BOM, FART, HIPS, STASH, TGIF if you can comprehend this terminology you are a quilter already.
These are what they mean:
BOM - Block of the Month
FART - Fabric Acquisition Road Trip
HIPS - Hundreds of Ideas Piling Skyward
STASH - Special Treasures all secretly hidden
TGIF - Thank God It’s Finished
From reading the above you will have a smile on you face, wanting to get started in finding out what your next step is.
Now before you run out and buy everything, think about what you need. Do some research (http://www2.fiskars.com) is an excellent place to start. They have broken the information down to show the beginner how to get started.
Learn everything about the fabric you think you want to use. If you are going to buy the fabric, start with 100% pre-washed cotton. If you are going to use fabric you already have, know what it is. The wrong fabric choice can have your quilt coming unraveled, frayed, and shrinking. As you grow in experience trying alternate fabrics you will learn which ones work best for you.
First time quilters will find that cutting the fabric in squares, is a lot easier than trying to do triangles, or special shapes. Keep it simple to start with.
Sew a 1/4 inch seam allowance. It is important to always remember a quarter inch seam allowance. If you are an avid sewer you probably normally use a 5/8 inch seam allowance so this might be a bit of an adjustment. The quarter seam allowance is vital in creating squares that are all the same size. To achieve a perfect seam allowance you should practice your technique on small fabric patches before you begin a quilt.
Become familiar with quilting terminology. Even a few terms mentioned already might have you confused and this is why it is important to learn all the quilting terminology. Instead of looking at buying a book, why not research the internet for the same thing, and print off the terminology. Check out The National Quilters Circle at (http://www.nationalquilterscircle.com)
A handy tool to obtain is a rotary cutter to make precise cuts. This will save you time. It is very time consuming to make patterns to cut around by hand so with the rotary cutting tools you will be able to make straighter and quicker cuts.
Do you know how to use your iron? In the 1950s this would seem like a silly question, but in 2015, many people don’t own an iron anymore. Get yours out from the back cupboard. Take a practice piece of fabric, and teach yourself how to press the squares with it. This will keep you squares organized and easier to sew.
Measure and sew borders correctly. Adding borders to your quilt allows for you to fix minor mistakes. By adding a border you can square uneven edges. Adding a butted border will add more structure to your quilt. This is the easiest border to do for a beginner.
If you make a mistake, stop fretting, with anything new you try if you obsess over a mistake, chances are you won’t try again.
As a beginning quilter you are sure to make a few mistakes but each one will allow you to improve.
Quilting can be as inexpensive or as expensive as you want it to be. Use what you have, or buy the latest quilting gadgets, it’s your choice.
Are you ready, well let’s give it a try.
Cut 12, 4 inch x 4 inch pieces of fabric, 100% pre-washed cotton.
Lay them down on a flat surface to see what design looks good to you.
Now take the 4 left side pieces and sew them together with their quarter inch seam allowance, don’t forget to iron carefully. Repeat this with the next 4, and the final 4. You have 3 strips now, join strip 1 and 2, then strip 2 and 3. It’s beginning to look like a quilt.
Now what?
A piece of bunting, nothing to thick, lay it down what we call the right side (trust me it will end up on the inside).
Take a piece of fabric, hopefully you have one piece 16 inches by 12 inches, lay it right side on top of the quilted strips.
Sew all around the entire 3 pieces, leaving an approximately
6 inch opening on the 4th side.
Turn everything inside outside, and you are nearly there.
Iron the last opening with the quarter inch, now carefully sew it shut, or if you can invisible hand stitch it shut.
It’s finished. We were all rooting for you.
Further information to consider:
Quilters cutting board, for precise cuts
Color wheel to choose quilt colors that go together
and my favorite that I learned from Mrs. Wendy Sullivan of Victoria, British Columbia an expert quilter of many years.
a piece of felt that you just put on the wall then place your pieces on the felt to make a design you want, looking at it from your standing position, rather than looking down at it on a table.
Mrs. Sullivan made a quilt she had studied from the standing position, to make sure correct, but when put together it revealed a secret, one of the pieces was upside down. The quilt was going to her first grandchild, and it is affectionally called “I spy with my little eyes something that is upside down”
Place to visit:
Quilting Museum
703 South Second Street
La Conner, Washington
98257
I visited this place to see an exhibit of Patricia Goffette, who was given a showing of her quilts she had done from posters, and other mediums. The design intricacies were amazing. Below was a picture of her Polar Bear Quilt, and yes it is really a quilt.
and so is this one
hugs always
karen and charlie
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