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Stitching & Crafting Room:  beginning quilting.  |
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Whimsy_girl
True Blue Farmgirl
576 Posts
USA
576 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 16 2005 : 11:16:50 PM
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I am thinking about starting a quilt of burp rags, baby blankets and some former baby clothes, as a memory blanket, but I have never quilted before and I don't have a sewing machine. Does anyone know of any good websites for a beginner who has to do their quilting by hand?
you can be oh so smart, or you can be oh so positive. I wasted a lot of time being smart I prefer being positive. |
Edited by - Whimsy_girl on Nov 17 2005 1:07:05 PM |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2005 : 06:53:19 AM
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GETS to do your quilting by hand, Bobbi!!I made my very first quilt by hand..it was a lone star pattern (a billion little diamonds in a big star radiating out from the center) took forever, but was such a nice Minnesota winter (where I lived then) thing to do and I loved it. it is such a nice relaxing thing to do at the end of the day!! I wish I had a website for you..sounds like a great idea..I bet AnnieT can help..she seems to be the search queen..and knows alot about quilting.
Jenny in Utah
It's astonishing how short a time it takes for very wonderful things to happen...Frances Burnette |
Edited by - Aunt Jenny on Nov 17 2005 06:55:10 AM |
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AnnieT
True Blue Farmgirl
287 Posts
Annie
287 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2005 : 4:58:52 PM
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Search queen? LOL! The expectations, the pressure!
Firstly, you will want nice long hand needles. "Sharps" will make you miserable. "Betweens" are a little better. I would use "darners." You can buy a package of "Singer" brand assorted size hand needles just about anywhere (drug store, fabric store, even my grocer has them) for about $2.00--you'll get more than you could ever possibly use.
Secondly, your thread is important. Some thread will drive you nuts. It will tangle, it will twist back on itself, it will break. I use ONLY Gutermann brand thread now. Coats and Clark drives me batty. If you find that one spool of thread is making you miserable, try another brand. Also, some people like to wax their thread to help it tangle less. Doesn't work for me, but that is a personal preference thing. As far as thread color goes, that is about the least important thing ever. You're using lots of different fabrics, so just choose a neutral color. I use quilting as an excuse to use up those "what was I thinking" colors of thread. Lime green? Looks good!
Now patterns. ANY pattern that can be sewn by maching can be sewn by hand. Check out Quilter's Cache for some inspiration. http://www.quilterscache.com/QuiltBlocksGalore.html
Since you'll be using various materials that may not all be the same wieght and content (not all cotton) you will probably want to stick with squares and rectangles. It will be easier for you as a beginner to match corners and ease pieces together that stretch differently. My very first quilt was a scrappy nine patch, and although I sewed it on a machine, the point is to choose something simple enough for your first project that you will have a chance to finish it and feel that it has been a sucess!
Jenny, on the other hand, is a crazy woman for attempting a lone star, of all things, as her first quilt. I watched my mother start one of those. Notice I said "start." She re-named it "Headache Star" and stuck it in a bag in the bottom of a trunk. She may have offered it as an effigy to the quilting goddess by now.
Annie |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Nov 17 2005 : 6:22:43 PM
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You know what...(remember I was young) I finished that quilt..and queen size the sucker was..and then we wore it out!! Fool that I was I didn't take great care with it and and save it..nope we used it like crazy and it found its end finally as a dog blanket..after 10 or 15 years of service. I guess that is good..but heck..that Was alot of work...I agree with the needle thing..don't even try those tiny quilting needles. I use betweens mostly...if you can use a thimble (I have never been comfortable with one) it sure helps..I end up with the ends of my fingers very tough. I never wax the thread either.
Jenny in Utah
It's astonishing how short a time it takes for very wonderful things to happen...Frances Burnette |
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OregonGal
True Blue Farmgirl
511 Posts
Chris
No. IL
USA
511 Posts |
Posted - Nov 21 2005 : 8:56:00 PM
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Bobbi,
See if you can locate a book called "You Can Be A Super Quilter" by Carla Hassel. It's a wonderful beginner (by hand) quilting book. You can find it pretty cheap on E-bay -
I got one for like $3.00 and that was shipping included. It was a little old and some of the templates were missing from the book - but all the how to information was fine and I gave it to my daughter when she wanted to start quilting. I too find quilting very relaxing. Right now I am working on a full size quilt using the block called "Moon Over The Mountain" square and will be giving it to my daughter soon, as a present, and every stitch is done by hand - even the long 6' seams!
"Every morning's a beautiful morning" |
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Whimsy_girl
True Blue Farmgirl
576 Posts
USA
576 Posts |
Posted - Nov 22 2005 : 12:18:35 AM
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Wow! I told my grandma about quilting by hand and she said "oh you don't want to do that, I don't even do THAT!"
Question though... without a machine, how in the world do they get their lines so straight?
you can be oh so smart, or you can be oh so positive. I wasted a lot of time being smart I prefer being positive. |
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OregonGal
True Blue Farmgirl
511 Posts
Chris
No. IL
USA
511 Posts |
Posted - Nov 22 2005 : 12:25:29 PM
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Bobbi,
The best way to get everything straight, is to start with straight lines, get things as exact as you can. If you are doing 2" squares, make sure they are square and make sure they are all the same size. But don't forget to leave at least a 1/4" seam allowance. For instance, if you are going to use a template for a 2 inch square, make it from stiff plastic like a milk jug - using a cardboard template (like from a cereal box) over and over and over, will over time become slightly smaller from the constant pressure of a pencil on the edge of it. So using a stiff plastic will keep the original size better. Mark your fabric on the back - mark the corners heavy dots and the line between them lightly. Cut out the squares 1/4" beyond the line. With the right sides together, put the corners together with pins and if one square is just slightly larger, then you'd have to ease in the seam. It requires practice. Start with four one inch squares and make yourself a pin cushion - see if you can get the middle intersection of the four squares to meet exactly. This is called piecing. Another technique is applique.....cutting out shapes, turning under the edges and sewing them to a large square. The book I mentioned shows and tells all this technical kind of stuff. There are too many things to explain to tell you all here. I took a class at a local junior college. You could probably get some info on classes at a local fabric shop, or even find a quilt guild in your area where you could talk to someone who would let you watch how they do it. Try looking at the sight Annie mentioned - they have how to's and patterns of both piecing and applique that you could use for practice: http://www.quilterscache.com or http://www.QuiltBlocksGalore.html Both are good sources of how to and free patterns to use. Good Luck - you'll be a pro in no time.
"Every morning's a beautiful morning" |
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Barbara Jean
Farmgirl in Training
32 Posts
USA
32 Posts |
Posted - Jan 28 2006 : 10:04:09 AM
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Annie T.
Have you seen the "Storybook Farm" applique quilt on www.cleverquilter.com ?? It is beautiful. I look forward to the day when I have the experience to attempt such a project. Thank you for the information on quilting. I too am a beginning quilter, and my sewing machine is out of service at the moment, but I have such an itch to be sewing, that it's hand stitching for awhile for me. |
Edited by - Barbara Jean on Jan 29 2006 10:58:39 AM |
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AnnieT
True Blue Farmgirl
287 Posts
Annie
287 Posts |
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Stitching & Crafting Room: beginning quilting. |
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beginning quilting.
