The Sewing Annexe

orangesmartie

Hi all,

I hope you guys can help me. My sister is pregnant and I would love to make the baby a patchwork quilt.

The problem is I know nothing about sewing. Well i know the theory of hand sewing, but have never done it. My mum has a sewing machine that I can borrow (she's abroad atm) but I have no idea how to use it. I didn't learn any kind of sewing at school (I took technical design rather than home ec).

I've been looking for some books to help me but they all baffle me with descriptions of 'star blocks' and other technical terms. All I want is to sew together squares of fabric for the top, and then put the rest together, no fancy patterns or shapes.

I bought some fabric remnants and a basic hand sewing kit so that I can practice before I try the real thing (I've got a load of children's hankies with nursery rhymes and animals for the real one).

But I wonder if anyone could give me some tips or point me in the direction of some help for an absolute know-nothing beginner. Even the web tutorials I've found assume a familiarity with quilting lingo.

Thanks in advance!

gibson123

Put your feet up, get youtube up on your screen and start looking at a few tutorials, I am no quilter, but find watching tutorials is easier than trying to learn from a book, also see if there are classes close to you.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=quilting+for+beginners+by+machine&oq=quilting+for+&aq=3&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_l=youtube.1.3.0l10.1465l3989l0l9761l13l13l0l3l3l0l207l1144l5j4j1l10l0.

orangesmartie

gibson123 wrote: »

Put your feet up, get youtube up on your screen and start looking at a few tutorials, I am no quilter, but find watching tutorials is easier than trying to learn from a book, also see if there are classes close to you.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=quilting+for+beginners+by+machine&oq=quilting+for+&aq=3&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_l=youtube.1.3.0l10.1465l3989l0l9761l13l13l0l3l3l0l207l1144l5j4j1l10l0.

Many thanks, I'll take a look

gibson123

Sewing is quite easy as long as you take it in logical steps, and have a good eye for how to out things together and can work out 3 d shapes. The most difficult bit about sewing is setting up all your equipment, although some lucky people have sewing rooms, and the other difficult thing is how quickly you start hoarding material, buttons, ribbon, zips and other pretty bit and bobs. Good luck with your project and come back and tell us how it's going.

tryingtoruletheworld

redlady_1 wrote: »

Hi guys. I am looking for some dark green velvet material to make my wedding dress and I wondered whether any of you would be able to advise please.

Thanks

Remnant House has velvet, one is called 'bottle', which I would assume would be bottle green, but there is no picture!

They do send out samples, so might be worth a shot!

http://www.remnanthouse.co.uk/product_view.php?id=2872

jpscloud

How exciting, newleaf and miffy... hope you are having great fun with those magnificent sewing machines! My modest (4 step buttonhole, 24 stitch) machine that I bought myself for Christmas is a constant joy as I learn more and more about using it!

Orangesmartie, I second those who say have a look at the tutorials, they are really helpful - if something remains a mystery google it, look at different tutorials and one of them should make sense.

I'm just starting out in patchwork/quilting too, and have made a patchwork cushion and now making a more adventurous cushion cover to get up on the learning curve... it's best to start on a couple of small projects with scraps so that you can make mistakes and not feel you've wasted anything.

Angel_Jenny

orangesmartie wrote: »

Hi all,

I hope you guys can help me. My sister is pregnant and I would love to make the baby a patchwork quilt.

The problem is I know nothing about sewing. Well i know the theory of hand sewing, but have never done it. My mum has a sewing machine that I can borrow (she's abroad atm) but I have no idea how to use it. I didn't learn any kind of sewing at school (I took technical design rather than home ec).

I've been looking for some books to help me but they all baffle me with descriptions of 'star blocks' and other technical terms. All I want is to sew together squares of fabric for the top, and then put the rest together, no fancy patterns or shapes.

I bought some fabric remnants and a basic hand sewing kit so that I can practice before I try the real thing (I've got a load of children's hankies with nursery rhymes and animals for the real one).

But I wonder if anyone could give me some tips or point me in the direction of some help for an absolute know-nothing beginner. Even the web tutorials I've found assume a familiarity with quilting lingo.

Thanks in advance!

I am a complete sewing novice but I have been getting the Art of Quilting magazine. Each issues has a new square to learn or I just need to get used to the sewing machine first!!

Oh there is Modern Quilting too - issue one is out at the moment and that has a few types on squares in it.

I bought some gorgeous fabric patches by Moda from eBay which I am so excited about! Not sure what they will be yet but I would love to make a quilt.

jpscloud

Just finished my second project - a bolster cushion for the bed. I made a lot of mistakes and got a bit impatient, so I didn't undo the messy bits. It actually doesn't look too bad, and I learned so much from this one. Will post a pic soon.

gibson123

well done, looking forward to seeing it,

newleaf

Well, I am delighted with my new machine! Today I made a little 'poochy bag' for my God daughter, and a sleeveless top for myself. My next project will be a stretch knit top for myself. I'm just waiting for my twin needle to arrive in the post to get started.