Sounds like you are off to a really good start there! Welcome to the group. As you can already see, there's masses of great advice and support here, for both and and machine quilters. Some of us do both.
As for the sewing machine... Well, I'm an addict! ;) I shall just say that trying 3 isn't enough. You just have to keep going until you find the one you love. Bit like blokes, really... ;) I've had one of my 13 sewing machines since 1976, and the bloke since 1979.
Howdy!
Welcome, Susan.
What a delightful first post! Handquilting: my favorite activity. ;-P
You'll be learning w/ some of the best today; how fortunate for you to be going to a class at the Jinny studio. Please tell us about the class when you get back here.
Stack n' Whack for your first top-- -- what a way to start, just jump right in, what a great spirit.
I don't use a spoon, having found a couple of thimbles that are a comfortable fit; again, please tell us how you like it and what tips you pick up at the class. A spoon, esp. a serrated spoon, can be used during pin-basting, too, to catch the tip of the saftey pin as it comes thru' the layers of quilt sandwich, hold it while clipping the pin shut.
There are many handquilters in this group, so please ask questions, share your experiences, pass along what goodies you learn. This IS an obsession and none of us wants to find any cure for it.
Cheers! Ragmop/Sandy
Welcome to the group, Susan! :) We have a wide array of different styles represented in our "membership" here. As for me, I both hand and machine quilt, hand and machine piece -- I love it all. How lucky for you that you'll be taking a class from Jinny Beyer! She used to come here to RCTQ occasionally, but I suspect she's a bit too busy these days to be able to do that. If you're going to learn hand quilting, though, you couldn't pick a better teacher! Best of luck!
Hmm...my wonderful thimble is almost a permanent extension of my hand -- the one I found that I like best is a "tailor" style, which means it has no top at all; my nails grow quickly, my fingers get hot, and I push with the pad of my finger, so this works for me. I bought it from TJ Lane, but you can find them in many places. I also recommend very good lighting -- try for an Ott lamp or one of the ones made like them. I don't use a floor frame for hand quilting; I prefer a rotating wooden hoop on a floor support (or a lap support if I'm away from home). Just don't get one that's so large that you can't reach past the center of it! Good thread is a must; my favorite hand quilting thread is Gutermann, but personal preferences may vary. HTH!
And Licorice for those of us that don't 'do' chocolate :) Welcome to our King-Size-Cyber-Quilt-Frame. go grab yourself a chair and sit next to Pat---she has the chocolate right now and I heard she was sharing today. (Don't do chocolate? I have the licorice and I'll share.)
Butterfly (nice beg Pat.... even I have to say so ;)
Welcome Susan! (I have a daughter living outside DC, but she doesn't quilt.) The hexagons are 6 triangles? If you're piecing these by hand, it might be easier to do it over paper/ light card templates. Then you can make sure each piece is exactly identical before you stitch them together (put triangle patches RST and whip stitch over the seam edge, really tiny stitches catching just a couple of threads = English paper piecing.) But before you sew the seams, run a thread through all the center points, catching only a thread or 2, and pull tight. This should prevent any hole in the middle. Roberta in D
"smeehan" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@i3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
that's what we do :-D
I can't live without my seam ripper, sharps needles, pins in different sizes , my thimble it thimble pads. I don't use a frame for quilting but then I cheat and use a machine LOL
join in the gang and don't forget to send chocolate to the official chocolate taster ;-)
Tools: Fabric glue sticks and freezer paper for applique.
I iron the freezer paper to the back of my background fabric so it is my stabilizer. It peels off nicely after the sewing is done. I use the glue sticks when placing my applique pieces, just before sewing them onto the background. It's a lot easier than trying to get the pieces to lay flat while using a bunch of pins to hold them. Debra in VA See my quilts at
Welcome to quilting.
I am new to the "group" but I love to quilt. I have found that I can actually get my po> I'm a new member, living in Washington, DC. I'm making my first quilt,
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