Advice for Beginning Quilters

Everyone needs a little advice from time to time. I always enjoy listening to the advice of others when a new quilter visits guild. Oftentimes it’s something I needed to hear too. So this time, we all get to be in the room and listen to the advice of over 300 quilters sharing their wisdom on quilting.

Recommendations…

Where should a beginning quilter start their quilting journey?

Half of those asked said that a class at the local quilt shop is a great place to begin. This gives you the advantage of having help nearby!

#2- Find a quilting mentor!

Whether family, friends, or someone you just met at guild, there are always quilters happy to share their love of quilting with someone new.

#3 – Watch videos

Seeing a technique demonstrated is great help when you are learning. Even if you are familiar with a technique, there is always so much to learn from each other. Take time to grow your skills by watching experienced quilters. Visit QuiltTV, for great video demonstrations, take iquilt courses, or pick up an instructional video to play, pause, and repeat as many times as you need.

What is the first tool a beginner should invest in?

Over half of those who responded recommended a mat, rotary cutter, and rulers as to most important first investment. With the remaining nearly 40% recommending a sewing machine.

What is the beginner’s ideal first project?

71% of quilters said to keep it small and simple. Little projects offer big success for new quilters.

22% felt you should pick a project you love.

6% said you should make a quilt for yourself to start. You’ll always remember where you began.

Several quilters wrote recommending a sampler quilt as an ideal beginner’s project.

If you could go back in time to when you first started quilting, what advice would you give yourself?

Here are over 300 responses from fellow quilters…

  • Take pictures of all projects.
  • “Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist!” Meaning master the basics and then give yourself permission to loosen up and let go.
  • Listen to the tips from others.
  • 1) become a good sewist first. Being comfortable with the fundamentals of sewing is invaluable for problem solving. 2) Be picky about accuracy. Measurements matter a lot in quilting. Don’t be reluctant to rip out seams and re-sew them to get the correct measurement. 3) Educate yourself about the various techniques that have been devised to make constructing quilt units easier, faster, and more accurate like half square triangles, flying geese and square in a square. These methods will help you feel competent and motivate you to continue and try harder patterns. 4) Learn how to draft quilt blocks. Not only will this allow you to copy and/or re-size quilts, it will also help you analyze the best way to construct a quilt.
  • Accepting that there will always be some mistakes and that finished is better than perfect! Be kind to yourself, the learning never stops!
  • Look for a guild (or a really helpful quilt shop) as a place to meet new friends and find inspiration and guidance. Start with something you really want to make that is relatively simple and in colors you love.
  • Allow myself more time to just play and practice, practice, practice…..
  • Always FINISH your project before moving onto the next! Have way to many UFO’s.
  • Always make a trial block out of fabric that you really don’t care about – you’ll see if it’s in your capabilities, did you like it, and are there any issues with the pattern.
  • Always surround yourself with quilters who want to share not only the wonderful art of quilting but also the gift of life and laughter!!!!!
  • Am happy from beginning up to now….love every stitch made!
  • As with maturity, slow down, have patience with yourself, cut and then cut again if you need to.
  • Ask for help/advice when picking fabrics for a quilt – from your local quilt shop or a quilting friend whose quilts you love.
  • Ask Grandma H for her good advice.
  • Ask lots of questions, learn why the 1/4” seam is so darn important and how to cut properly.
  • Ask questions & get advice from other quilters instead of trying to figure things out on your own.
  • Ask questions and pay attention to seam widths
  • Be accurate especially when finishing stitching at the end of a seam.
  • Be adventurous. Use colors you love & don’t be afraid to tackle a project that you are drawn to. And remember: it doesn’t have to be perfect.
  • Be comfortable with having several different projects going at one time. Don’t sweat not finishing one project before starting another. The steps in quilt making are so different that if you get tired of something, go to another task for variation.
  • Be confident and have fun is the advice I follow.
  • Be fearless.
  • Be more accurate in cutting.
  • Be more accurate with my cutting and sewing of seams. Accuracy is so important!!
  • Be more careful about the quarter inch seam.
  • Be more consistent in coming out to same size after seaming & learning where 1/4 inch is in relation to the foot I’m using.
  • Be more experimental and not so stuck on a pattern but try a small project – something free form or quirky.
  • Be patient with myself – Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will my quilting skills be. Everyone makes mistakes – there’s no such thing as perfect. And everyone was a beginner at one time.
  • Be patient.
  • Be practical, practice, and be patient with your mistakes. One shouldn’t expect to play Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata after one month of piano lessons! The same applies to quilting.
  • Be precise from the beginning: cut accurately, use ¼ inch seams, take time to pin. It is a lot easier if you start accurate than if you try to go back and try to correct bad habits!
  • Be selective when buying fabric. Have a reserve of ‘read as solids’ and then buy per project with a bit extra for charity quilts or just playing around.
  • Be very careful with measuring and cutting. Learn all you can. Be open to learning new techniques. ENJOY every moment!
  • Be willing to listen to experience quilters, but do what interests you as well. They may know the techniques, but you know what you like.
  • Buy a rotary cutter. Oh, they weren’t out yet!
  • Buy any fabric that calls to you! It WILL tell you how it wants to be used.
  • Buy better and more tools .
  • Buy good fabric and invest in projects that you love. Find your own style.
  • Buy good fabric.
  • Buy good quality fabric!
  • Buy good quality tools, fabrics and thread. Better ingredients produce better results.
  • Buy less, sew more.
  • Buy only one brand ruler
  • Buy quality essential quilting tools. It does not pay to buy cheap stuff.
  • Buy quality fabric from a quilt store. You are not saving money if your fabric falls apart the first time it is washed…not to mention embarrassing!
  • Buy quality fabric!
  • Buy quality rulers and rotary cutter. Consistently cut pieces make putting pieces together so much easier. Also practice, practice and practice a scant quarter inch seam.
  • Buy the best fabric you can afford. Cheap stuff looks cheap and wears out too soon!
  • Careful with seams cut on bias!
  • Carve out a little time each week to work on your passion!
  • Challenged yourself to learn a new technique. Ask your mentor for help or take a class that uses the technique you want to learn
  • Classes can overcome your fear of wasting money on fabric.
  • classes, classes, classes, from as many different shops and teachers as you can find.
  • Cut accurately; don’t stretch pieces to fit.
  • Directions and patterns are just guidelines. They are meant to be just the beginning for your inspiration for a great finished project.
  • Do it earlier
  • Do it for your own enjoyment. Appreciate the journey, not just the product.
  • Do more and enjoy the process as well as the results.
  • Do more research before buying a new sewing machine
  • Do not attempt to make a large bed quilt for your first project!!! It’s intimidating and you may not finish. Make a simple wall hanging or throw size quilt first. Pick colors you love!
  • Do not be so hard on yourself!
  • Do not get a stash!! What a waste of money. Tastes change, fabrics change, projects change and you have all this fabric you will never use.
  • Do projects you LOVE so you will be inspired to finish them and feel so rewarded when you are done. Also try different techniques with each project to enhance your skill set.
  • do what I want to do not what someone said I had to do
  • do your very best work. talent will follow
  • don`t expect perfection immediately in any phase of the quilting.
  • Don’t be afraid to try new things.
  • Don’t buy the biggest and best machine right off the bat. It’s too big and heavy to take to bee and retreat. Start with the best travel size machine cuz you know you’re going to fall in love with quilting, buy a longarm, and end up only needing your sewing machine for piecing. (Yup. True story lol!)
  • Don’t sweat the small stuff. Enjoy the process. We have a question amongst my quilting friends, “Is this the last quilt you’re ever going to make?” No! Then sew on!
  • Done is better than perfect.
  • Don’t be afraid of a pattern because there are always people willing to help you!
  • Don’t be afraid of mistakes
  • Don’t be afraid to do what you want to do.
  • Don’t be afraid to get started. Find a quilt pattern that speaks to you and go for it. Start small and work up to your dream quilt.
  • Don’t be afraid to try new things!
  • don’t be discouraged just try again
  • Don’t be hard on yourself if things aren’t perfectly matched but enjoy want you love doing. In time the techniques will come.
  • Don’t be so critical of your work. Nobody is perfect and everybody improves with practice.
  • Don’t be so hard on yourself
  • Don’t be upset if your projects aren’t perfect.
  • Don’t build a huge stash. Limit it to solids and small prints. There’s new fabrics everyday that’ll want for your new projects.
  • dont buy fabric just because you like it
  • Don’t buy so much fabric that you don’t like, take it slow.
  • Don’t buy so much fabric! I’m never going to get through it all.
  • dont do applique circles on squares as a first project!
  • Don’t expect perfection! Even the most seasoned quilters have things about their projects that they wish they had done better.
  • Don’t expect to be perfect the first time you try something. There is no “one right way” to do things. If someone is going to be nit-picky and point out all your mistakes, don’t show them…share it with people who are supportive.
  • Don’t get discouraged. If a mistake is made, so what? It’s not a competition or contest. Just enjoy the process and you’ll learn.
    don’t get frustrated, there is a learning curve for everyone. Hard to take direction from others when you start late in life.
  • Don’t just do dress making. Look into the crafting and quilting part of sewing which are just as much rewarding as clothes making.
  • Don’t let the quilt police prevent you from thinking outside the box in color, style, and patterns.
  • Don’t stress. If you can’t see it at 3 feet, it is not there
  • Don’t sweat it.
  • Don’t think all your quilts will be same style as first. That is, don’t cut a million 2inch squares thinking all you want to do is landscapes. Allow self to branch out and try different styles in effort to find your niche or passion.
  • Don’t try to be “an expert, perfect.” Not good.
  • Don’t try to buy so much fabric all at once. Learn more about what you like and about fabric quality first.
  • Don’t wash precuts!
  • Don’t work in isolation your whole life! Get involved in classes and guilds when you have the opportunity. Go to as many quilt shows as you can, because it is balm for your soul!
  • Don’t work on several projects at the same time. It’s okay to work on cutting out the next project, or two, but moving back and forth between two or more only slows things down.
  • Don’t worry about deadlines and let the creative process lead the way.
  • Draw more inspiration from the world around you, not just quilting sources.
  • Embrace your mistakes.
  • Enjoy and be patient with yourself. You WILL get better. Enjoy the process of getting better
  • Enjoy the journey
  • enjoy the process and don’t stress out about mistakes
  • Enjoy the process and soak up any information you can find, whether from other people, books, or online.
  • Enjoy your craft. Join other groups of quilters to learn and share. Never feel guilty about the time spent enjoying, learning, using you hobby. Bless others with the quilts you make.
  • Enjoy! Don’t stress.
  • ENJOY. quilting is an art to really have fun…even if you struggle or you don’t like what you are working on it is a process. We all learn from doing. Just keep quilting??
  • Find (or organize) a small group of friends, schedule a time to get together and have fun with the learning process
  • Find a teacher that was fun and not pushing you to go fast and “keep up” with her speed!
  • Find an experienced and enthusiastic quilter to help.
  • Find more resources to help me with my projects instead of trying to figure it out on my own.
  • find other quilters to network with
  • Find someone who loves to quilt and loves to teach …a local shop
  • Find time to quilt..
  • Finish a project before I start another one.
  • Finish that first class quilt but pay closer attention to what the instructor says before doing what you thought she said! Have learned my lesson but still didn’t finish that first class quilt.
  • Finish what you start before starting something else!
  • finish what you start. Keep your fabric organized from the very beginning.
  • Finish what you start. Organize your tools and materials.
  • Finished is better than perfect.
  • First quilt was for a crib, my family and friends did not like it and it took me another 25 years before I tried again.
  • I would pay more attention to my gut instincts rather than go totally with the person who was helping me.
  • Get a 1/4 “ foot right away.
  • Get a bigger cutting/sewing table dedicated to quilting.
  • get a good machine
  • Get a seam gage to find that perfect 1/4″ seam. Best purchase I ever was getting that seam gage. No more odd sized blocks.
  • Get better at machine piecing.
  • Get better fabrics. Learn the basics well and not worry about being perfect or wanting to learn everything all at once or comparing myself to others and not always following the ‘quilt rules’.
  • Get more advice, take more classes, from those who know!
  • GET SOMEONE TO HELP ME GET STARTED.
  • Get the basics mastered – accurate cutting, 1/4 inch seams, simple pattern- before you attempt something more complex or large.
  • Give yourself ample room to work. Organized work space will make for less stress and a more enjoyable experience, while learning and after.
  • go slow and make sure you understand what you are doing
  • Go small, simpler projects, and complete them.
  • Go to a class. I think you learn so much more from people and doing a project together than you will ever learn with You-Tube videos or books. They all have a place to help you learn but the basics are better learned in a class.
  • Hang in there, rulers and rotary cutters are coming!
  • Have a good time. Don’t do something you don’t enjoy.
  • Have a mentor whom I could call and ask questions of
  • Have fun and don’t be to critical with yourself.
  • Have more confidence in your design and colour choices.
  • I backed into quilting from sewing and crafting since I was in my teens. But I am happy I was able to do it that way since my sewing background gave me a big advantage when I started quilting.
  • I began my journey with a good friend. I would suggest everyone to do that if possible.
  • I dove right in last spring (yes, I’m a new quilter but I could sew).
  • I feel I did it the right way. Took lots of classes to learn what “I” love to do and now that’s what I do most. Lots of classes though, really helped.
  • I learn best one on one. Would like to have begun that way.
  • I learned to quilt on my own and I wish I had found a mentor.
  • I like how I evolved.
  • I started 50 years ago, before rotary cutters and all that. It was the best way to learn the basics.
  • I started with a king size quilt. I should have gone smaller and simpler.
  • I was a garment maker many years before taking up quilting. I think I was horrified to realize the amazing variety of prints and colors one could put together and the world didn’t tilt on its axis! Variety is the spice in quilting. Color can be another challenge for quilters, but it wasn’t something that was difficult for me. Try. Try, and try some more.
  • I wish I had started quilting earlier in life, instead of waiting until I retired. I was busy doing advanced sewing prior to retirement.
  • I wish that I could have begun 10 years earlier than I did. My life will be very before all the quilts I want to make are made!
  • I would have started quilting earlier in my life.
  • I would take a beginning class. I learned on my own before internet and youtube help and have had to unlearn some things but my first quilts are still being used and loved.
  • I would tell myself Finish my projects as i go. And Don’t buy so much fabric!!! A precise 1/4” and precise cutting are key!
  • I wouldn’t change a thing….enjoyed the journey!
  • If it doesn’t look right or feel right, do it over until it’s right. I’ve donated several quilts to various charity groups because I didn’t listen to that little voice!
  • In 1974,our club had an experienced quilter who led an interested group of ladies, with the same project for the US Bicentennial. and met regularly. We all became lifetime quilters.
  • Instead of sending completed tops to someone else to quilt, try harder to finish myself.
  • Invest in the best tools and fabric you can afford. And be wary of things you really don’t need.
  • It doesn’t have to be perfect. Even the ‘best’ quilters have gone through a learning curve.
  • Join a guild. If you are working find one that meets in the evening or on Saturdays.
  • Join a supportive guild or small group to help you keep from getting stuck and discouraged.
  • Judge yourself by your progress and the more you practice the better you’ll get.
  • jump in, challenge yourself, and enjoy it
  • Just buy the fabric you need for the project you are working on at the moment.
  • Just do your best.
  • Keep a photo record of all your projects. Keep a notebook of ideas – quilts, borders, colors, styles, anything that might inspire you later.
  • Keep it simple and small.
  • Keep on keeping on. ie don’t quit.
  • Keep trying. Accuracy comes with practice.
  • Know it’s ok to make mistakes and fix them for greater rewards
  • Label every quilt as you go and also track in writing the quilts. I started doing a postmortem write up of my quilts, but that fell by the wayside. It is a good learning experience to see what worked well and what did not.
  • Learn all you can from as many sources as you can find and figure out what works for you. There’s more than one way to skin a cat!
  • Learn how to cut ACCURATELY right away!
  • Learn more about color early on…some of my projects would have been much better if my color choices had been better
  • Learn more about how to use rulers and cutting fabric accurately.
  • learn more about textiles and fabrics, themselves. Understand characteristics about different materials. Have more knowledge about the manufacturing and printing and weaving processes.
  • Learn the basics before tackling a project.
  • Learn the basics first, then try your project after learning each individual element needed to make the pattern!
  • Learn to achieve an accurate 1/4 inch seam to assure that pieces will fit together.
  • Learn to machine quilt my own quilts. The expense of paying others has held me back.
  • Learn to sew an accurate quarter inch seam!!!
  • learn to starch and cut correctly
  • learn wherever you can
  • Learning how to be as accurate as possible.
  • Listen to experts, read, and then figure out how to do things your way.
  • love what you are doing and don’t expect it to be perfect
  • Make more time to quilt! Try everything to find what you love…take lots of classes for inspiration and techniques.
  • Make sample blocks before you cut out a whole quilt’s worth of pieces.Don’t assume every project you start will be doable – or that your first fabric choices will actually work.
  • Make sure you stitch a straight and accurate 1/4”.
  • make sure your stash has lights and darks and not just mediums!
  • Make time every week to sew/work on my projects.
  • Master the scant quarter inch seam allowance. Only buy fabric for one project at a time!
  • Measure carefully many times and then cut
  • measure more
  • Measure more carefully , both in cutting and keeping good quarter inch seams.
  • Mistakes are a part of learning.
  • My advice: don’t go crazy buying lots of fabric. Buy what you need for a project and go on from there.
  • None….I was lucky I had a broad background in sewing and being an artist the color and design was easy for me.
  • Not save every little piece of fabric. Only buy for on project at a time.
  • Not sure took my first class at a local quilt shop and now 30 years later I’m still quilting and teaching in my local quilt shop and sharing what I learned long ago and continue to learn.
  • Not to be so hard on myself. To realize that even expert quilters make mistakes. To acknowledge making the perfect quilt is not the end result, making someone happy with your work is.
  • Not to be so nervous. I thought everything had to be perfect and I would be judged by fellow quilters if it wasn’t.
  • Nothing in life is perfect. You don’t have to be either.
  • Number every quilt and take a picture of each one.
  • Patience and practice
  • Pay attention to the details. Accurate cutting and quarter inch seams make everything easier.
  • Pay better attention to accurate seam allowance and keeping edges together when sewing. Do not taper off at the end of a seam when piecing
  • Pay for classes, either video or live. The tips you gain are very valuable to your success.
  • Pay more attention to what my Mom (my mentor) was teaching me!!!!!
  • Perfection is not the goal.
  • Pin, pin, pin. Use starch & make friends with your seam ripper.
  • Please yourself.
  • practice with small projects like table runners, placemats and such. take a few classes at the local quilt shop and ask as many questions as you can.
  • Precise cutting and that sometimes hard to get 1/4″ seam. Ironing is also very important.
  • Precision is the most important skill to master. Precision cutting, precision 1/4 inch seam, precision piecing, precision ironing.
  • Precision, practice, patience.
  • Quilt a little each day. Even 15 minutes. Enjoy skill building. Get to know other quilters
  • Quilting is a journey. Let it take you down roads you may never expect.
  • quit trying to be such a perfectionist. Then maybe I wouldn’t have so much grey hair and would have more quilts made. LOL
  • Read everything you can about quilts, techniques, tools, and find one that you feel passion for doing.
  • read the directions twice and measure twice before cutting the fabric.
  • Really pay attention to sew accurate l/4 inch seams and be especially careful when doing your cutting.
  • Relax and enjoy
  • Relax and enjoy yourself, which is what I did and do. If a fabric or panel , or pattern catches your interest, start there, even if you don’t have a lucky recipient in mind.
  • Relax more about the learning process and remember there are no quilt police.
  • Relax. No one is going to come in the door and inspect your work. Don’t let anyone’s criticism sway you.
  • Relax. Take your time. Have fun. Enjoy the process. This isn’t a race nor is it brain surgery.
  • RELAX..it’s only fabric…don’t forget to have fun. It took me 10 years to unlearn the rules my first class teacher insisted were set in stone…they weren’t.
  • Remember to slow down and enjoy each part of the process.
  • Seek for more help.
  • Select projects that you love.
  • sew more and turn loose of inhibitions about it being “wrong”
  • Sew with others early and often
  • Since I taught myself to quilt because I wanted to make my parents a bedspread. I just jumped in 25 years ago and haven’t stopped! I would start smaller.
  • Slow down and master that scant 1/4″!
  • Some projects take time. Take it slow and precise.
  • Start earlier in life, there are too many projects I want to do
  • Start off with a smaller, easy project like a table runner and no larger than a baby quilt with simple piecing. Each project you finish will give you the courage to try something else. If your first projects are too complicated, you will give up and not go back.
  • start simple log cabin quilts and their variations are a good place to start they have the added fun of allowing yo to play with a bunch of colors
  • Start slow and simple. Taking on a big project first is discouraging.
  • start small and slowly progress to larger
  • Start sooner. It wasn’t that hard and don’t buy some much stuff. It’s still in the closet.
  • Start with a smaller project.
  • Start with small and simple, then wait until rotary cutters, rulers, and pre-cuts are invented! (I’ve been sewing/quilting a long time)??
  • Start young so you have more years to quilt.
  • Started earlier. Made a quilt 20+ years ago. Thought it was going to be horrible, but once it was done it’s great. Can’t see the uneven blocks or stitches. You are your worst critic so keep moving on. I restarted 2 years ago and amazed how I have progressed in skill. Take classes if you want, watch Youtube, and enjoy. Just keep going.
  • Stick to one project and don’t tackle things that are too challenging, that way you’ll be more inclined to not have a ton of UFOS.
  • Stop focusing on each little “error”. When it’s a whole quilt, no one will notice, and you probably won’t be able to even find it!
  • Study your pattern and project to understand the way it’s written and presented in picture form. Measure twice, cut once.
  • Systematic practice of the basics, instead of choosing a project because I liked it. My current projects are better because I have gotten better at the basics – cutting, quarter inch seams, nesting, pressing.
  • Take a beginners class that offers a variety of tips on easy methods.
  • Take a beginning quilter’s class. Don’t teach yourself.
  • Take a class and learn the basics.
  • Take a class or find a mentor… and make sure the sewing machine has good stitch quality.
  • Take a class, learn from the pros, get it right the first time.
  • Take a second class as soon as you finish the first. You will finish the project then.
  • Take as many classes as possible.
  • Take classes and start small and work up to larger projects
  • Take it slower, have patience with yourself.
  • Take more classes and don’t be afraid to try.
  • Take more classes, and play with your machine a lot
  • Take more classes. Learn something new all the time.
  • Take more time when working on a project. Savor each element and process…and quality over quantity.
  • Take technique classes
  • take your time and enjoy every step
  • Take your time, it’s not a race.
  • Take your time, think it through and ask questions.
  • Take your time. Don’t be in a hurry. Choose fabrics/colors you like.
  • That stash will never be completely used up.
  • I would give myself would be that no one will see my “mistakes”, and never point them out
  • Somehow I fell off the “bandwagon” by putting projects aside/or loosing interest. I have about 5 unfinished projects which I don’t think is a huge amount compared to others I’ve heard. I do plan on finishing them. This is one of the toughest aspects of being a quilter because projects abound by the hundreds and its difficult to pick and choose. Narrow it down to your absolute favorites and don’t sway. Keep that in mind when you are shopping also. Sometimes budgets will keep you from splurging and that’s a good thing.
  • The internet is a valuable tool (not available when I started sewing) it connects you to so many people and resources. Be patient and do not be afraid to make mistakes; generally no one knows your quilt is not as planned.
  • There may not be any quilt police but it is good to understand the “why” of rules so that I would know when and how to do something differently.
  • Think outside the box with color and design. Buy good fabric.
  • To get over blades being expensive. Change the blade the minute it starts to get dull. It makes a world of difference.
  • To have patience when sewing blocks together
  • To have started much younger and paid more attention when my Grandmother was quilting.
  • To just “Do It.”
  • train cutting, trimm trimm trimm… try try try – it took me two years to find my two favorite technics (EP and EPP)… patience!
  • Trust in your own creative process and don’t compare yourself to others.
  • Try a lot of definite techniques.
  • Try all kinds of techniques until you find the ones you like best.
  • Try different things on a smaller scale (table runner, wall hanging, even mug rugs) instead of buying for a king sized quilt.
  • Try harder to hand quilt my project. Not so picky at my stitches
  • Try new things & invest in that class. Machine quilting is not that difficult so jump in before you can even think about it.
  • Try not to be such a perfectionist and enjoy the ride.
  • try not to buy all the fabric you see.
  • Try to actually finish a project now and then, before starting 3 others.
  • Try to find more classes on the weekends.
  • Try to resist buying every adorable jelly roll you see. They tend to stack up fast & they do not make the big quilts you really want to make.
  • Try to stay as informed about the industry as possible as to latest trends and tools and where the industry is headed, and don’t forget the history of the industry to illustrate the importance of any effort you put forth.
  • Understand that your new hobby may not be common but that there are people that the quilting world is full of people who would love to be your mentor and friend as you grow in your hobby.
  • Understanding seam allowance in cutting and piecing especially with angles.
  • Use fabric you love. My first quilt was used with fabric from my mother’s stash and I never liked the colors. The quilt is finished but would be so much better in other colors.
  • Use quarter inch seams. I used 5/8 seams like garments
  • Use quilting weight cottons, not other kinds of fabric, not slippery, heavy or knit fabrics. It’s a lot easier.
  • Use the best quality materials you can find–you are spending a lot of time on this!
  • Wait to start your stash until you know what you really like!
  • Watch online tutorial videos
  • When taking a class go with the idea you will learn a process, do not worry about finishing a project. Take advantage of every class you can to learn a new technique.
  • Work on one project at a time.

Do you have a different answer? Let us know in the comments below!

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