bed that you made yourself!

Jenny Grant enjoys quilting and loves to help others learn how to quilt. She wants to help you make quilts faster so you can make more quilts for friends and family and even earn money from selling them! If you want free tips on quilting, visit the Quilting Advisor.

How to Quilt - For Beginners

These are instructions for someone who is new to hand quilting. This article covers items needed, as well as useful tips to make your hand quilting experience faster and more enjoyable. If you have never quilted before, we recommend that you start small, by making a doll quilt or a baby quilt, until you get more comfortable with quilting.

Items needed:

Quilting needles - We prefer Sharp brand quilting needles. As for size, we prefer a needle that is 1) thin-because it goes though fabric easier and 2) long-because it allows you to take more stitches.

Quilting thread - We recommend quilting thread that is the same color as your quilt backing.

Thimble - Some prefer to push the needle through with their thumb and some prefer to use their pointer or middle finger. Find a thimble that fits the finger that you like to use. I like to use my thumbnail to push the needle through because it's faster than using a thimble. It's just a matter of what works best for you.

Needle grabber - A needle grabber works great when you are quilting through thick fabric, seams, or if you just like to take a lot of stitches at once. It helps you get a grip on your needle to pull it through the fabric if your needle gets stuck.

Quilting Frames, Clamps and Large Tacks - see article - How to Put a Quilt On Using Frames

-or-

A Quilting Hoop - see article - How to Put a Quilt On Using a Hoop

The Quilting Process

The purpose of quilting is to hold the layers of a quilt together (quilt top, batting and backing). We recommend that you don't leave more than about a 6" area of your quilt unquilted.

Thread approximately 1 yard of thread through a needle and tie a double knot with both ends. Poke the needle through the top layer of fabric approximately ½" from the point you want to start at. Bring the needle back up through the top layer at your beginning point and pull the thread until the knot is hidden between the top layer of fabric and the quilt batting. Now you can take approximately 1/8" stitches around the area you are quilting. When you come to the end of your thread or the end of a line, tie a double knot right next to the fabric, then poke the needle through the top layer of fabric and bring it back up approximately ½" away. Pull the thread until the knot goes through the top layer and is hidden between the top layer and the quilt batting. Cut the thread very close to the fabric. Continue this process quilting until finished.

Tips:

1) Be sure to keep everything flat and tight to avoid puckers.

2) Try to avoid quilting on seams where it will be more difficult to pull your needle through.

3) It doesn't have to be "perfect", especially if you are new to quilting! You are probably the only one who will notice your minor imperfections!

4) Have a quilting party! Invite your friends over to help you quilt. You will have a lot more fun visiting and eating food while you are quilting.

Andrea Hunter is the co-founder of Sandrea Baby Quilts. This website, http://www.sandreababyquilts.com, offers handmade baby quilts, baby quilt kits baby quilt patterns, NFL Football Baby Blankets, and Brother Sewing Machines. We also offer tips and articles for quilters.

Quilting for Beginners - Does it Take Too Long to Make a Quilt?

If you are thinking about learning how to quilt, or are a beginner and haven't made your first quilt yet, you might be wondering how long it will take you to make your first quilt. If you're afraid that it will take you months, or even years to make a quilt, you will be happy to learn that it isn't the case. Depending on the quilt you choose to make, you can have your first quilt done in less than a week, and may even make an entire quilt in a weekend.

There are many things that will help decide how long your quilt will take you to make. One thing is the amount of time you can devote to it. If you only have a few minutes, you might be better off just waiting until another time, as by the time you take everything out, get it all set up, and start quilting, you will have to stop to put everything away since you've run out of time. If on the other hand, you can set aside a few hours, you will be more likely to get more of the quilt done, and then you will want to devote more time to getting it finished.

Another thing that will help make your quilt take less time is if you make a smaller quilt. At least until you get the hang of things, the first quilt (and probably first few quilts) for a beginning quilter should be something small. Maybe something like a baby blanket, or a lap quilt. This way you will have experience in making the whole quilt an will get better at it and in turn be quicker with it. Also, by choosing a small quilt, you will see your results sooner, and will be more likely to want to continue making quilts.

If you keep your materials together and organized, you will also find that you will be able to finish your quilts faster, since you won't have to spend time just getting things together each time you want to work on your quilt. If you know exactly where everything is, you will be able to pick up where you left off, and get right back to being productive and getting your quilt done.

If you are a beginner quilter and are worried that you won't be able to finish your quilt, or that it will take too long to make the quilt, then just follow some of the above tips as well as any others that will help you quilt faster, and you will have your first quilt finished before you know it!

Jenny Grant enjoys quilting and loves to help others learn how to quilt. She wants to help you make quilts faster so you can make more quilts for friends and family and even earn money from selling them! If you want free tips on quilting, visit the Quilting Advisor.