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  #1  
Old November 2nd 05, 10:55 AM
Catherine
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Default New quilter

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

I've been wanting to begin quilting as a hobby for as long as I can
remember - since about age 14 when I saw my grandmother's beautiful
handmade quilts, and I'm 37 today.

I don't own a sewing machine and don't know how to use one as I've
never really tried. I never took home economics or had classes. I
have taken art for 4 years in high school, 1 year in University, and
had private lessons (including pen and ink, pencil, oil, watercolor,
and basic crafting), so taking this up wouldn't be a passing fling for
me but an extension of something I've enjoyed all my life. Coming
from the Appalachian area in the U.S. I think I've got it in the blood.

I'd like to learn to quilt and I'd like to do it like they did in the
olden days if possible, completely by hand, all hand sewn. Could
anyone point me in the right direction as to how to begin this art?

Thanks very much,
Catherine - "Cat" or "Cate" is fine too
Ads
  #2  
Old November 2nd 05, 11:18 AM
Kate Dicey
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Default New quilter

Catherine wrote:

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

I've been wanting to begin quilting as a hobby for as long as I can
remember - since about age 14 when I saw my grandmother's beautiful
handmade quilts, and I'm 37 today.


Welcome and happy birthday.

I don't own a sewing machine and don't know how to use one as I've never
really tried. I never took home economics or had classes. I have taken
art for 4 years in high school, 1 year in University, and had private
lessons (including pen and ink, pencil, oil, watercolor, and basic
crafting), so taking this up wouldn't be a passing fling for me but an
extension of something I've enjoyed all my life. Coming from the
Appalachian area in the U.S. I think I've got it in the blood.


Sounds like it!

I'd like to learn to quilt and I'd like to do it like they did in the
olden days if possible, completely by hand, all hand sewn. Could anyone
point me in the right direction as to how to begin this art?


No reason why not. Hand piecing and hand quilting are both good methods
that folk on this group do regularly. I'm a mad machinist myself,
though I have done a little hand quilting. It's slow, but very
therapeutic. I'll let the hand experts fill you in on that side, and
just ask the standard nosy questions:

What is your QI status? QI's are usually 4 footed and furry (cats are
real experts when it comes to inspecting quilts!).

Chocolate politics: are you in the Plain Party, The White Party, or a
Cross bencher of the Milk persuasion?

What do you want to tell us about kids and family? You don't have to
say anything incriminating!

Thanks very much,
Catherine - "Cat" or "Cate" is fine too



--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!
  #3  
Old November 2nd 05, 11:40 AM
Sally Swindells
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Default New quilter

Welcome Catherine/Cat/Cate

I had Jinny Beyer's 'Quiltmaking by hand' for my birthday. It's really
well planned, and when you look at her quilts and realise that they
are all hand sewn, (apparently everything she does is by hand) it
really gives you a boost. (Sorry everyone else - I really haven't got
shares in Jinny Beyer - just 4 books!)

Her website is :

http://www.jinnybeyer.com/index.cfm

Libraries are a good source of quilty books - you can always buy your
own if you find you never want to take it back to the library!

I machine bigger things but do enjoy hand sewing, so I do any paper
piecing using 'Stitch and Tear' because it softens as you sew. Love
applique too, and always hand sew it, because everytime I machine it I
am never satisfied and end up pulling it out and hand sewing anyway.

Happy quilting - it really is addictive and the sky's the limit!

--
Sally at the Seaside~~~~~~~
http://community.webshots.com/user/sallyswin



On Wed, 02 Nov 2005 10:55:40 +0100, Catherine wrote:

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

I've been wanting to begin quilting as a hobby for as long as I can
remember - since about age 14 when I saw my grandmother's beautiful
handmade quilts, and I'm 37 today.

I don't own a sewing machine and don't know how to use one as I've
never really tried. I never took home economics or had classes. I
have taken art for 4 years in high school, 1 year in University, and
had private lessons (including pen and ink, pencil, oil, watercolor,
and basic crafting), so taking this up wouldn't be a passing fling for
me but an extension of something I've enjoyed all my life. Coming
from the Appalachian area in the U.S. I think I've got it in the blood.

I'd like to learn to quilt and I'd like to do it like they did in the
olden days if possible, completely by hand, all hand sewn. Could
anyone point me in the right direction as to how to begin this art?

Thanks very much,
Catherine - "Cat" or "Cate" is fine too


  #4  
Old November 2nd 05, 12:45 PM
C & S
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Posts: n/a
Default New quilter

Welcome Cat. If you're looking for courses on quilting your LQS is a great
place to begin. There are lots of books out there to guide you (as was
mentioned in a previous post). If you can have access to an sewing machine
it will help you decide what features you are looking for in your own sewing
machine (if you choose that route) as you learn to quilt. I started to
quilt using my Grand mother's machine and within a year I new what features
I wanted in a machine. However, that is no guaranty that you wont want
another machine. lol - You will have to tell us about your QIs etc...
--
Carole
Champlain, NY
http://photos.yahoo.com/ceridwen_rhea

Fine style does not make something true, nor has a man a wise soul
because he has a handsome face and well-chosen eloquence.

Aurelius Augustinus (354-430)


"Catherine" wrote in message
...
Hello ladies and gentlemen,

I've been wanting to begin quilting as a hobby for as long as I can
remember - since about age 14 when I saw my grandmother's beautiful
handmade quilts, and I'm 37 today.

I don't own a sewing machine and don't know how to use one as I've
never really tried. I never took home economics or had classes. I
have taken art for 4 years in high school, 1 year in University, and
had private lessons (including pen and ink, pencil, oil, watercolor,
and basic crafting), so taking this up wouldn't be a passing fling for
me but an extension of something I've enjoyed all my life. Coming
from the Appalachian area in the U.S. I think I've got it in the blood.

I'd like to learn to quilt and I'd like to do it like they did in the
olden days if possible, completely by hand, all hand sewn. Could
anyone point me in the right direction as to how to begin this art?

Thanks very much,
Catherine - "Cat" or "Cate" is fine too



  #5  
Old November 2nd 05, 01:14 PM
Cheryl in Oz
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Posts: n/a
Default New quilter

Hi there Catherine and welcome. I smiled at you nicknames as I am
"catsatararat" on Yahoo (thats cats at ararat - Ararat being where I live).

Would you be interested in trying a very old form of quilting that is done
completely by hand? I was taught Manx Quilting by a lady from the Isle of
Mann in Britain, and both of us are keen to see this method preserved, so
she teaches in UK and I teach in Australia - LOL!

It is the early form of Log Cabin and very well suited to scrap quilts. If
you are looking to make elaborate art quilts this is not the method to use.
But if you are looking for a creative outlet that gives an almost limitless
number of design options from the Log Cabin style block, try Manx Quilting.
There are class notes and pictures on my Webshots page that can be printed.

http://community.webshots.com/album/421953688HTZElL

BTW - I agree with Sally, the Jinny Beyer book is excellent.

Given your art background are you interested in Applique at all? If so, do
you have a preferred style or method - buttonhole, needle turn, etc? Or am
I talking double Dutch to you - lol?

Leap in and try whatever takes your fancy, and feel free to ask lots of
questions. I think you will find this group very knowledgable, and more
than willing to share and help.
--

Cheryl
http://community.webshots.com/user/witchofthewest
cawaitesATnetconnectDOTcomDOTau

PS Re the other posts in this thread - They are serious about the
chocolate - VERY serious. I can say that because I don't eat it at all, but
they guard their stashes of chocolate almost as fiercely as they guard their
stashes of fabric!!! LOL


"Catherine" wrote in message
...
Hello ladies and gentlemen,

I've been wanting to begin quilting as a hobby for as long as I can
remember - since about age 14 when I saw my grandmother's beautiful
handmade quilts, and I'm 37 today.

I don't own a sewing machine and don't know how to use one as I've never
really tried. I never took home economics or had classes. I have taken
art for 4 years in high school, 1 year in University, and had private
lessons (including pen and ink, pencil, oil, watercolor, and basic
crafting), so taking this up wouldn't be a passing fling for me but an
extension of something I've enjoyed all my life. Coming from the
Appalachian area in the U.S. I think I've got it in the blood.

I'd like to learn to quilt and I'd like to do it like they did in the
olden days if possible, completely by hand, all hand sewn. Could anyone
point me in the right direction as to how to begin this art?

Thanks very much,
Catherine - "Cat" or "Cate" is fine too



  #6  
Old November 2nd 05, 01:22 PM
Catherine
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default New quilter

Sally Swindells wrote:
Welcome Catherine/Cat/Cate

I had Jinny Beyer's 'Quiltmaking by hand' for my birthday. It's really
well planned, and when you look at her quilts and realise that they
are all hand sewn, (apparently everything she does is by hand) it
really gives you a boost. (Sorry everyone else - I really haven't got
shares in Jinny Beyer - just 4 books!)

Her website is :

http://www.jinnybeyer.com/index.cfm

Libraries are a good source of quilty books - you can always buy your
own if you find you never want to take it back to the library!

I machine bigger things but do enjoy hand sewing, so I do any paper
piecing using 'Stitch and Tear' because it softens as you sew. Love
applique too, and always hand sew it, because everytime I machine it I
am never satisfied and end up pulling it out and hand sewing anyway.

Happy quilting - it really is addictive and the sky's the limit!



Hi Sally,

The Jinny Beyer page is bookmarked and I am investigating that as I
write. Thanks for the tip.

By the way, I have to comment, your picture gallery is wonderful. I
just spent 30-40 minutes looking through it. The quilts and
embroidery are lovely! And Rachel's dress is so elegant. (I know
that's kinda off-topic but I couldn't help slipping that in there)
What a beautiful couple!

~Catherine
  #7  
Old November 2nd 05, 02:06 PM
Catherine
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Posts: n/a
Default New quilter

Kate Dicey wrote:

Welcome and happy birthday.



Thank you!


What is your QI status? QI's are usually 4 footed and furry (cats are
real experts when it comes to inspecting quilts!).


Hm. No four-footed furry inspectors at the moment, although I do have
a 6' two-legged one who gets pretty furry if I don't keep after him.

Add to that a claw-footed, tuft-headed, feathered inspector - a
thus-far-nameless new addition to our family - who shows great QI
potential.


Chocolate politics: are you in the Plain Party, The White Party, or a
Cross bencher of the Milk persuasion?


I tend toward the fresh cream-filled Belgian Party, living so close to
the country's border. I can't tell you exactly how they make it, but
I have my suspicions God is involved. Since milk figures so highly in
the equation, does that make me a Cross bencher?


What do you want to tell us about kids and family? You don't have to
say anything incriminating!


Well... I'm married to the aforementioned furry QI, three children,
one of which is teetering on the fence that spans "go to University of
Iowa" and "join the Air Force", one of which is perching precariously
on "getting ready to enter high school", and one who has just learned
to walk and is busy taking our entertainment center apart.
  #8  
Old November 2nd 05, 02:55 PM
Musicmaker
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Posts: n/a
Default New quilter

Hellok and welcome, Catherine! If I were you, I'd dive right in, right
now, with 4 squares of fabric, all the same size (like 3 inches) and
sew them together to form a sqare with 4 quarters, called a 4 patch.
Just remember that the standard quilting seam allowance (the distance
from the edge of the fabric that you sew your fabric pieces together)
is 1/4 inch and every 5-8 stitches do a single backstitch. You'll be
surprised at how much you learn just be starting a simply project like
a single block. And the 2nd block you will find yourself improving on
it.

Musicmaker

  #9  
Old November 2nd 05, 03:26 PM
Patti
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Posts: n/a
Default New quilter

Welcome Catherine
I applaud your wish to work by hand. I'm sure I would be far less
stressed by the quilting demands I make on myself, if I had chosen that
path g
You might not be able to find many classes on 'construction' by hand, as
very few people do and teach that nowadays. You should be able to find
handquilting classes relatively easily, though.
On the construction front: As Sally said, Jinny Beyer's work is
legendary.
When looking for books, you might well do better to look for historical
(ie older!) books in the library (or, to buy - but library is a good
place to start).
They will almost certainly include simpler construction, which might be
easier for a beginner hand maker; and also wholecloth quilting, which
would be fine for you to perfect hand quilting.
There is a lovely method of hand piecing which I haven't seen mentioned
yet, and that is English Paper Piecing. You might have seen examples of
this, when looking through quilting books, as joined hexagons. Well, of
course, the shapes don't have to be hexagons. They can be any shape
which will tessellate (regular shapes which can be joined together
without any other shape) - or, indeed, as you progress, two or three
different shapes which join together perfectly. The fabric is sewn
around accurately cut papers (envelope grade paper, or thin card), and
then the shapes are sewn together with a 'whip stitch' along the edges -
from the back. I have done a little bit of this and like it very much.
Others in the group have done more than I have and may well chime in
with pictures of what they have made.
This is probably enough for now! But I hope you will come back and tell
us how you have got on with starting and what questions you need
answering next g
..
In message , Catherine
writes
Hello ladies and gentlemen,

I've been wanting to begin quilting as a hobby for as long as I can
remember - since about age 14 when I saw my grandmother's beautiful
handmade quilts, and I'm 37 today.

I don't own a sewing machine and don't know how to use one as I've
never really tried. I never took home economics or had classes. I
have taken art for 4 years in high school, 1 year in University, and
had private lessons (including pen and ink, pencil, oil, watercolor,
and basic crafting), so taking this up wouldn't be a passing fling for
me but an extension of something I've enjoyed all my life. Coming from
the Appalachian area in the U.S. I think I've got it in the blood.

I'd like to learn to quilt and I'd like to do it like they did in the
olden days if possible, completely by hand, all hand sewn. Could
anyone point me in the right direction as to how to begin this art?

Thanks very much,
Catherine - "Cat" or "Cate" is fine too


--
Best Regards
pat on the hill
  #10  
Old November 2nd 05, 03:54 PM
nana2b
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Default New quilter

Welcome Cate, It is never too late to learn. I started sewing in Jr High,
but did not start quilting until 2 years ago. I did make some clothing over
the years, but many years passed without sewing a stitch. Now I have the
time to really enjoy it. Linda in Tx


 




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