Learning to Quilt!

Although I have been constructing garments since I learned how to sew in 9th grade Home Economics class, I only recently felt the urge to try quilting. One influencing factor was my acquisition of several small unfinished quilt projects left behind by my mother-in-law when she went into an assisted living facility a few years ago. She has since passed away, and I would like to learn how to properly finish her projects. Another influence has been my neighbor and friend, Ms B., who always has at least one quilt in process. I see her finished products regularly and have thought maybe I should give that a try.

So I signed up for Quilt Basics at Bear Paw Quilting in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. There were six of us in the class, each with different experience levels with sewing and quilting. One woman had never sewn anything at all, while another had already made a few quilts but wanted to learn new tips and techniques. The rest of us were somewhere in-between. The instructor, Michele, is an experienced teacher and managed to keep all of us going, regardless of our abilities. She is a fantastic instructor! Everything was explained clearly, questions were welcomed, and she was very encouraging.

The first week was introductory material, including plenty of basics that were essential for the newbies, and still useful for those of us with some sewing experience. Our project was a six-block wall-hanging, called a sampler. We were given the instructions for cutting the pieces for our first two blocks. We brought those pieces to the second class and learned how to assemble them.

The Log Cabin Block was tricky until I got the hang of it. Keeping it nice and square was a challenge. And I realized I was likely still using the same seam ripper I bought in 1971. No wonder it didn't seem to work too well any more: it was dull! I bought a new one, and what a difference it makes!

I thought the Checkerboard Block was a lot of fun! We learned about chain piecing, butting seams, and notching. This is all new vocabulary for me, and I'm sure it's good exercise for my brain.

To prepare for the third class, we cut pieces for the Sawtooth Star block (above) and the Churn Dash block (below). We learned one method of working with triangles, and got a start on assembling the block. Then we moved on to the next one.

If you use your imagination, this looks like a butter churn when viewed from above. We learned how to make half-square-triangles using the "speedy square" method. I am very glad Michele provided us with detailed written instructions so I can refer to that next time I want to try this!

The Mitered Basket block was our next undertaking, for class #4. Using the fusible webbing turned out to be quite enjoyable. The hand embroidery around the basket was a bit of a bother. Those mitered corners were a picky project, but I like the result. Oddly enough, even though this block contained the fewest pieces, it was the hardest one for me to get to turn out square.

For that same class, we brought the pieces for the Rocky Mountain Puzzle block. We learned how to use triangle paper to make these half-square-triangles, and I loved it! As usual, there wasn't time to finish all the sewing in class, so that was part of our homework once again.

To prepare for the final class, Michele taught us how to cut the sashing and posts, size the blocks, and put it all together. Fortunately, we had two weeks to accomplish all of that prior to the final class. Selecting the fabric for the sashing took longer than I had anticipated, but the ladies at the quilt shop were very helpful. I did get my quilt top all sewn together, and am quite pleased with the results.

The colors aren't showing up great in this photo. I'll try again in better lighting, another day.
Today was the final class. Michele presented us with a great deal of information (and four handouts!) about how to finish our quilts. We learned about cutting and attaching the borders, selecting batting and backing, assembling and pin-basting the layers, and machine quilting. That last step intimidated me, and my first thought was, "I'll just pay someone else to do this part!" But, after watching her demonstrate on a practice scrap, I may give it a try. She assured us we can do straight and gently curving stitches on our regular machines, preferable with a walking presser foot, and she introduced us to a nifty product called Borders Made Easy, a pattern printed on paper which can be removed after sewing along the lines. I will post updates while I finish this project, but I suspect further progress is going to be slow. Stay tuned!

All photos taken on my Android phone.