What are some good web sites that have really good, detailed, informative instructions on how to quilt?

Question

I want to quilt but need some instructions and guidelines. got any good websites or ur own good instructions that might help me?

Answer 1

You really should buy one or two good beginner quilting books. The class I took used "Start Quilting with Alex Anderson," which provides basic instructions and explanation of tools. Another excellent book is "Quilter's Complete Guide" by Marianne Fons and Liz Porter. Finally, check out Eleanor Burns' book "It's "El"ementary."

If at all possible, find a local quilt shop and take a class. Nothing compares to having someone right there to show you all the little tips that books and especially websites don't provide. The class I took cost about $50 for 5 classes, and it was worth every penny.

There are so many different ways of quilting - hand vs. machine, paper piecing, applique, traditional piecing, art quilts, etc. What exactly do you want to do? Assuming that you want to start with traditional machine piecing, "strip piecing" is the way to go. You use a rotary cutter, mat, and ruler to cut your fabric rather than using templates. It's much faster and more accurate. You sew fabric together and subcut it into smaller units that are then sewn together to create the blocks. Products like "Thangles" and "Triangle Paper" make half-square triangles much easier.

Accuracy is key. Cut your fabric accurately and sew accurate 1/4" seams, or by the time the quilt is assembled you'll have a misshapen mess. If you're doing a nine patch (looks like a tic tac toe board), for example, and you have ten blocks in each row, that's 30 seams. If each seam is even 1/8" off, your row will be off by almost 4". Another alternative is to cut your pieces slightly larger than you need, then trim them after sewing. This works especially well with half- and quarter-square triangles, and log cabin blocks.

Use 100% cotton fabrics and thread to maintain even shrinkage when you wash the quilt. Either prewash everything, or don't prewash anything. If you don't prewash, be sure the dyes are colorfast (soak a small piece of fabric in water).

Start small. Try a rail fence lap quilt to begin with. It's easy, fast, and you can create a variety of looks by rotating the blocks. HGTV has good, clear instructions for a rail fence quilt, including videos.

There are many websites available to quilters - you really need to just start browsing. One of the best as far as quilt blocks and resources is Quilter's Cache. Click the drop down that says "Where do you want to go today?" - there are lessons, and "Quilt Blocks Galore" takes you to instructions for more than 1500 quilt blocks.

The basic tools you'll need include a rotary cutter (start with 45mm), a rotary cutting mat (18" x 24" to start), two rulers - I like OmniGrid (6" x 12" and one that is at least 18" long), a basic sewing machine, an iron, thin glass head pins (they won't melt), a seam ripper, and a small pair of scissors. There are lots of other cool toys, but this will get you by until you're sure you want to continue.

You might want to sign up for a Yahoo Group or two - there are a couple thousand quilting groups, and I'm sure a few fit your interests. It's great to have mentors available. You can also check out Quilter's News Network - it's an online "TV" station that shows videos 24 hours a day.

Finally, I love to give my opinion, so feel free to e-mail me through my Profile page. Click on my avatar or name and then click "email swbiblio" - this way both of our email addresses will be kept private.

Good luck - quilting is extremely addictive!

Answer 2

http://sewaquilt.com/

also go to
www.hgtv.com
http://tinyurl.com/y5qxnp
they have a quilt/sewing board, with loads of help for you to get started. i am on there most days..go by the same name as here. great buch of folks , loads of pictures, lots of patience!

Answer 3

Here are a few helpful sites:

http://blockcentral.com
http://www.qnm.com
http://quilting.about.com
http://www.quilterscache.com
http://quickquilts.com

Answer 4

Here's one: http://quilting.about.com/od/stepbystepquilting/a/make_a_quilt.htm