NewlyWoodwards

an unconventional home

A quilted table topper and a few words on quilting

by

Well, I’m never the one to wait 6 months to finish a project. Oh wait, yes I am.


If you remember (I know you don’t), the quilting class that Jenny and I took at The Creative Connection, you know that I started a great table topper. (The class was taught by Camille Roskelley.)

Don’t you love her Moda Fabric line? You bet I do. I may have just spotted it at Ben Franklin (I didn’t know they carried so much Moda) and about had a heart attack. Then I bought a lot of it. A lot.


Back to the story. I quilted the topper in the fall but it sat unfinished…. until now. I finally got around to binding it. (Ridiculous that I waited so long.)


How cute is this?



It’s such a nice little spring touch to the living room. I’m thinking of using these fabrics for my kitchen curtains. Just love them. Such pretty patterns and a nice vintage feel.



On a related note, I’ve been getting emails from folks about quilting. Some of you want to learn to quilt, too. If you can sew a (kinda) straight line, you can quilt. It’s not hard, it just takes some time and some learning. All of which you can do.


In case you are interested in quilting, here are some links and resources that I hope can help you get started. I’m not a even close to being good enough to teach anyone, but I’ve learned a lot and find that the more I read, practice and try, the better.


So here we go…


How I learned
I sewed for the first time on my momma’s machine at a class at Michael’s. The class left a little (okay, a lot) to be desired, but it was enough to get me going. I probably should have known how to use a sewing machine before I went, but such is life.


I quilted on and off for a while and then took on two quilts to give as wedding gifts to our parents. It broke me.


Then, I started quilting again in the last few years, when I started seeing all the beautiful, modern designs online.


Blogs and books I recommend for quilting
These are a few quilting books I own and find helpful:


I never really bought any quilting books until recently, so all of these are relatively new. But, I like all three books a lot and find the intro sections especially helpful and the patterns both pretty and doable.


And one last tip
I would highly suggest finding a friend. Maybe you already have a friend who quilts. For me, it’s my friend Stephanie. So, find your own Stephanie. She’s super helpful and teaches me so much about quilting. I knew the basics but she’s just my go-to gal. And I send her random emails that begin with “WHAT SHOULD I DO???…” or “TELL ME WHAT TO DO…” And yes, I use all caps. And she actually replies.

And her quilts are beautiful, so she’s very inspiring to me. 

While you can learn a lot from books and blogs, I find that in-person learning works best for me. We have a sit-n-sew each month and I always learn something. My friend Jenny at Anything Pretty is involved in the Modern Quilt Guild and I know she has found that helpful. 

So, try to find a person, a group or a class locally. Not only does this help you learn a lot, it also keeps you motivated to keep going.

Hopefully this is somewhat helpful. I hope you’ll try quilting if you are at all interested. It can be as simple or difficult as you like and it’s so darn satisfying.
Do you quilt?


Blogs I like to read for quilting inspiration and instruction:

Moda Bake Shop
Sew 4 Home (This quilt at Sew 4 Home is really similar to the baby quilts I’ve made.)

Instructional posts that I find helpful and often check out when I am quilting:

Comments

  1. I was wondering if you ever considered changing the layout of your website?
    Its very well written; I love what youve got to say.
    But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better.
    Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1
    or 2 images. Maybe you could space it out better?

  2. Oh I love how it turned out! It looks great on that table and just in time for spring. It would not have been nearly as fun if you would have finished it in the winter. As always, love the quilting! I need to start consulting you on my quilting designs because you come up with the best stuff!

  3. Thanks for all the tips & advice. I’ve been considering quilting as a hobby. Maybe in a few years when things have calmed down (AHAHAHA). I started a quilt when I was 12 and I never finished binding it. Maybe that’s a bad sign. If I ever dig it out and finish it, then I will take up quilting!

  4. I’m honored to be your quilting friend Kim. And thanks for linking to my blog. Your quilt turned out great. And don’t worry about taking so long to finish it. Next time you’re over I’ll show you my quilt rack that is FULL of unfinished projects. Some just need the binding, but I haven’t gotten to it yet.

  5. Another great quilt! Thank you for the leads. I am slowly working on my first quilt and so far so good 🙂

  6. Your project turned out great. Any of those will make great kitchen fabrics (curtains, pot holders, embellishment to towels).I’m a totally hack quilter- thanks for sharing the resources. And I have yet to find a store by me that carries Moda Fabric, which makes me really sad.

  7. I’m glad to know I’m not the only procrastinator! I have made a few baby sized quilts and am hoping to continue to make more. They are so fun, and pretty simple and rewarding. Thanks for showing off your work!

  8. I love your quilts! Quilting is on my list of must learn to do’s… maybe i’ll get some books and by the time my children are grown, I might be brave enough to jump in.

  11. Quilting can be fun. I’ve done baby blankets before. For larger quilts my favorite is large denim quilts. They end up being thick and heavy and perfect for cuddling by the fire or watching movies. I usually tie them because they are so thick but it is about my speed of quilting. So much fun!

    Oh and the denim quilts are a great way to re-use all your favorite pairs of jeans!

  12. Adorable! I love your multiple stitch in the ditch lines, it compliments the design nicely! I love quilting, one of these days I’ll actually bind my Harry Potter quilt. It turned out so great, and right now it’s functioning primarily as a cat seat…

  13. I’d love to quilt…First I have to unpack the sewing Machine my husband got me for Christmas 2009 and then learn how to use it.

    My Aunt quilts but has this HUGE machine in her house that she uses.