Any person who says that a quilt is basically a patchwork is incorrect due to the fact behind each quilt is a story and behind each and every quilter is a storyteller. To turn out to be a skillful quilter, not to mention a storyteller, nevertheless, is not an overnight job. It entails time, patience, dedication, and most importantly willingness to discover the quilting basics.
It is fairly accurate that it is never simple to be a beginner simply because you have to understand a lot of issues and occasionally encounter disappointments when items don’t turn out the way you intended. Self-expectations are enormous, which oftentimes are the most formidable enemies of each beginning quilter. But if there is one thing that can spell success for each beginner, it is the ability to take baby steps, and that means getting down to the very basic and following some tips for beginners.
1. Discover quilting jargons and terminology. Just as a would-be physician studies all the medical terms, you have to discover each word that is associated with quilting. Of course, you don’t do it in a day, all curled up in bed and studying. When you expertise unfamiliar words as you read quilting literature and instructions, find out the meaning at once. If you know the jargons and terminology, you can better follow instructions and communicate with fellow quilters.
2. Choose effortless patterns. It is always tempting to get your hands on the intricately designed patterns; the problem is, they are often more complicated to work with. Save them for future projects. Now that you are starting, be realistic in assessing your skills. It is way better to begin with less complex patterns, those that can guide you through the art, than work on advanced patterns that can potentially exhaust you.
3. Work on less complicated projects. Again, be realistic. Choose smaller projects like pillowcases, placemats, or table runners and have them as experiments. Simply because they are small, it is more likely to get them done. As your skills advance, you can do bigger projects.
4. Decide whether to hand quilt or machine quilt. Hand quilting is an old method of quilting and is preferred by many quilters simply because of its traditional and recreational appeal. It gives quilters more control of the project, an avenue for socialization especially if the quilt is done by a group of people, and a greater sense of hand work. Machine quilting, on the other hand, is faster and easier to do and creates more identical and consistent stitches. It works to your advantage if you know to do both. There are times you may want to hand quilt or machine quilt an entire project, and other times when you feel like hand quilting a part, say the top, and machine-stitching the rest.
5. Discover the different stitches, styles, and techniques. The heart of quilting is in piecing and stitching strips and layers of fabrics, so you have to know how to do these. Take also some time to develop your cutting and basting skills.
6. Avoid being too critical. Remember, you are just starting, and it is very likely that the stitches are less than perfect. It’s okay. Don’t fret over errors; instead, relax and enjoy the quilting task. As you move from project to project, you will learn that your consistency and precision develop. As with anything, practice makes perfect. And before you know it, you have already mastered the quilting basics and moved on to becoming an expert quilter.
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