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New to Quilting? Welcome!
If you are new to quilting, first of all we’d like to say, “Yay!!” Quilting is our passion, and we hope it will be yours as well.
Here’s some of what we think you should expect:
- Fabric cravings. This is perfectly normal – whether fat quarters, little charm squares, coordinated bundles or random pieces by the yard, you’ll quickly discover you want it. That’s okay . . . get it! Building a fabric stash is part of becoming a pro quilter. Besides, fabric turns over fast, so don't miss something you love.
- Confusion. Fat quarters? Charm squares? Flying Geese? Honestly, sometimes the lingo is just a little much. But you’ll be amazed at how quickly you pick up on it. With a little help from all your new quilting friends (including us!) you’ll speak Quiltese like a native!
- Impatience. Once you make a quilt or two, you’ll probably discover it’s easier than you thought it would be. This will generate a lot of internal excitement and you’ll want to start churning them out very quickly! Sometimes, you’ll sew two pieces of fabric together and rush to the ironing board to press the seams just so you can see how good those two fabrics look together! (Yep -- fabric seams always look better after they are pressed. Weird, but true)
- Challenges. Eventually you’ll find that you want to try a more complicated pattern. Or you’ll look for ways to put your own spin on a traditional block, pattern or technique. We can’t wait to hear from you then!
As we said earlier, this is just some of what you can expect. And expect to make mistakes -- you will cut fabric wrong, have to rip out seams, sew things together the wrong way. We all do -- even the best. Don't sweat it. But enough yakking about that! Let’s talk about what you should do now.
If you have some exposure to sewing, but don’t really consider yourself a “confident sewer,” we recommend taking a beginning quilting class at your local quilt store. If you don't have a store nearby, or just can't make it to an in-person class, we love Alex Anderson’s Start Quilting. We even put together a few SassyPacks projects in the book - a kit of everything you need to complete a quilt project. However, if you’d like us to put together a kit for a specific project from a certain line of fabric, please email us. We love to kit up fabrics!!
If you have previous sewing experience but have never made a quilt, we have just the SassyPacks to get you started. Take a peek at our Cuddle Cutie made with fat quarters from the Pampered Pets line. Our kit includes either Cats or Dogs fabric, the backing fabric, the batting and the pattern. You just need your machine (or a needle and thread) and a little bit of time! Because we “ragged” the edges of our quilt to match the blocks, there’s no binding required. And the blocks are quilted before you sew them together, making this a project you can finish in a weekend – even if you’ve never quilted before!
You’ll also discover that most of our patterns and projects are chosen specifically to make it quick and easy for you to finish your quilt or wall hanging or hand bag. We know how excited you’ll be to see these things come together. Remember, we’re as excited as you to see the completed projects, so please send us a picture – and, if you don’t mind, we’ll post it on our website to share with all your new friends!
Ultimately, we know the time will come when making a quilt will be more about the process than a quick finish. You’ll want a more challenging pattern to showcase how much you’ve learned. We have those projects, too!
Oh yeah! About that last comment – while you’re working on that big project that could take months to finish, be prepared for a strong desire to set it aside occasionally and make a quick quilt or tote bag! You really achieve full-fledged quilter status when you have more than a half dozen UFOs (UnFinished Objects) in your sewing space! And to celebrate reaching that milestone, you should go on a fabric shopping spree!
We have populated SassyPacks.com with easy, but beautiful, projects, the highest quality fabrics, and tips to get you started. Check out SassyBlog for more tricks and topics and don't forget to become a fan of SassyPacks!
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