Ok, so perhaps I was being a bit ambitious when I stated that I hoped to make Hannah a quilt for her big girl bed when the baby arrives. I do want to learn to quilt, and eventually I hope to make quilts for my children, but I did not take cost, amount of supplies, or "know how" into consideration. I often read up on a subject online and then teach myself how to do it (knitting, cake decorating, refinishing cabinets, etc.), but I think I am going to need a sensai when it comes to quilting . . . or at least need to pick a few experienced friends' brains. I looked at quilting supplies when we were in Fort Myers yesterday, and was overwhelmed by the cost of "starting out supplies." So, I will be spending the next few months reading, researching, and hunting online for the best priced quilting accessories (quilting foot, quilting guide, rotary cutter, etc.) and then maybe I can begin my quest to quilt. The good news is, we found a great deal on a "shabby chic" looking quilt and shams at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for Hannah's big girl bed. So, Hannah will still have a cozy, girly, quilted bed to sleep in when the baby moves into the crib, and mommy will at least make her curtains and throw pillows.
I already visit several quilting websites, but if anyone knows of a great beginner's quilting book let me know!
3 comments:
We can recommend one resource called "Tim Bridges' Complete Guide to Quilting and Other Things that Hurt Your Fingers." It has one page in the quilting chapter. It reads, "Buy Quilt."
:) Seriously, we hope the quilting mission goes well. You'll do a great job. Hannah will love it when the time comes.
Tim and Krisy
Yay! :) Here's my humble advice (since I only began quilting 3 years ago)!
1) Start with a simple wall hanging! That's what I did for the kids' nursery a couple of years ago, and it taught me the basics and gave me the confidence to do more. You could make one to hang over her big girl bed that coordinates with the one you bought, and it would look so cute!
2) Find some friends or a group - I joined a beginners class at a local church which was taught by older ladies who were quite the experts! So fun, helpful, and made some new friends! Great way to share your faith, too, if you find a non-affiliated group!
3) The book I used with that class that was so helpful was Start Quilting by Alex Anderson. It has a sampler project at the end that combines the beginners blocks that I used for the wall hanging. That really taught me a lot!
4) Start getting fabric remnants, looking for 100% cotton fabrics in all different shades of a color (a key to pretty quilt designs!), stocking up on batting (cotton low-loft is awesome!), and check your calendar for 2-4 blocks of time on Saturdays or whenever you have down time so you can just do little bits at a time. When I first started, I would get so frustrated because I wanted to keep doing something and had no time because a baby started crying, etc.... and now I have kind of made a little plan for quilting projects so I know I'll only do a little at a time and not be a mean, mad momma!! haha Yard Sales and sweet ladies at church are great places to find fabrics people may not want but you love! And get on all the craft / fabric stores mailing lists so you'll know when fabrics, supplies, etc. are on sale. Hancock's and Jo Ann's are great.
I'm still learning SO MUCH about the basics, but it is so fun! I have all these ideas already for next year's Christmas gifts for family, and I think being ambitious is GREAT!!! :) happy quilting!
I meant "2-4 hour" blocks of time when I mentioned planning, but you probably could figure that out!
Something else I didn't say was that seriously in the long run, you will save a lot of money. You already have the big expense (the machine)! And you can find so many fabrics for cheap that will allow you to make a quilt for $50-$80 that would've cost you $100-$150 from a nice store (and you got to design it to your own tastes)! That's the big appeal - you'll never find the "perfect" quilt if you look in a store when you can think of the design in your head - and you are so creative! Anyway, I'll shush now... I just love quilting - can you tell?!!!
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