To Begin Quilting

There are a lot of ways to begin quilting. In reading and surfing the Internet I found a few things that I still use today, but as you learn, you may choose your own way of doing things. Believe me, doing things your way doesn't mean the way is wrong. Ü

To make your first quilting project a little easier, you should get your supplies and tools ready before starting:

Sewing Machine: Of course, a sewing machine is necessary. But you don't have to break the bank to get one. My first sewing machine was a simple Singer that barely did more than sew a straight line. I paid $75.00 for it at Walmart on one of their Black Friday sales. I used it for a couple of years and then upgraded. That was about 5 years ago. I have since gotten a really nice machine, a Janome 6500P and I've also gotten a Janome 200e embroidery machine. If you are a new quilter and are unsure that you'll enjoy quilting but want to try it, I'd suggest looking at your 'For Sale' ads in your local paper. You might even search your area flea markets or garage sales. Msaybe someone in your family has a sewing machine you can use for a while.

Preparing your fabric: Some quilters wash their fabric prior to cutting. Since most quilting fabric is 100% cotton, the companies place a miniscule amount of formaldehyde in it to keep the fabric crisp and to help make the colors vibrant. Washing and then ironing your fabric will take the formaldehyde out. With that said, I DON'T wash my fabric before cutting. I DO iron them though. I don't  wash any precut fabrics, such as fat quarters, jelly roll strips, dessert rolls, turn overs, charms, honey buns, or any kind of precut fabric. Washing precuts ahead of time will make them fray and that's a bad thing. Even with yardage fabric, I still don't wash them, but that is my preference. If I were you, I'd test your fabric out to see how your fabric turns out. Take half a yard, or even a yard of 100% cotton fabric and wash and dry it, then iron it. I would also check out to see if you should use spray starch on your fabric. Sharlene Jorgenson (Quilting From the Heartland) is an avid starcher and she got me to try it. BUT, I found that the starch does a horrible number on my ironing board cover by scorching it and it tends to come off onto the fabric. I still do starch some fabrics, but I also use one of my older ironing board covers when I do. Niagra Spray Starch has come out with a 'green' alternative which I like. And don't forget, you can use 'fabric finish' instead of spray starch.

Something else you should think about when washing your fabric, washing it will preshrink it slightly. As long as all of the fabric you use in the quilt your making is prewashed, you'll do fine. (ie: don't prewash the fabric you use in the border of your quilt and not prewash the fabric you use in your blocks.)

Another thing to think about is color 'bleeding', and the color red does it a lot. I've been lucky that none of the reds have bled when I've washed a quilt, but I did have red and black flannel bleed onto my finished rag quilt, which I was not happy about. Of course, you can't prewash a rag quilt because it won't turn out as a 'rag' quilt, but I won't be using red or black again!!!

Scissors:  I have used some cheap scissors and a few pair that aren't so cheap.  I finally bought a pair of Ginghers Scissors. They cost me $32.00 at JoAnn's Fabrics (8 inches) and I could have probably gotten then less on eBay, but I needed some new scissors and I'd heard a lot of good things about Ginghers, so I took the chance. And, I do LOVE them!!! I also bought an embroidery pair so I could keep them by my sewing machine.

Pincushion: What can I say about a pincushion? I LOVE them!!!!! I've made several, even one that I have attached to my Janome sewing machine that I would absolutely be lost without. A lot of quilters and sewers collect them. Search out some free patterns on the Internet and you're bound to find one that you like.  If you don't have time to make one yourself, go on eBay and you will find a lot of them!!

Ironing:  This is one of the most important steps in making your quilting look good!!!! The very first small table runner I made, I didn't think I needed to iron, because it was so small. Half way through making the runner, I almost gave up because it wasn't turning out like it was suppose too!!! What was I doing wrong??????After reading the instructions for about the 100th time, I realized it was the ironing!!!! Each seam you make needs to be ironed! I'm not joking!! Ironing makes such a difference in quilting! As you get more proficient in your quilting skills, you'll learn when you can and cannot iron your fabric. You'll need to choose whether you want to use a dry iron, or steam. Again, this is left more to the preference of the quilter. I use a dry iron as I don't want to misshapen the fabric which can happen with steam. If you run into a tough fold in your fabric, try using the spray starch. It will help to smooth out the wrinkle.

Templates: Your first quilting project will most likely need a template or ruler. You can purchase acrylic templates from a lot of quilting stores online or from your local quilting store. There are a lot of quilt templates on the market, and I could list them here for you, but I think it would be easier for you to search them out for yourself. I've purchased several on eBay and they are great!!! My only suggestion when buying them on eBay, you make sure that they are see-through templates. Many come in clear acrylic plastic or even a rose color. But some on sale on eBay are made with Masonite, which isn't clear and can cause a lot of problems when cutting our a quilt pattern.

Pins: Pins are more of a preference of the quilter than what is in vogue or available at the time. I've found that I like the 'long' quilting pins, which seem to work well in several layers when sewing blocks together. I'd buy at least one package of the long pins to see if you like them, if not, then you haven't wasted a lot of money.

Good Lighting:  My eyes aren't as good as they were 20 years ago, so I really need good light when I'm sewing. Yes, your sewing machine has a light, but for me, it isn't enough. If it is for you, I commend your good eye health. For those of us who need the extra light, try going to Walmart and getting a desk lamp with a flexible neck (I got mine for $7.00) and it works great!!!!

Good Chair: Wow, this is a really important tool for your sewing room, nook, attic, etc.! If you spend an hour at your sewing machine and you have a lousy chair, it may be 2 days before you can get back to your sewing machine!  Your back will surely need traction!! I don't mean go out and purchase at $600.00 chair, but spend a few dollars to get a 'decent'  one!

 Rotary Cutting: I have 3 words for rotary cutting.....practice, practice, practice!!! I repeat....practice, practice, practice!!! AND please be careful when using your rotary cutter!! Get into the habit of closing you cutter and laying it out of the way of little hands.  I can't emphasize this enough! A rotary blade is SHARP!!!  Rotary cutters have been known to open when dropped.  Another good reason to keep them out of the way.