Category Archives: Beginning Quilter Tip

Friday Funday: Happy Scrappy Free Quilt Patterns with Tutorials Specifically for Beginners

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I am sure that MY idea of a quilt for beginners is different than a beginner-friendly quilt from others…but, here’s MY opinion of a beginner’s quilt:  All straight lines or squares.  That’s it.  If I am able to design and/or find a quilt that fits those two parameters, then I recommend them to beginning quilters.  Below are Pinterest quilts with free tutorials or patterns that fit MY idea of beginner-friendly quilt (click on the images or links below the images for the free tutorial or pattern):

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not 2014 Block of the Month Quilt, Original Project designed by TK Harrison from BOMquilts.com

Fading Charms Quilt from Wedding Dress Blue

Scrap Quilt by Jerri Farris

StepinTimeQuilt

Step in Time from Samelia’s Mum

CurrentLabels.com

The Half-Square Triangle Formula Revealed!

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The Missouri Quilt Company has some super quilting tutorials on YouTube.com.  You can subscribe to their feed so when they make a new tutorial video, it comes to your email inbox.  I have found that I dream about making quilt projects, just because the Missouri Quilt Company has shined their light on a better and/or smarter way to quilt!

There has been one that has had me stumped for quite some time.  I was not going to stop until I figured out the fabric formula.  I have truly been practicing various sizes for half-square triangles, all with failure until (of course) I finally figured it out! Here is the video:

First, let me say that in quilting, you should always clip your corners.  This video does not do that and it drives me a little batty.  Especially when using white fabric, once the pinwheels are put together, you can see the corners through the quilt.  NOT.  COOL.  It takes just a few extra seconds of your time to use a sharp scissors or rotary cutter to clip them – and you end up with a way better finished block and quilt!  Here is a photo of two of my pinwheels that have the corners clipped and two that do not:

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And here is the secret solution for the half-square triangle sizing.  My goal was to make that simple half-square triangle work for ANY size of blocks and not just for the charm squares that are shown in the video.  I set my sights on a 9″ (finished) pinwheel (9 1/2″ unfinished).  And the solution for what size squares I should use?  THREE (3) inches bigger than your unfinished block size!  This gives you a little bit of room to trim the edges of the half-square triangles so they are perfect!

There you have it!  Go tell it on a mountain!  Share it with your quilting friends…and remember, you heard it here first!

 

Quilt Police: Trim Your Points!!!

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Have you ever gone to a local fair or quilt show and really looked closely at a quilt?  And when you’ve done that, have you ever noticed that the person who made the quilt did not trim their points because you can see them through the fabric?

OY, drives ME CRAZIER!

Here’s a quick reminder – for beginning as well as more advanced quilters – TRIM YOUR POINTS!

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Four half-square triangles (HST’s) – two on the left have their points trimmed, two on the right don’t.

I shall repeat myself:  TRIM YOUR POINTS!!!!

Quilt Care

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You have a beautiful quilt and have folded it over a chair or the back of a sofa.  It is noticed by everyone who comes into that room and is continuously complimented on…so you leave it as it is.  Being the focal point in a room.

Many people don’t buy a new sofa or chair for at least 10 years.  That quilt may be used but it is then immediately folded back up on put back where it has lived for so long.

One day, after a number of years in that same position, you pick the quilt up and look at it.  Perhaps you even take it to the iron because you’ve noticed the fold marks in it.

But the iron doesn’t fix the problem.

So you decide to wash and dry it.

But that doesn’t fix the problem, either – and it may have made the folded areas worse!

And you end up with a quilt with a permanent fold in it, something like this:

Hawaiin_quilt_made_for_Christina_Cowello

You have worked SO hard to share your quilt with others and to enjoy its beauty – but, you have also folded that quilt the same way for a number of years and now the threads in the fabric have been damaged and weakened and they will never recover.

For the sake of your quilt and all of the work that went into it, be sure you know how to take care of it.  Museums store their quilts on large cardboard tubes – usually received from carpet stores.  While that size of a cardboard tube is not really an option for a regular-sized home and it does not take into effect the fact that you want to show off your beautiful creation.

The next best things you can do for your quilt is to regularly (weekly) re-fold it.  There are other storage options available (see here), but for the home quilter, make sure you either re-fold the quilt or put a sleeve on the back and hang it on a wall.  These are the best ways of ensuring your quilt will be safe from folded damage, and will be passed on to the next generation!

Directional Quilt Fabric Death

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I will repeat what I’ve said for many years – if you are a beginning quilter, do NOT choose to use a directional fabric in your quilts.  This could be something as simple as a gingham, but a directional fabric is one that repeats a design in any symmetrical way.

These are directional fabrics:

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I consider beginning quilter’s using directional fabrics a ‘quilt fabric death’.  Because unless you are able to fussy-cut the quilt fabric and sew it in a perfect seam – it will almost always end up a bit wonky and you will notice that wonk every single time you quilt.  You will be too embarrassed to gift the quilt to someone and when that happens, the quilt is usually given to a family pet.

Might I repeat myself?  Do NOT use directional fabric if you are a beginning quilter.