Been pretty busy this last little while so if you have your fabric and cutting tools let me know and we will get started.

Wanted to touch base been a long time since I was on I'm thinking that you might want to start picking out some fabric. Lets try picking up one & one/half yards of three different cornating fabrics I will start taking some pix soon to show you what to do next. Some Quilters like to wash their fabric before using it. Others perfer the crispness of new fabric. I perfer not to pre-wash my fabric. But I do suggest that you try to pre-wash just to compare. Although if you pre-wash one piece of fabric you must pre-wash all that your using in your quilt.

I guess I didn't explain the Tools as well as I thought I had so a refresher is needed on what is used to cut fabric. First of all the MAT is used to protect your surfaces, reason for this is a ROTARY CUTTER is a VERY SHARP TOOL it will cut into the surface of almost anything. The Grid on the MAT is used to help measure your fabric some people don't use the Grid but I do. When you are cutting more than one piece of fabric on your mat it is wise to even up the edges so they are all even with the top piece. I will be setting up some more pix to show how this is done. All these tools are available at JOANNS and in some parts of the country some of them can be picked up at Wal-mart it all depends on if there is a fabric area in your store and how complete they keep it stocked. Also depending on how large it is they may also be sold at some Quilt Speciality Stores.

I have changed the size of the quilt just a tad, it will be 48"x60" instead of 45"x60" this will make it easier to cut into 12 1/2"x12 1/2" we will be making 4 of these blocks for the width and 5 blocks for the length. I will take some pix to show how this is done soon and post them.

The Quilt that we will start with is a 45"x 60" this is a good size to start with. It is about the size of a large Baby Quilt it can also be considered a Lap Quilt.
The amount of fabric is still pending as is how many different fabrics we will be using.

This Ruler is the one I use the most it is 6"x 24" Although the squares that are on display also make cutting easier. The squares range from 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" up to possibly 24 1/2" x 24 1/2

This one is the one most of the women in my Quilt Group use. Although when someones Mat is already set up we all may use it and usually do.

This one is a little bit smaller than mine and maybe easier to handle.

This one is mine the size I prefer although if you carry it very far I suggest another size one smaller and easier to handle.

As you can see there are lines and Numbers that you can use when you are cutting, not everyone does it this way but I do.

Here is a sample of the cutters there are many available.

Notice that the Blade is right up against the Ruler and how she is holding the Ruler with her hand in a spider pose. As you move the Blade you also move your hand.

As you can see she has moved her hand as she has moved the Blade.

I haven't forgotten the blog I just have ran into some snags in trying to put pictures of "Tools" on. Tools I have mentioned Rotary Cutters, there are a variety of them along with Rulers and Mats. I also have pictures of how to hold the Rotary Cutter against the rule to cut. As soon as I FIND the cord that will let me take the pictures off the Camera and onto my blog I will be able to move on Thanks for your patience.

Because I don't know how basic I need to go I am starting at a very basic level.

Tools Needed:
Sewing Machine without this there is no need for the rest, I'm not into hand sewing sorry.

Rotary Cutter: Scissors are a thing of the past although they are needed in parts of Quilting they are no longer used to cut out blocks.

Cutting Mat: this is to protect your surfaces and is used with the Rotary Cutter. Mats come in a variety of sizes; my perfered size is 23" or 24" square. They come as small as 4"x 4" square

Rulers: These come in a variety of sizes also. The one I started with is 6" wide & 24" long; I use this ruler for more than any other ruler I have.

Theses tools are used to cut out blocks that you then sew together to make a quilt.

First Blog

I set up this Blog for my friend in North Carolina that wants to learn how to make quilts. I'm by no means a professional but maybe I can get you started. I have made Quilts most of my married life although its only been the last few years that I have started piecing the Quilt Tops together myself. It was easier just to put two pieces together for the top and two pieces together for the bottom. I love to hand quilt rather than tie or have my quilts machine quilted but because of lack of room in my home I just quilt baby quilts for my family.