For years I've dabbled on the edges of patchwork - I love to sew and have done since my teenage years, but mainly clothes and household furnishings. I've done the odd patchwork cushion - you know the kind of thing, squares from scraps or bits of log cabin, but never properly planned and thought out patchwork projects.
The last few years I've been buying books and nervously teetering on the brink, and I finally got a book of small "weekend" projects that I thought would be good to practice on. Wrong again - I see now that even though I'm only making a tiny wall quilt, setting out to do stars was a bit of a challenge for a beginner, and I might have done better with straight lines!
So for the first time ever I got out my patchwork ruler and cutting wheel, with a planned set of fabrics. I didn't find the cutting part too hard - it was easier than I thought to be accurate, even with my concentration problems (I have to read everything at least 3 times). It was when I started stitching the parts together that it got tricky! I had recourse to the unpicker several times before I got the measurements right.
You can just see a picture of the project in the top picture, and how I WISH I'd never embarked on those tiny squares! The unpicker has been red hot .... but I'm determined to persevere and learn this noble art, though I confess I wish I'd got someone to teach me. My goal is twin bedspreads but right now that's looking a long way off! If anyone can recommend helpful websites do let me know. They do say it's good for the brain cells to learn something new ....
1 comment:
Like you, I've been a home sewer for years (clothes for myself, my children, things for around the house) and really wanted to try quilting. The precision of it was so daunting. I discovered a fantastic book by Jan Mullen called "Cut-Loose Quilts: Stack, Slice, Switch and Sew." Precision is a bad thing with these, so all the better for me! The instructions were easy, and I made a huge quilt (only my 2nd) using her techniques. Amazon carries her book. Check out her website at stargazey.com too. If you can sew, you can do this!
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