Thankful for that very first quilting class I took back in the Fall of 2009. I made this Pinwheel Quilt adapted from More Quilts for Babies by Ursula Reikes.
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| Each of these are 12" blocks. The finished quilt 52" x 64". |
Some fabric "tips" worth remembering:
1. You generally want atleast four colors in your "focus" fabric.
2. Don't have any "orphan" fabric...fabrics should be used more than once.
3.Every quilt should have a "sparkle" fabric.
4. Use a neutral thread color. Perhaps white or beige for light and medium fabrics; grey for dark fabrics. (100% cotton) I pieced this one using a light grey and it was quilted using red.
I've realized as I look back, how much I've grown as a quilter in the past 5 1/2 yeas. What was once new vocabulary: Omnigrid, quilter's safety pins, sashing, borders, and applique to name a few, are staple language now. I've worn bored with my early magazine subscriptions to: Am. Patchwork&Quiting, Fons and Porter, Love of Quilting. (Thanks mom for those subscriptions!) Do you have any NEW subrscriptions to recommend??
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| October 2009 |
So even though I'm not getting in as much sewing as I want right now, I'm thankful to be a quilter and humbled to remember my beginnings. Have you looked back lately? I know many of you have had quilting passed down through generations, some of you are self taught, others have taken a beginner's class like me. Please do comment and share your beginnings as a thankful quilter. (And if you are inspired to, or have written a past post on the subject...please feel welcome to leave your link in the comments so we can stop by.)
Hi Val, I remember my beginings, but seems I still feel like there is still too much to learn on improving my quilting. Sigh. Nice quilt you made. I know you must be anxious for your summer vacation time.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great first quilt! I just up and decided one day that I wanted to make a quilt, so when a friend got engaged shortly after that my Mom helped me make her a wedding quilt. There are a million mistakes in it, but I was so proud of it!! That was 18 years ago and I'm happy to say I've made a lot of progress since then!
ReplyDeleteHmm - we must have started quilting around the same time. I was rehabbing from a car accident and burnt out from making over 500 crossstitch ornaments to send overseas to our military. My SIL set up my very old and beat up sewing machine on a table I could get my wheelchair up to, my Mom gathered up scraps off her floor (yes, off her floor), supplies were set within reach - and off I went. The internet was my quilting teacher and still is today.
ReplyDeleteI love your little quilt! I am a self-taught quilter, as I am with all my crafts. I got a book, "Quilts, Quilts, Quilts," and went from there. It's been quite a journey and I've grown so much! That first quilt is still a UFO as it is all individual triangles and squares instead of strip pieced and I just can't seem to get back to it. When I try to help newbies, I try to get them started on something with a bang that is really simple to piece so they are encouraged.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite three mags right now are American Quilter, Machine Quilting Unlimited and Quiltmania. They're not the usual quilting magazines. American quilter has some great techniques to try. Ditto with the second, but for machine quilting - I use a domestic. And quiltmania for the use of color. So much out there on the net - like your blog which has so much eye candy. Thank you, Val.
ReplyDeleteHi Val! Glad I am not the only one super-busy right now and not time to quilt or blog. I am self-taught and started quilting 31 years ago when I decided I wanted to make my brother and his future wife a double wedding ring quilt for their wedding!! LOL Oh my - ignorance really is bliss. I had the sense at least to buy a pre-cut kit. The whole thing was stab-stitched because I didn't know how to hand quilt. I certainly have grown since then. Thanks for the opportunity to recall those days! I think I have photos somewhere of me making that quilt!
ReplyDeleteHi Val
ReplyDeleteI took a quilting class somewhere around 1987 or 1988 and the rest is history. Several years later I met my friend Sandie and she took me under her wing and taught me what a "stash" was. I never knew that you could buy fabric just because you liked it! Not sure if meeting her was a blessing or a curse (just kidding).
I really like Block Magazine by Missouri Star Quilt Company, Modern Quilts and Modern Patchwork.
Pugs and kisses,
Nancy
I suppose I am most thankful for the women in my family who put a needle in my hand almost as soon as I could hold it. I made a shirt when I was 8 and went flying from there! I made clothes forever until I discovered that quilts are all flat seams! No gathers or ruffles or armholes! That was 1991. Always more things to learn, though!
ReplyDeleteYou might take a look at Quiltmaker. It's a classic for a reason!
I just did a flashback post today. Spring is a busy time for parents. :) Love seeing an earlier quilt. Love the bold fanrics.
ReplyDeleteMy first quilt hangs in the hall, it transports me often!!!
ReplyDelete