Well.... Yes you can! I taught myself and so can you. You can learn from a book, friend, class, why not learn right here with me over the next 6 weeks? Sound good, great! Let's get started. (And I promise it's not too hard once you get started.)
First I must say, I am by no means an expert and would definitely classify myself as a beginner. Just like I taught myself, I still haven't had a class or read a book. Looking through other people's blogs has been really helpful!
This quilt is called a ragged square quilt, great for beginners! I've never made one myself haha so we will learn together ;)
Ok, let's start with Fabric! This is usually one of my most favorite parts, I love to scour JoAnn's and find the perfect combination of colors and patterns. If you have seen my previous work I like to work with lots of color, pinks, polka dots, brights, this particular quilt I am actually going to be making for the upcoming baby's bedding, Mr. Landon <3>
Ta da! That's my fabric!! I suggest you all take a picture of your fabric like this. I think it's fun to go back when you have the finished product and say I made this from that! So pull out your cameras :)
You will need at least 3 1/2 yard of fabric, I got a total of 5 yards of fabric. I like to have some leftover so I can use it on a scrap quilt or in case one color doesn't look well, etc. You can also chose how you want to break it up. For instances I chose 10 fabrics and got 1/2 a yard of each. The more fabrics you choose the more variation your quilt will have.
For those of you who have never quilted before, when you go to Walmart/JoAnn's the fabric comes in bolts. Choose the fabrics you want then take them to the counter and the lady will cut them. Know in advance how much you want of each bolt. HINT-JoAnn's runs coupons all of the time! And solids are usually much cheaper than prints. I am actually using two solids in this quilt. Sometimes you can shop online for fabric too, take a gander if you are interested in doing that :)Also, many of the ragged square quilts I have seen are monochromatic and they look great. So if you have a favorite color think about it... Here is an example of a pink monochromatic quilt and this is a ragged square quilt. So this is essentially what we will be making. I love the monochromatic look!
We will discuss the binding, backing, and batting later ok?
On to Supplies
Here is some of my supplies. Notice Ali, my lab, and Lucy, my kitty, needing some attention. Camera Hogs! lol
You will want/need- scissors not your kitchen scissors. They need to be strong enough to cut fabric and not have meat juice on them ;)
straight pins, pin cushion, and quilting safety pins- get the straight pins and safety pins specifically for quilting. They are longer than regular straight and bigger than regular safety pins you will want them! I chose some that are very colorful- sue me I am a colorful gal!
Thread duh you need thread for sewing. I usually go with a natural, cream, or tan for my quilt top because it will blend well and not show mistakes as badly. You will want a couple of spools, trust me go ahead and get more than you think you will need. When we do the binding and actual "quilting" you can pick some funky colors :)
You will also want a rotary cutter, a straight edge, and a cutting mat. Get a big quilting mat, you will thank me later. These three items are more important than a sewing machine in making your quilt. This allows you to cut your fabric to the size you need with a smooth straight edge.
Finally an iron, ironing board, and a sewing machine. I actually iron on my carpet and not a board so I wouldn't say it's a neccessity and if you can sew by hand you don't have to have a machine. The process is just longer. For those of you that live near me I'm more than willing to share my machine, I don't have a long arm quilting machine which means I can't make really big quilts, but smaller ones fit fine.
Well look at you on your way to quilting! Week one is complete! See you next week! I might post some of this early for those of you that are working ahead, my overachieving students. Just look to the right hand side of my blog under quilting. You will be able to find everything there.
Here is our schedule
Week One- Gathering supplies
Week Two- Cutting the fabric
Week Three- Sewing the blocks
Week Four- Assembly of Quilt Top
Week Five- Qulting the top, backing,
Week Six- Binding
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