Ongoing Quilt Projects, Continued from the "No Appreciation...." Thread

[DuckLady]

I have read some of this thread. You all are amazing quilters!

I am going to be starting my very first quilt ever soon. I have a few things to get out of the way first.

Any tips for a first timer?

This is one of the quilts I want to make.

Congrats on joining the addiction!
That is a very pretty quilt and a great one to start with.

My tips
....Practice on being consistent with your seams.
....Read (or watch) the pattern until it make sense.
....Measure 3x, cut once.
....Press well.
....If you pre-wash one fabric for a quilt, wash them all. (I only pre-wash flannel if I use it in a backing, but it's a personal preference.) I would never pre-wash precuts.
....Most of all, relax and enjoy!

 

[speckledhen]

I think it's great, Cyn! I am sure I will make another TN one day and I just cut out fabric for a quilt that uses the triangle in a square blocks that are in the TN Waltz to practice points. I am participating in Eleanor Burns Block Party 2018, which is like an online class/block of the month thing. We will be doing a sampler over the next several months and I want to be able to master those points! It starts next Tuesday so I have time to get a quilt pieced over the weekend.

Points are so hard sometimes! Sometimes, I can do very well on them, other times, I cut off the very end and I did that on some of the top and bottom Wandering Star blocks on this quilt top I'm finishing up now as I sewed them onto the middle section. Even being really careful, some fabrics just have more stretch, too, and if you're assembling those with others that have no stretch or less stretch, that is another issue that causes trouble for me. I always use good quality fabrics, makes no sense not to, but still, some do have a little more give than others.

 

[speckledhen]

I agree with Terrie on the quilting tips. And when you press pieces, never push, just press. That can be hard to do. If you have two assembled pieces and you have to press to the dark, start with the dark side face-up, press the seam even before you open up the put-together pieces to set the seam, then open and press, never push the fabric. That's especially important if you've cut triangles or they can stretch, being cut across the bias of the fabric. I often finger press to be sure a seam is full open before I take the iron to it.

I'd say always use 100% cotton fabrics, especially when you are just learning. Others can be way too challenging in the way they behave. Walmart has some amazingly good quality cotton fabrics, a lot from David Textiles, which Thousands of Bolts used to carry (they only carry good quality cottons).

 

[21hens-incharge]

Congrats on joining the addiction!
That is a very pretty quilt and a great one to start with.

My tips
....Practice on being consistent with your seams.
....Read (or watch) the pattern until it make sense.
....Measure 3x, cut once.
....Press well.
....If you pre-wash one fabric for a quilt, wash them all. (I only pre-wash flannel if I use it in a backing, but it's a personal preference.) I would never pre-wash precuts.
....Most of all, relax and enjoy!

Lol I hoped it would be a good starter quilt.
I figure there aren't points to match so it may work.

My granny left her fabrics behind and I have 6 yards of pale blue with a large floral in white. I am not sure its a quilting fabric but want to try.
I have 2 yards of a pretty white on white all cotton so will use that with it.

Many quilts are way to complicated for me to even think of trying.

I look at ya'lls and am blown away!

The second one I want to do is the card trick quilt. Yup I bought fabrics for it.

 

[speckledhen]

Lol I hoped it would be a good starter quilt.
I figure there aren't points to match so it may work.

My granny left her fabrics behind and I have 6 yards of pale blue with a large floral in white. I am not sure its a quilting fabric but want to try.
I have 2 yards of a pretty white on white all cotton so will use that with it.

Many quilts are way to complicated for me to even think of trying.

I look at ya'lls and am blown away!

The second one I want to do is the card trick quilt. Yup I bought fabrics for it.

I did one of those very early on in my quilting career when I was hand piecing everything. It's a good one, just a color placement that makes it look harder than it is.

 

[speckledhen]

Here are some of my early projects, starting back in the 80's.

This was my very first quilt, made for my older son. This is hanging off our back deck when we lived in Utah the second time with the Air Force.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I did one of those very early on in my quilting career when I was hand piecing everything. It's a good one, just a color placement that makes it look harder than it is.
View attachment 1258807

I like that one! Those stars look very difficult.
Hand piecing.

 

[21hens-incharge]

@speckledhen those are all stunning! Excellent color choices. I think that is where I will struggle a bit.

 

[speckledhen]

I like that one! Those stars look very difficult.
Hand piecing.

Yeah, well, I had machine phobia and not much money to buy one then anyway, though eventually my hubs bought me a Kenmore. I never learned to use it, though. He sewed his stripes on his uniforms with it, LOL.

@speckledhen those are all stunning! Excellent color choices. I think that is where I will struggle a bit.

A hint about color: get one main print fabric you want to use. Then, pick out every color in that fabric you can see. Also, go to www.thousandsofbolts.com. If you click on one fabric, there is a choice for them to bring up fabrics in colors from that one fabric. You just point to each color and it will show it and match that color in other fabrics on the site. That will help you see how many colors can be in one fabric and help you get familiar with how to choose fabrics.

Here is a shot of one I'm thinking of buying today with one color chosen from it by just using my pointer:

 

[jeria]

I have read some of this thread. You all are amazing quilters!

I am going to be starting my very first quilt ever soon. I have a few things to get out of the way first.

Any tips for a first timer?

This is one of the quilts I want to make.

A good beginner project: simple is a good way to learn accurate piecing techniques. So many jump in a complicated pattern and get overwhelmed. Invest in a 1/4 inch foot that fits your machine. I wish that I had taken that advice to begin with.