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The Sew What’s New Archive
This archived content is from Mary Wilkins’ sewing and
quilting message board “Sew What’s New,” which was
retired in August 2007. It is being provided by
“Sew What’s Up,”
which serves as the new home for many members of “Sew What’s New.”
From: ricstew
Date: 06-30-2006, 12:01 AM (1 of 14)
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Hi everyone! I have been lurking for a couple of weeks and reading everything I can! I really really want to have a go at this quilting! I can sew! I make heirloom dolls and baby clothes, bags of all types and anything else that strikes my fancy! but I am the type of sewer that needs clear written instructions that I can refer back to ...........which leads me to my question! Im wanting basic instructions in a book ( or 2) and have no idea what will give me what I need. I want to do machine piecing with some machine embroidery but i need more instruction on the cutting out side. I have looked at a lot of magazines and they say cut this out or that out but dont tell me how to cut it out properly......... So could you please tell me your favourite beginners books and why they are your favourites ? I need to buy most things online ( just love Ebay! ) as I live out in the bush in Australia. I do have a local quilting shop but ran into problems straight off there...........I always wash my fabric first! No matter what im making! cheers Jan |
User: ricstew
Member since: 06-29-2006 Total posts: 18 |
From: carman
Date: 06-30-2006, 12:59 AM (2 of 14)
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http://www.sew-whats-new.com/quiltlessons/index.shtml here is a link to the SWN lessons that we had, they start right from the beginning i think. by the way welcome to the boards 
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User: carman
Member since: 04-17-2000 Total posts: 692 
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From: HeyJudee
Date: 06-30-2006, 07:26 AM (3 of 14)
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Here is another site that has instructions about quilting. Some of their instructions are from Singers The Quilt Bible. That is the first book that I got and still refer to it at times. http://www.fabriclandwest.com/quilters%20corner/quilters_corner.htm Another book that I bought and use frequently is "All About Quilting from A to Z." But this is really a reference book. It is not written with a beginner in mind, e.g. does not start out easy and continually give more instructions. It is written in alphabetical order...so you have to look up a topic. If you like to watch videos, this site has some on quilting with the beginner in mind http://easymade.com/video_basic.html Hope these help & welcome to SWN. TTFN from
Judy |
User: HeyJudee
Member since: 01-25-2005 Total posts: 1366 
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From: Butterflyrf71
Date: 06-30-2006, 07:32 AM (4 of 14)
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I've just started quilting myself. I've got a book I love - its got tons of pictures, and descriptions, it's called the Quilting Bible for Machine Quilting - I loved that the written part had pictures for each step - and with a coupon you pick it up for under $30. I got mine at Jo Ann's with an AC Moore Coupon for $17. Other than that book - I get all the advice I could ask for on the forum. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1589232283/qid=1151667081/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-3718633-5484905?s=books&v=glance&n=283155 Hope this link works! Have fun - and welcome! You Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm, and place their trust in you. Isaiah 26:3, AV
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User: Butterflyrf71
Member since: 05-02-2006 Total posts: 257 
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From: Patty22
Date: 06-30-2006, 08:32 AM (5 of 14)
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Jan, I chuckled about the shop owner situation. When quilting was just making a resurgence in my area there was ONE shop that carried fabric for quilting (the other merchandisers were still into poly/cotton). No one could stand the woman because she was so condescending if you asked her a question and in addition she wouldn't share her knowledge. She was miserable - HOWEVER, she was the only place around. Although you are a bit isolated physically, you're just a click of the mouse away  The reason why there are so many different conflicting directions is because there isn't just one method of piecing your top. When I first learned, it was with hand piecing. Later, the rotary cutter revolutionized quilting not only with time, but accuracy as well - gone were the days of making templates, tracing your template onto your fabric, adding your seam allowance and then cutting out each individual piece. HOWEVER, some quilt designers still use this method, but have changed slightly by using freezer paper as their template material. Do you like handwork? How about applique quilts? Do you want to hand quilt or machine quilt? I did my first machine quilted quilt in '84. That was taboo and shunned upon by the traditionalists. Bwhahahahaha.......now they're all machine quilting. Bwhahahahaha ..... I just love it! Find some books, start experimenting and then let your creative child inside take over. If you can't figure something out, maybe we can help.... Patty
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User: Patty22
Member since: 03-29-2006 Total posts: 1194 |
From: Patty22
Date: 06-30-2006, 08:40 AM (6 of 14)
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Jan....I didn't give a book suggestion because the ones I used are out of print. I like Marsha McCloskey, Judy Martin, and Fons and Porter though...
Patty
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User: Patty22
Member since: 03-29-2006 Total posts: 1194 |
From: ricstew
Date: 06-30-2006, 11:16 PM (7 of 14)
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Many thanks Ladies! Ive checked out all the links and printed off everything I can! ( including the SWN stuff!) Im going to put off a book for the moment and just leap in! Whats the worst that can happen! Ive cut out umpteen 4" squares this am, pieced a few together and I am about 1mm off when they are sewn together ( using a 1/4" foot ). Is this too much to be off by? Hubby says im being picky! I have a pattern for an easy looking quilt, just 4" squares sewn together. The colour makes the design ( pink and green vintage prints .... I couldnt help myself! ). The ends are offset so it forms a diagonal pattern and then bound. I have washed the fabric and pressed and starched it all ready to roll but i will continue to practice on scrap first! No 1 silly question...........where the pattern says to fold across and align the fold on your matt should the fold be pressed crisply? no 2 silly question........ When this fabric was cut from the bolt it wasnt terribly straight. Now that ive washed and dried it and its back on the grain am I going to find my pieces too short/not enough? Should I have asked for more than was quoted from the pattern? Or do you think they would have made allowances for this? And I love handwork! Applique is easy! and very relaxing almost as much as smocking! The decorative side of things doesnt stress me nearly as much as the cutting out! I would hate to put in hours of work to find things wont line up because I cut it crooked! and many thanks for the warm welcome! cheers Jan  
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User: ricstew
Member since: 06-29-2006 Total posts: 18 |
From: HeyJudee
Date: 07-01-2006, 11:13 AM (8 of 14)
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First of all...there is no "silly" questions...just questions. I will try to answer some of your concerns. No 1 questions...no you don't want a "crisp" fold e.g no pressing the fold with an iron. Just fold it so you can cut and square up the ends then to cut your strips. After you square up the ends, open out the piece that you cut off and check that it was cut straight. Here is a link that shows what I mean. Check Strips (http://quilting.about.com/od/rotarycuttingskills/ss/cutting_strips_2.htm) No 2 question...I don't know as I usually always buy more than is specified. The reason for that...I usually do something stupid like cut something the wrong size and have to cut more so I have worried about having enough to finish the quilt. But they say that is when quilter's get creative as they have to do something else because they run out of fabric. I would suggest you either cut out your pieces to see if you have enough or try to calculate whether you have enough to cut out what you need. That is the only way you will know. Since you mentioned that you are 1mm off...I just want to make sure that you have pressed your seams in opposite directions. This is the easiest way to get your seams to align. This link (http://www.fabriclandwest.com/quilters%20corner/projects/ninepatch.htm) shows what I mean. If you have your seams in opposite directions...another tip I learned was when sewing to align the seams and if one piece is a bit longer than the other you just pull a bit so that the shorter one stretches a bit and this will help to keep things lined up. Other than that...quilters have a 3 foot rule. Stand back and see if you notice it from 3 feet. If not then don't worry, otherwise apply the quilters 6 foot rule!!!! Maybe others will be along with more suggestions. Happy quilting! TTFN from
Judy |
User: HeyJudee
Member since: 01-25-2005 Total posts: 1366
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From: Patty22
Date: 07-01-2006, 01:12 PM (9 of 14)
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"When this fabric was cut from the bolt it wasnt terribly straight. Now that ive washed and dried it and its back on the grain am I going to find my pieces too short/not enough? Should I have asked for more than was quoted from the pattern? Or do you think they would have made allowances for this?" Jan.... About the piece of fabric that wasn't cut terribly straight: When cotton fabric is as expensive as it is and I can see that the salesperson is cutting the fabric without as much care as I would like, I immediately point out to them that I won't take that cut of fabric and why. If I have to straighten out the cut, I point out how much fabric I will loose. Usually they understand and cut a new piece correcting the cut on the bolt. Do I dare ask you how much cotton fabric is costing you a meter? Judy can tell you it is quite expensive in Canada. If the print is off grain (lets say there were stripes and the stripes were not parallel or perpendicular to the selvedge edge) I would avoid the bolt of fabric. The reason why is because you will want to be cutting your fabric with the grain and the reason is because you don't want your outside pieces of your blocks to be on the bias or else it will stretch and make it difficult to get your blocks pieced. In addition, it will make your quilt ripple. No amount of spray starch or stemming is worth the aggravation it could potentially cause. (I learned this lesson very early with a pair of curtains that never would hang straight but had to learn it all over again with a baby quilt where I was salvedging antique blocks - that sucker rippled.) Patterns aren't going to make allowances for straightening out your fabric. "Would I buy more fabric than the pattern called for?" - Bwhahahahahahaha and my answer would be.......... listen to Judy. If you know your sale has a full bolt and you can get more until you get your pieces cut - no. If this is the end of the bolt and there is only about another yard left - take it. You can always use the extra fabric to make a pillowcase to store your quilt when not in use. Or you can use the leftovers for your dolls or the linings of your bags. Patty
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User: Patty22
Member since: 03-29-2006 Total posts: 1194 |
From: ricstew
Date: 07-01-2006, 08:11 PM (10 of 14)
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Thanks again ladies! Thats what I did wrong??? All my seams were pressed in one direction! So I have printed that page out and stuck it to the wall above the iron to remind me! Im trying again! TG for plenty of scrap! I have found that most fabric is off the grain. When it is rolled by machine onto the bolt it stretches off the grain and only washing will get it back again.Cotton is very expensive over here. Most is imported from the US. I paid between $22 to $28 AUD ( on special ) a metre for this lot so you can see why im hesitating to cut it! and to be honest except for the lovely colours its certainly not top of the range............washed like a rag and some seem more raggy than others altho they are from the same range. In fact one piece seems so flimsy im wondering how it will hold up! When I look at the US online shops and the prices are less than $10 US a metre ( Fabric.com is one! ) for what I believe is the same stuff Im green with envy! Im considering purchasing and paying the mailing costs! I do know there is plenty on the rolls......I only bought it because it was 20% off! I will have to pay full price if I need more tho....I think in future I will purchase an extra 10cm to allow for stuff ups. Im liking the sound of the 3ft rule and the 6 ft rule sounds even better! I bet I can extend it even further. I do appreciate the help! cheers Jan |
User: ricstew
Member since: 06-29-2006 Total posts: 18 |
From: Patty22
Date: 07-01-2006, 09:08 PM (11 of 14)
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Jan, I've gotten fabric through www.fabric.com and they are excellent. Patty
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User: Patty22
Member since: 03-29-2006 Total posts: 1194 |
From: Butterflyrf71
Date: 07-02-2006, 09:04 AM (12 of 14)
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I've sent some photos out of my book to some other new quilters about how to get your fabric on the grain before cutting - I can send you those if you like - the pictures and the descriptions really helped me. Also, I recently took some advice from another forum expert about pressing (not ironing) my seams open. I really, really like this. I am a neat nick, and I want everything as perfect as my God given hands will allow me - so I'be been using the grid method of sewing and cutting - along with chaining my pieces together. This made a huge difference in the look of my HST (half square triangles). Send a PM for my email and I can send you my pics - they are scanned and failry large pics. I remember a few weeks ago, I cut a huge stack of squares to start off with. Keep in mind, you are new, you will lose some fabric (I know I did - some of theose squares went right in the trash, some I was able to cut square at a smaller size, and some I used the steam on my iron to straighten the square out). Practice, Practice, practice!!! I also learned that the type of thread can make a world of difference too. One month into quilting and I am still learning, practicing, and making mistakes, but I have some very nice pinwheel sqaures ready to make my first baby quilt top! Blessings and Have Fun! Robin You Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm, and place their trust in you. Isaiah 26:3, AV
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User: Butterflyrf71
Member since: 05-02-2006 Total posts: 257
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From: ricstew
Date: 07-03-2006, 02:55 AM (13 of 14)
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Many thanks ladies! I think ive got it worked out! I have a feeling my problem stemmed from starting my stitching too far from the edge of the fabric.........when i pressed it it gave a little and thats why it wouldnt match up perfectly............so now i have moved my foot back a smidge or started the stitching on scrap solvy ( I knew there was a reason to keep that stuff! ). now as soon as ive cut out umpteen ducks , some long grass and hand dyed a piece of denim and appliqued it all together I can start on my pink and green squares! Whoo hoo! BTW I bit the bullet and ordered the Singer quilters bible! I have far to many bits of paper tacked to the walls! I figure a book will be easier to keep track of! cheers Jan |
User: ricstew
Member since: 06-29-2006 Total posts: 18 |
From: Butterflyrf71
Date: 07-03-2006, 08:14 AM (14 of 14)
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Let me know how you like the book - I'd love to have a recommendation on another one - as I need to add another to my collection!
You Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm, and place their trust in you. Isaiah 26:3, AV
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User: Butterflyrf71
Member since: 05-02-2006 Total posts: 257
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