beginning quilter books?

[Tyleah]

I have a basic ability to sew from hs home ec class and a strong desire to make quilted wall hangings. I would love to get some recommendations for beginner quilters for smaller projects. I think a bed size quilt would be just too big of a project for me. Does anyone have a books they liked really well that show lots of details for a beginner?

[kkar]

Do you like modern or more traditional quilts?

[Marylizah]

I'm teaching myself to hand-quilt and found Jinny Beyer's book Quiltmaking by Hand to be really excellent. It's a book for beginners that includes really beautiful patterns at the end.

I started off making a pillowcase using a pattern I found online, but the stitching techniques come from her book. Once I finish the pillowcase I plan to move on to something more challenging.

Good luck, quilting is a lot of fun!

[5thAttempt]

I actually intend to do my first quilt and instead of bying a book I went to local library and it had at least 6 of them on the subject. I took all of them. I do not like one more than the other but they all have some different techniques. At the same time they are pretty much the same, any one of them will do. If you want I can list the names but I am sure your library has different ones - and they are mostly the same.

[~pi]

I really like this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Quilt.../dp/0696218569

[mamocak]

Check out www.craftster.org They have lots of quilting info!

[isaberg]

I absolutely LOVE the "Quilts from the Quiltmaker's Gift" and "More Quilts from the Quiltmaker's Gift." They have beautiful illustrations, and all sorts of lovely quilt patterns from simple to complex, with great step-by-step instructions for making any size. They have a big emphasis on sharing & teaching quilting, and there are several pictures & sidebars about quilts that kids made (with a bit of help, of course.) They're the absolute best general collections I've found, and I've looked around a lot.

(Once you've pieced the top, they're a little vague on quilting the top & bottom & batting together, but since there are so many styles of that and every library has a ton of books about that part, I don't really miss it.)

[ookami]

Log cabin pillows are an AWESOME beginner project. They look a lot harder than they are - they really impress people :-) There are quite a few tips (http://whipup.net/2006/03/06/tips-fo...cabin-pillows/) and tutorials online (http://www.daciaray.com/?p=160.) I don't measure mine as closely as Dacia does in her tutorial - I just sew long strips around a square (center) and then trim the strips after sewing.
As far as books go, the library is a great place to look for books - it's hard to know what you like unless you spend some time looking through them. If you have cable tv, the show "Simply Quilts" can be a great way to learn new techniques. Also PBS has some quilting shows on on Saturdays. It's nice to see someone do the techniques, rather than just read about them.

[pearl2]

About.com has some awesome quilting information for beginners. I learned how to press seams and do different binding.

Also, our used bookstores usually have several quilting books that are really cheap, like under $1. Don't forget about freecycle as well! Sometimes they'll give away quilting supplies with the books if people don't use theirs.

[mchalehm]

I second the Jinny Beyer recommendation, but I also learned a lot when I made my first quilt from "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Quilting," by Laura Ehrlich. It's very basic, gives lots of info and pictures, and you can get started right away with the full-size templates. I made a lovely baby quilt using only that, and it's still in frequent use by my niece several years later! The humor is cheesy, but what can you do?

Jinny Beyer's quilts are lovely. The book recommended above is gorgeous and attainable. I made this from that book (king size, so lots of little pieces, but very simple piecing):

[momto l&a]

A rag quilt is an easy way to start. You could make a bed size one easily.

I have made one and am now making one for the baby due next month.

My oldest dd wants to learn so sew so I thought it would be a neat project for her

This is what we are making except our is all the same sized squares. http://quilting.about.com/od/quiltpa.../rag_quilt.htm

[kittykatty]

It's really a lot easier than it seems - I have made several baby sized ones (about 40x40), and that's a pretty manageable size. It's big enough to be substantial and useful, but small enough that it goes pretty quickly and you don't end up with tons of fabric to quilt in the end.