“And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”
― Meister Eckhart
― Meister Eckhart
I'd
like to say I am a self-taught crafter, but that would be dishonest. I
am a self-Googled crafter. I typed those words into that search engine
ALL BY MYSELF! The only credit I can take is that I chose a good
tutorial, and I absorbed enough of what I read to apply it adequately to
my project. I set out to make a quilt - and I made one - thanks to the
internet.
Well, thanks to the internet, and this lady right here: JessyRatfink. Her Instructable, How to Sew a Quilt! (Quilting 101) was not the first tutorial that I found, but it was definitely the most comprehensive. She really lays it all out for ya, from materials, to tools, to tips, (she uses a mason jar next to her sewing machine to throw her thread scraps in - I have a jar as well. Mine is a pickle jar, though. It smells like pickles and makes everything pickley, but I like pickles and it's trash - why would I care if it smells like pickles?) and she also gives a rundown of quilt basics and terminology, very helpful! If you want to learn to quilt, I would recommend checking out her Instructables, (she has TONS on all kinds of subjects). She is awesome. Trust me.
I need to take a moment and offer a bit of advice to those of you who might be wanting to learn to quilt. First and foremost, don't do what I do. I am impulsive and utterly impatient. I am absolutely one of those instant gratification people, if the seeds I sow do not produce fruit almost IMMEDIATELY, I often give up and move on to the next thing I have chosen to waste time and money on. The best thing I can impart upon you is this - do a LOT of research! Read a LOT of tutorials. Ask a LOT of questions. There are some that would argue, but I am of the opinion that there is no wrong way to make a quilt. Pick and choose the methods, techniques and tips that suit you best, and make it your own! That is part of the fun, and hobbies are supposed to be fun!
That being said, I did not read through that tutorial entirely before I ran right out and bought all the things listed for materials and tools. Wrote 'em down and out the door I went. I wish I had taken just a little bit of time to do some checking into what I was buying to ensure that I was getting the most bang for my buck. It's hard to select a good rotary cutter and mat if you have no clear idea what you are about to do with them. I ended up having to do the research, anyway, and if I had done it beforehand, I could have saved myself some time and money. It does not help to ask someone else what they use, either, it's all very personal. Just do the research, people. Do it!
Well, thanks to the internet, and this lady right here: JessyRatfink. Her Instructable, How to Sew a Quilt! (Quilting 101) was not the first tutorial that I found, but it was definitely the most comprehensive. She really lays it all out for ya, from materials, to tools, to tips, (she uses a mason jar next to her sewing machine to throw her thread scraps in - I have a jar as well. Mine is a pickle jar, though. It smells like pickles and makes everything pickley, but I like pickles and it's trash - why would I care if it smells like pickles?) and she also gives a rundown of quilt basics and terminology, very helpful! If you want to learn to quilt, I would recommend checking out her Instructables, (she has TONS on all kinds of subjects). She is awesome. Trust me.
I need to take a moment and offer a bit of advice to those of you who might be wanting to learn to quilt. First and foremost, don't do what I do. I am impulsive and utterly impatient. I am absolutely one of those instant gratification people, if the seeds I sow do not produce fruit almost IMMEDIATELY, I often give up and move on to the next thing I have chosen to waste time and money on. The best thing I can impart upon you is this - do a LOT of research! Read a LOT of tutorials. Ask a LOT of questions. There are some that would argue, but I am of the opinion that there is no wrong way to make a quilt. Pick and choose the methods, techniques and tips that suit you best, and make it your own! That is part of the fun, and hobbies are supposed to be fun!
That being said, I did not read through that tutorial entirely before I ran right out and bought all the things listed for materials and tools. Wrote 'em down and out the door I went. I wish I had taken just a little bit of time to do some checking into what I was buying to ensure that I was getting the most bang for my buck. It's hard to select a good rotary cutter and mat if you have no clear idea what you are about to do with them. I ended up having to do the research, anyway, and if I had done it beforehand, I could have saved myself some time and money. It does not help to ask someone else what they use, either, it's all very personal. Just do the research, people. Do it!
Several
months before I started my quest to quilt, I had purchased a Singer 23
Stitch sewing machine with the intention of making curtains for our
humble little house. It sat in a box in the basement, waiting for me to
decide on a color scheme for our adjoining living and dining rooms, (I
still haven't decided even though I cannot stand our off-white walls).
Having it on hand, however, made it that much easier to jump right in
with both feet. I knew the machine was pretty basic, but I hadn't wound a
bobbin since I was a freshman in high school. Better that I practice a
little before I got to those curtains!
With
the most important tool already taken care of, the rest seemed fairly
simple to me. List in hand, sans a couple of items that seemed to be
more items of convenience than necessities, (yep, that was a mistake), I
headed to my local Walmart. About 10 minutes later we were back in the
car heading to a different Walmart because my neighborhood store doesn't
have a fabric department, can you believe that? Another 45 minutes
later, we were on our way home! I can't recall how much I spent, but I
am positive it was more than I should have, and on all the wrong things,
for the most part! In that minute, however, I was pleased as I could
possibly be, and eager to get started! I emptied my bags out on the
table and got to work!
The
fabric I chose was a small collection of coordinating pre-cut fat
quarters, (in a peace, love and music theme) from Creative Cuts. They
are readily available anywhere you shop for fabric, really. I love them,
and not because they are good quality fabric, because, to be honest,
they are not. I love them because they are pretty. They come in a
hundred beautiful, neatly carded and easily stored designs that I just
love to look at. Oh, and they are cheap. I use them, shamelessly, to get
my fabric-fix. At this point, I still had not read through my directions entirely. I had looked at all of the pictures, and skimmed a few paragraphs here and there. It all looked pretty straight forward. Cut the fabric, sew it together, stitch it to the batting and backing, put on the binding.. done! No problem!
So I unpacked my sewing machine, spent a few minutes reminding myself how to make it work, (which was easier than I thought it would be - apparently I did learn something in school) and laid out all of my other newly acquired goodies on my dining room table. I got on the computer and began really reading the tutorial. After reading a few steps I was pretty sure I knew what I was doing, and I began...
To make a big huge mess.
And I will tell you all about it on Friday!
No comments:
Post a Comment