help for a first time quilter!!! - Page 2

[Golden]

Oh, don't be scared by strip quilts. They are mighty impressive looking because of the pattern, but actually are quite easy. I haven't made one in a million years, but basically you start with really long, thin, strips of, whatever, 3 colors. Sew long sides together. Then using a mat and rotary cutter, you slice them into rows of 3 squares each. Then you sew three of these rows together to get your 3x3 block. Then you sew blocks together to make your big fat rows and columns. It's not as tedious and overhwhelming as trying to cut teeny, tiny squares and then sewing these teeny, timny squares together.

[Stone Fence]

Check my blog

My latest entry is a variant on a strip quilt. It was pretty easy. The pattern came from a book called "Let's Do Lunch".

Quilting is my latest obsession.

[ribbon]

I honestly think you want something more like "The Joy of Quilting" by Mary Hickey or the "Learn to Quilt with Alex Anderson" series. There is also a "Quilting for Dummies" book that is very helpful. I like the Joy of Quilting because it will walk you through step by step on how to rotary cut and chain piece, and it includes patterns that get more complicated as you go. One of my first quilts came out it.

I think for a first quilt I would recommend you start with a log cabin. They are super easy (they are often included in "quilt-in-a-day" packages), can be easily chain-pieced, and the blocks can be arranged so differently that you can easily get a hundred stunning quilts out the same block pattern simply by rotating the block. So you could make two different quilts for your boys out of this same block.

Some people love paper-piecing or templates, I'll admit I'm not so into that, particularly for beginner.

Is there a fabric or quilt shop in your area that offers classes or could give you advice? Not something like JoAnne's, I'm talking an independent fabric shop.

[Mihelinka]

Thanks again for all the rec's ladies. I still feel a bit intimidated thinking about making two quilts. But I've still got several months to finish (and start)