The Approach To Quilting For Beginners Is A Personal Choice
One of the best ways to start quilting for beginners is a quilting course. Many quilters recommend this because it is the way they learned, and one of the best things about a course is the feedback you get and the instant help with any problems you come across. If there are quilting courses for beginners in your neighborhood, I advise you sign up.
Make Learning Easy With a Cheater Quilt
Another possibility is starting with a cheater quilt. A cheater quilt is a preprinted quilt top that you can sew with the batting and backing, or bottom, to make a completed quilt. Because they are usually printed in blocks, you don’t have any work to do making the top, and you can hand or machine sew the quilting in straight lines. This enables you learn the art of quilting, that is the stitching of the three parts of the quilt together, without having to worry about the intricate parts that require experience.
That’s not to say that the actual quilting itself is not difficult; it can be, especially for beginners, but if you choose your cheater design carefully, it will be a lot easier than starting from scratch. Some are supplied partially quilted, just requiring a few extra stitches to finish off.
Read about it First - or Try a Baby Quilt
Some beginners prefer to read a book about quilting before the start on the practical side, and there should be plenty books in your local library. Make sure you don’t start with too large a project that will take you years to finish, and choose a pattern that is made from square blocks, rather than triangles or rectangles. This makes sewing the blocks together, or piecing, much easier.
A simple quilt starter kit often works with some beginners, providing most of the required materials, though you have to purchase your own equipment. The very basic supplies a beginner at quilting would need are good sharp scissors, a selection of needles and some thread of the appropriate color.
A Quilting Kit Could be Your Answer to Learning Quickly
Quilting kits come with the pattern, instructions and the materials required for the top. Some include batting and/or backing, and some kits supply ready quilted pieces for making the quilt, so that no batting is required. You should always check the contents to make sure you have everything you need to complete your quilt. You don’t want to be left with a half made quilt and wonder where you are going to find the batting or backing if it is not included in the kit.
People have their own preferences in the way they approach learning a craft, and quilting is no different. However, whether you prefer to learn the theory first or jump right in with a cheater quilt or simple kit is up to you, but it is difficult to beat the advantages you get from a quilting for beginners course, and you can often find one at your nearest quilting store. Happy quilting!
About the author: Jessie Pedersen is an avid quilter, having made quilts for over 10 years. She has come out with a simple and easy method to make a quilt in a weekend.