Quilting Lessons for the Beginner
My latest Quilting Ebook is out!! To review it go here If you are a more advanced quilter go to Quilt Classes I teach 
I love blue and green together, and that's why I chose those colours for a sampler using my favorite blocks. The light background provides a lovely contrast, allowing the colours to sparkle. The blocks in this quilt are as follows, clockwise from top left: Hole in the Barn Door, Ohio Star, Dutchmans Puzzle, Summer Winds, Weathervane, Card Trick, Judys Star, Blackfords Beauty, and in the center is Dresden Plate. See the list below for instructions to make each block. I will also advise you on the tools you will need to get started with learning to quilt. The quilting industry has come a long way, and we no longer need to make cardboard templates or cut hundreds of pieces of fabric with scissors. We do still have that option if we wish; however, we now have the option of cutting multiple layers of fabric using razor sharp rotary cutters, and chain piecing on a sewing machine. Power sewing!!!! We can finish our creations in much less time than our ancestors did. If you have already completed a project, these quilting lessons are a good refresher and reference guide. It is difficult to remember everything you learned the first time around! If you wish, choose one of the blocks in Lesson 1 - Easy Blocks for Beginners and repeat it 9 times, then follow the finishing steps in Lessons 2 thru 8 to create your quilt. 
This sampler uses a variety of fabulous chicken fabrics - can you spot the eggs? I made barn doors that open so you can see the cows inside (you do know that chickens don't live in barns - right?). I even fussy cut some of the chickens and fused them on! The back is another wonderful chicken print. It was fun!! Everytime I look at it it makes me smile.
The following quilting lessons walk you through each of the important steps to create and finish your quilt. Please make sure you review the Basic Tools and Fabric Requirements before going to Quilting Lesson 1.  Ok, are you ready to cut and piece??? We are not quilting yet, just piecing. Quilting is the stitching through all three layers of your quilt (top, batting, and backing) so first we need to piece the top. Then we can layer the quilt top, the batting, and quilt backing, and get on with the actual quilting. When the quilting is done, we will put a binding all around the edge of the quilt to finish the edges, and stitch a label on the back so that future generations know who made this wonderful quilt.
There are lots of good books that you can purchase. One I especially like is the Quilters Complete Guide by Fons & Porter. It is full of very helpful information, and is written in a way that is easily understood. I find all of their books to be fabulous! To read customer reviews click the logo.
The following are all 12" blocks. This means that when you have finished the block it will measure 12 1/2" because it has 1/4" seam allowance all around it. After it is sewn into your quilt, it will measure 12". If you have a 1/4" foot for your sewing machine, now is the time to put that on. Most quilt patterns tell you to cut a strip across the width of the fabric (WOF). This means that you have your fabric folded in half with the selvedges together just as it came off the bolt, and you are cutting two layers at right angles to the selvedges. Finished with Quilting Lessons? Return "Home"
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