Chicks On Lit discussion

http://www.quiltsforkids.org/patterns/ is a place I found if you are into quilting for kids in hospitals. if you sign up for the kit they send you all the pieces (minus the batting) all cut out for you to machine quilt a quilt for children in hospitals and I think they are now sending some to Haiti. They send you the materials free and you give your time and supply the batting and send it back to them and they distribute them to places in need. I think its a great opportunity to serve if you're looking to give back and have a sewing machine.

Wow, thanks for that link, Tera! I like to make quilts and those patterns are easy ones that could be made in a day. Think I'll do it!

This was brought to the attention of our quilt guild a couple of months ago. I ordered one, it's pretty cool. It comes all ready to be cutout and sewn.

Our local guild makes comfort quilts for those in need as well as we make quilts for childred at our Women's Resource Center. I chaired the committee last year and it was the most rewarding thing I've done in a very long time....

So weird to see this thread just now... for the past 3 days I have had this wild hair to start quilting. Any of you ladies mind taking some newbie questions from me? I'm starting small and simple, and hope it's as easy as it looks.

I forwarded this to my facebook friends. I would love to learn how to quilt...I do need a sewing machine first, though.

I'll be happy to help all I can. I do think a sewing machine is essential (smile Mandy Sue!!). You DO NOT need anything expensive, just something that sews a nice staight seam. I terrific book I recommend is Start Quilting with Alex Anderson, 3rd Edition: Everything First-Time Quilters Need to Succeed; 8 Quick Projects--Most in 4 Sizes by Alex Anderson . The book is not expensive and her instructions are easy to follow. Another great resource is your local quilt shop if you have one. They should offer classes for a beginner. It will seem rather expensive to get the tools needed to start (rotary cutter, cutting mat, pins, scissors, etc.) but as with any craft they are essential tools and ones you will have the rest of your quilting career. I am a tool junkie and love the lastest and greatest tools, but that is not the way you have to be. Fire away with those questions!

Thank you so much Kathryn (one of my favorite names, BTW!). Let's see...where do I start?

I have a Singer, something relatively cheap but with Martha Stewart's seal of approval. :P It has worked well for me in the past. Beyond that, I have scissors designated for fabrics only, pins, etc. How essential (and how pricey) is a rotary cutter? How long does the blade last? Can I use my self-healing mat for scrapbooking or should I worry about fiber cross-contamination? lol!

Is prewashing fabrics necessary? Do I need to set colors with salt or anything else? I know there are two camps for this topic. What if I am using charm packs- do those need to be washed and dried first for shrinking and fading?

What is the best way to baste? Any tricks I should know about? Spray adhesives?

For quilting, should I attempt stipples or other patterns free-hand? Should I stick to sewing straight lines on either side of painter's tape?

Is there anything special I need to keep in mind when quilting, because of the loft? I plan to use warm&white for my first projects. I read something about dropping feed dogs (need to reread my manual!).

Thanks so much Kathryn and anyone else who can offer insight! I appreciate it!

Your Singer is just fine. Always change the needle with each project and clean out the lint whenever you change to a new bobbin. Oil following your owner's manual. I recommend a Top Stitching needle 80/10 for all piecing and quilting. Schmetz is a great line of sewing machine needles.

If you buy fabric from a fabric store, I usually do not wash my fabric. Others like to always wash if nothing more than to remove the chemicals the fabric is sprayed with for shipping. If you shop at Jo-Ann Fabrics or other discount store I would always buy a bit more fabric than the pattern calls for and then wash it using your regular degergent using your regular cycle and then dry it in the dryer. When it comes out of the dryer press it with a hot steam iron and if you would like to spray it with spray starch, sizing or Best Press Starch (found at a quilt store) to give it a bit more stability, that's fine. Even though I generally do not wash my fabric, I always wash it if it's solid black and quite often the darker reds. Charm packs, jelly rolls, layer cakes, etc. do not need to be washed.

In order to cut your fabric you need a cutting mat (18" x 24" around $35) and a rotary cutter (around $18) and a couple of good rulers (8-1/2" x 24" around $24, 6-1/2" square around $12). Remember Jo-Ann's puts these things on sale all of the time, plus they have great coupons. You can cut anything on your mat that you use for scrap booking. Not a worry. Omnigrid mats and rulers are what I like and seem to be what most people like. Fons and Porter have an entire line of quilting supplies sold at Jo-Ann's. These tools allows you very precise, accurate cutting. The Alex Anderson book I recommended earlier is very good at explaining everything. Also, your local quilt store will give you lots of help on learning to cut....

I usually have someone do my quilting for me on their long arm machine. If I am going to quilt my own, it's usually tablerunner size and I do my basting with 505 Temporary Adhesive Spray. I use Warm and Natural or Hobbs 100% cotton batting.

Lower your feed dogs if you want to stipple or do some sort of design. If you want to stitch in the ditch, keep your feed dogs up and use a walking foot if you have one (that foot keeps all three layers of fabric going under your needle evenly).

I hope this helps!

Thanks so much. I went to a local shop after work and got a Creative Grids nonslip ruler 6.5x12.5 and Olfa ergonomic rotary cutter for $42 total. I went with the smaller ruler since I plan to do mostly small projects for now.

I will work of my scrapbooking mat for now. The lady at the shop pulled out a piece of fabic and let me use her ruler and cutter to try cutting strips. I will have to look for the adhesive. Thanks again for all your help!

Brittany wrote: "Thanks so much. I went to a local shop after work and got a Creative Grids nonslip ruler 6.5x12.5 and Olfa ergonomic rotary cutter for $42 total. I went with the smaller ruler since I plan to do mo..."

Perfect way to start...don't hesitate to ask more AND give us progress on how you are doing...

Thanks again for all the help. I finished my first project today! And since I am a bit of a nerd, I made a blog for it- anadventureinquilting.blogspot.com . I already have a notebook full of ideas, and fabric being shipped from 2 more places!

It's wonderful - the quilt and your blog. Isn't it the best feeling? I just love every aspect of quilting. Your blog is very informational and inspirational. Let me know what your next project is!

Thank you Kathryn. It's not perfect, but it was fun and I am very happy with it. I decided not to hand stitch the back of the binding, as I'm not confident it would be as secure as I would like. Next on the agenda: another baby quilt (girlie!) and a few pillows and potholders.

Brittany that is very cool! Great Job!

I got my kit from the above website on friday and quickly put together the first quilt top. I want to make another to send back with this one so I cut out another of my own scraps last night and will work on it today. I want to practice machine quilting on mine first then will do up the cute racecar one they sent me. This is a very easy and rewarding project. thanks for the website link Tera!!!! :)

Thanks KrisT! :)

Brittany -- That is really cute! Did you do the quilting or did someone else?

I don't like the quilting part of making a quilt. I love putting the tops together and can do that without batting an eye, but when it comes time to quilt....Let's just say I have several unfinished quilts in my craft room. :D

I also got my kit from that website above. I haven't had a chance or time to put it together, but it looks like it will be easy. I guess I'll have to do the quilting on this one!

Pam wrote: "Brittany -- That is really cute! Did you do the quilting or did someone else?

I don't like the quilting part of making a quilt. I love putting the tops together and can do that without battin..."

The end quilting is my least favorite also. I do so love cutting up the fabric and putting it all back together again!

Thank you Pam. I did the quilting. This is probably the easiest quilting to do (diagonals), but it was my favorite part! That's when I felt like, 'wow, this a real quilt!'. lol!

I have two of the quilts almost done. Just need to put the binding on. I wanted to stop by and mention that the quilts for kids was on ET (entertainment tonight) tonight. The gal- movie star, from Grey's anatomy is the spokesperson for this sponsored by Dove. I was so excited that it was getting some PR. Just thought you might want to know.

Off to read or quilt...such a dilemma! :)

OKay here are two of the ones I will send off this week:

Those are terrific. Very nice job and the kids will LOVE them!