Quilt making question?

Question

I am going to be making a quilt (which I have never done before). This is going to be a pretty extensive thing, I'm making it for my final Fibers arts class in college, and I plan on it taking all semester.
Any ideas on where I can find information about the process of it and getting started? websites, books, etc.

any specific books you would recommend?

Answer 1

A good book to start with is Fons & Porter's "Quilter's Complete Guide." It's a wonderful book that is full of information, directions and quilts.
A crazy quilt would be good because you can incorporate all different textiles and use whatever piecing you like. Plus, with all the possible embellishments, you can really create a unique piece.
It's possible to do 12" square blocks with sashing. I would recommend a black 2" wide sashing to set off the CQ blocks.
Each block could be pieced differently, utilizing different textiles, embellishments and techniques.
It would be a sampler quilt - which is very common and popular right now (and comes to us from our ancestors).
Marsha Michler is a good author to look for. But by far my favorite author is Judith Baker Montano. Her books are detailed and wonderfully illustrated with stitches and stitch combinations and even has left handed instructions.

I just thought that as a Fibers person, a crazy quilt would be a good choice. Mainly because you would be able to incorporate not just a multitude of textiles, but themes, ideas and more.

Good luck!

Answer 2

First, are you hand piecing and quilting, or using a machine? If you're sewing this by hand, plan to carry it with you everywhere, and work on it whenever you have a couple of minutes. The hand quilting part will take even longer. I'm not trying to discourage you from hand sewing, just trying to prepare you for how time consuming it will be. If you're going to machine piece and quilt, you need to have a decent sewing machine. Either way, make friends with the people who own/work at a local quilt shop. They are your best source of information. Quilters are wonderfully helpful.

There are many excellent books on quilting, both machine and hand. For machine quilting, try "Start Quilting with Alex Anderson" - it's the one I used in my beginning quilting class. She also has one on hand quilting called "Hand Quilting with Alex Anderson." Her first quilt was actually similar to your situation - she made it for a college class. Both of these books are geared toward beginners, and teach traditional quiltmaking. Quiltmaking has made a lot of changes in the past twenty or thirty years. Now there are "art" quilts (as opposed to "traditional" quilts, which are no less artistic) - quilts that do not follow traditional block styles and settings. There's traditional piecing using templates, rotary cutting and chain piecing, paper piecing, needle turn applique, raw edge applique, and many, many more styles. To get a sense of what's out there, do a google search for quilts, then click on "Images" and you'll see tons of photos. Also search for "art quilt" (be sure to use the quotations) and click "Images." If you have an opportunity to attend a large quilt show, try to do so. You'll see such a variety of quilts, and photos don't begin to do them justice.

I also recommend you check out Yahoo Groups - there are a number of quilting groups, and you can ask questions and get all sorts of opinions. Read through the descriptions to find one that suits your needs.

Answer 3

your library!! i found alot of patterns and beginner book's at mine.

can't remember what the titles were....just go look...at least you won't have to buy them..i just grabbed some books and copied the patterns and instructions...or better yet, make a crazy quilt...you don't need a pattern for that!!