Learning the Art of Quilting: Insights from a First Time Quilter
My niece, Brooke, recently decided to make her first quilt. As an excited but unsure beginner, she asked for my help to get started. Together, we worked through the process, and she ended up making a beautiful quilt for her bed. I asked if I could share her experience to help others who are just beginning or thinking about quilting but don’t know where to start.
Why You Should Start Quilting
Grand Millennial hobbies are on the rise, including quilting. Brooke decided to start her first quilt after seeing a few of her friends pick up the hobby. She loved the idea of a creative hobby that taught her a new and valuable skill, and helped her connect with people.
While she was intimidated by the idea of making a whole quilt, the social draw of her friends starting a quilt club motivated her to take the plunge. If other young mothers like her could take up a new hobby, such as quilting, why couldn’t she?
Once she started, she loved having something that was just hers. Living in a small apartment with her husband and baby, she wanted something she could do while watching her baby.
Picking up a new hobby, such as quilting, gave her the creative outlet she needed to feel like a whole person again. And a big bonus, her son loved to sit and watch her quilt!
Your First Quilt: Where to Start
Brooke decided to make a quilt without a pattern, which is where I came to help. I would recommend, though, if you don’t have an expert quilter at your disposal, a beginner-friendly pattern or a class at your local quilt shop as a great place to start.
You can find some great free patterns perfect for beginners on our site. Brooke used a photo of a quilt she liked to determine the block pattern she wanted to create. Then came the fun part of picking out the fabric.
It’s All About the Fabric!
Fabric choices are what got Brooke excited to start her quilt. Before she started figuring out what type of quilt to make, she created an in-depth Pinterest board for all possible fabric choices.
To create her Pinterest mood board, she organized fabrics she liked by color, creating sub-boards for each color. She then took screenshots of the fabrics she liked and laid them out in Photoshop to see how they would look together. From there, she decided what fabrics to use, and it was time to start quilting.
Need help picking out your own fabric? Make sure to check out our step-by-step guide.
Brooke’s Advice for a New Quilter
I am no longer a beginner quilter, and it can be easy to forget what it was like to start when you have been quilting for as long as I have. I wanted to ask Brooke to share some words of wisdom and advice with those who want to start quilting but, like her, are overwhelmed or unsure where to begin.
Her advice:
- Take it one step at a time.
- Take your time to iron each piece correctly.
- Start small, especially if you have a smaller workspace.
What Was the Easiest Part of the Process?
Surprisingly, the easiest part for Brooke was sewing the squares of fabric together. I helped her a bit by teaching her my strip piecing method. She said this made things so much easier.
Starting with a simple square piecing design, she said it helped a lot to get into the almost mindless rhythm of sewing and begin to build her muscle memory, which made the process much smoother and easier by the end.
In the end, the whole process turned out to be easier than she had expected, and there was no need to be intimidated by the idea of making an entire quilt; it was just a matter of taking it slow and doing one step at a time.
What was the Hardest Part?
When I asked her what she found more challenging than she would have expected, it was, interestingly enough, the ironing of the pieces.
She said you can so easily warp your pieces if you don’t iron them correctly. She also advises that if this is your first quilt or one of your first quilts, don’t do what she did and start with a smaller quilt size.
Brooke wanted a quilt for her bed, so she figured if I was going to make a quilt, why not a queen-size one? Well, the combination of her tiny apartment and the scale of her quilt quickly made her wonder why she didn’t start with a baby or lap quilt instead.
Final Impressions: Will You Make Another Quilt?
Ultimately, she shared that she is obsessed with how her quilt turned out. She does warn, though, that if you’re making a quilt because you think it’s cheaper than buying a cute one you saw online, that’s not always the case.
If you want a particular fabric like she did, it can get pricey, thanks to the type of fabric and the amount needed for a large quilt like hers.
Additionally, it isn’t just the fabric that needs to be considered in the price, but also the cost of potentially having it quilted. If you start with a smaller quilt, though, you can use your machine to create a simple quilted design.
New Quilter Wish List
Now that she has successfully completed her first quilt, Brooke is eager to start sewing more. I asked her what she has in mind for some of her next projects.
She’s ready to move on from beginner quilts to beginner-plus quilt projects. Like maybe it’s time to try triangles instead of just squares?
She also wants to find cute things to make for her little boy, as it can be challenging to find boy-friendly sewing projects. Lucky for her, I have plenty of tutorials that are perfect for both beginners and beginner-plus quilters.
