Saturday, October 30, 2010

My Frist Quilt

I took my first quilting class in the later part of 2008 from Ann Randall.  I came across her while googling local areas to learn quilting.  Everywhere I looked they had just completed their beginner series and I would have to wait after the new year to learn.  I was so happy to come across her and when I met her she made my anxiety about quilting subside.  From that class on, I have been sewing every since and it sparked my volunteer work with her group as well.  Ann helped me pick out a pattern for my quilt and do the math.  The pattern called for one that was 80X97.   I was going to make it that big, but Ann suggested with it being my first quilt that I should go smaller.  Well I went 66X67 after all was said and done (I should have went much smaller like she suggested, listen to your quilt teacher students).  Sometimes I don't listen, HA HA HA.  The piecing of the top was no problem, but finagling that quilt into my sewing machine to quilt it was the problem.  That was a lot of work. I learned that you can do it if your mind is into it (forget about your arms and shoulders hurting), so I did not get discouraged, it just took me a lot longer than the other students to complete my quilt due to the size.  The binding is where I learned I don't like hand binding.  That took me until September of 2010 to finish.  Every time I kept thinking "hey I need to finish that quilt, the binding is only left",  I kept putting it down.  I should have machined bind it due to the size.  However, I am glad that I did not waiver and I persevered.  After washing it the quilt soften up and I noticed even though it is not a heavy quilt, my husband still likes it on the bed.




  



  
I stopped at the inner boarder and pieced it from left over rectangles from the pinwheels.  I also left off the corner pinwheels in the boarder (too limit the size)
The backing was pieced together using remnants when purchasing the main fabric. The brown added a pop to the back of the quilt that I love and I use this technique a lot in my charity quilts (due to the fact that we don't get a lot of yardage donated).

Things I learned making my first quilt:
  • Reading a pattern.
  • Making a plastic template.
  • Using a rotary cuter/ruler/mat (I cut part of my pointer finger off, not pretty).
  • Working out math for the amount of fabric, so that you don't have to make a lot of trips to the store (don't get me wrong I love shopping at the store (my husband could attest to that), but I rather work on the quilt).
  • Working on getting the 1/4 seam allowance right, that is real work, still working on it.
  • Selecting fabric that blends well on quilt top.
  • Using imagination to piece a quilt back.
  • Sometimes your points are lost.
  • Stitching in the ditch when your blocks don't align quite right.
  • Frustration of working with such a large quilt on such a small sewing machine.
  • Using a walking foot (very interesting bringing up the bobbin thread BEFORE you start sewing).
  • BINDING, need I say more
I still love quilting.

2 comments:

  1. I have sewn for years, but never attempted to make a quilt. I am SO in awe of yours, and to think this is your first one? I am also impressed that you kept working on it, I would probably have gotten frustrated and given up. You have an amazing eye for color, can't wait to see your next creations!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Karen. It is a hobby that I plan to keep doing. True satisfaction is received with the end result.

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