Hello fellow sewers! So I have been promising details on our first project and here they are! WARNING ? SUPER LONG POST!!
Date/time: I have decided that no one should miss out but also this is our first project and we have no idea how this is going to go so I am going to work with whoever shows up for BOTH proposed dates:
10-11 am July 14
10-11 am July 21
If you come to the first date and don?t finish your quilt, come back on the second date to finish up OR, if you have finished, start a new project!
You will also note that the start times on both dates are 10-11 am. I will be set up and ready to go at 10 am BUT I think it may work best if people stagger arrival so that everyone is working on a different step rather than EVERYONE trying to cut at once and pin at once and sew at once, and iron at once, etc. Please, please respond to this message and let me know which date(s) and about what time you think you are coming. Also, I don?t want to permanently post my home address and phone number up here so send me an e-mail to riqui.gardner@gmailcom with where you are coming from and I will send you personalized directions and my phone number (in case you get lost, something happens or you have questions about the shopping lists)
I thought that we would start out easy by doing a VERY simplified lap quilt pattern. The finished size will be approximately 36?x41? ? this is the perfect size for a lap quilt to cover your legs while sitting on the sofa watching TV on a chilly night. It is also an awesome size for a kids quilt/blankey.
This project will teach you cutting, piecing, creating in and outer borders, pinning the ?sandwich,? simplified quilt stitching, binding and finishing. There are no mitered corners, tricky sewing, weird stitches ? it is basically a lot of straight lines, the very easiest to learn and use to build familiarity with techniques and terms. Also, this quilt will use quilting weight cotton ? the simplest and least tricky fabric to work with.
Speaking of fabric, below you will find several different ?shopping lists? depending on your level of commitment to this endeavor. Fabric is EXPENSIVE. Let me say that again for those of you who have never stepped foot in a fabric store ? fabric is EXPENSIVE. Even for quilting weight cotton, you are looking at the very least, on sale price of $4 a yard. Usually, count on more like $6-10 a yard. For this reason and because a lot of you are not positive you are going to LOVE sewing and because I am a fabric whore, I am going to suggest that for this project you select shopping list number one and use my fabric to test the waters. Now before you get all ?Oh, I couldn?t do that, fabric is expensive! You are already showing us all this stuff, I couldn?t possibly use your fabric, that?s like taking money out of your pocket!!!!? Consider this ? I have well over 800 yards of fabric in my sewing room right now. I have another approximately 1000 yards waiting for me to bring back from Texas. If I sew from now to the end of the world, I will not be able to use it all up AND since I buy discount lots, there is a lot that I will never use anyway because it is not to my taste, can?t be used in any of my projects etc etc etc. I am offering because it will not impact me in the least (and because I am a super nice person, lol, kidding ? I am an evil mean person and I need to earn some good karma here, lol!) Now if you elect to use my fabric, I do have a huge selection for you to choose from. Half is adult themed and patterned and half of what is available for you to choose from is kid themed. You may not be able to make your dream, ideal quilt because the fabric is not perfect but hey, this is your very fist attempt (for most of you) and odds are even if you use all hand selected, your taste specific fabrics, it?s not going to be a work of perfection so why not learn/test drive on the cheaper side.
That being said, here are the various shopping lists of what you will need to acquire prior to sewing day. A word to the wise, if you do buy your own fabrics, it is recommended that you pre-wash, dry and iron the yardage before you arrive. That being said, I have been making quilts for, well, way too long now. The ONLY quilt fabrics I pre-wash are hand dyed and vegetable based dyed fabrics. Fabric manufacturers now days use color fast dyes and most of the fabric is pre-shrunk. So ? your option. But me, I usually do not pre-wash an awful lot of my fabrics for quilting.
Oh, one more thing ? the pictures I created to show you what the ?final? lap quilt will look like is not real great. Drawing on the computer, not my thing. The checkered pattern in the center ? those squares are all supposed to be the same size ? OOPS! Also, it is NOT TO SCALE and the colors used are for differentiation purposes ONLY. Just to give you an idea. Any and all of the fabrics in this pattern can be solid or patterned. If you use my fabrics, there will likely be a high percentage of patterns used because I am a little lean on solids right this second. But we should be able to find patterns that coordinate and colors that match so that it doesn?t look entirely horrible, lol. Okay, NOW the lists ?
Shopping List #1 ? I am not sure I am going to like this at all, what is the least amount of money I can spend to test drive the process: 1 yard quilt batting
1 spool all purpose weight, poly-cotton thread in either white, black, navy or your favorite color
Shopping list #2 ? Oh, I am so excited and I think I am going to like this AND I am really picky so I want to buy my own fabric: 1 yard quilt batting
1 2/3 yards back and outer border fabric (quilting cotton, represented on the diagram by
the green color)
2/3 yard binding and inside border fabric (quilting cotton, represented on the diagram by the dark blue color)
1/3 yard checkerboard fabric #1 (quilting cotton, represented on the diagram by the aqua color)
1/3 yard checkerboard fabric #2 (quilting cotton, represented on the diagram by the purple color)
1 spool all purpose weight, poly-cotton thread in a coordinating color to your fabrics
Shopping list #3 ? OH MY GOD!!! I am so about this!!! I am going to quit my day job and do nothing but sew for the rest of my life! What is absolutely EVERYTHING that I am going to need!?!?!??!Everything from list #2 AND
~200 curved basting (safety) pins (available at fabric/sewing stores)
Box of straight pins (I recommend the ones with the plastic coated heads)
Fabric marking chalk, pencil or marker (recommend chalk OR water soluble marker)
Seam ripper
Self-healing rotary cutting mat in at least 12?x18?
45mm rotary cutter
6?x12? quilting ruler
Optional: Sewing machine and a good dose of reality!!!!!!
Okay, so now I know what I need ? where do I go to get it?! I recommend a couple of different things. If you have never stepped foot in a fabric store before, go to:
Fabric Hut
Roosevelt Gardens Shopping Center
2340 E. Little Creek Road Norfolk VA 23518
(757) 588-1300
Walk in, find the first sewing associate, tell them you are clueless and you need to get what is on your list. They are GREAT and will walk you through everything.
If you are a little more familiar, I still recommend Fabric Hut but you can also go to:
Hancock Fabrics
4817 Virginia Beach Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA
(757) 497-3771
Bargain hunters and/or ?I know what I am doing? types ? you can?t beat ebay for some really good bargains!
Also ? if you are looking at getting your cutter, mat and ruler(s) ? price them on ebay, at Michaels and at Fabric Hut BEFORE you buy. These tools can be VERY VERY expensive and each one of the three mentioned places occasionally have great deals (if you are real set on getting your tools ? see my other post about the Early Bird Sale. You cannot beat HALF price on these items!)
Peace,
Riqui
Forum 
