For the next several months I will go over the things that I wished I had understood as a beginner quilter. This will hopefully keep you from making the same mistakes I made when I first started sewing.
What is the absolute number one thing all quilters should do is….join the large and growing quilting community. I know, not what you think I would say right?
This is especially true for beginners. Getting together with other quilters in some form will help you to learn and grow in quilting. Ask many questions and don’t feel silly for asking. Without asking questions we never learn. Below I will list the many ways you can join and connect with the quilting community.
Find a Local Quilt Fabric Shop
Find a local quilt fabric shop and find out if they offer quilt classes. Ask what kind of quilt classes they offer so you know what to expect. Some quilt shops offer free quilt classes via live stream on their social media page.
It all depends on what the shop has available. Make a call and find out what they offer for classes. This first step alone will help you to learn the very basics and get you on the path to quilting with as little frustration as possible.
Join a Quilt Guild
A quilt guild is a great place to connect with other quilters. Meeting new quilters that you can now call friends is so wonderful. With many quilters comes a ton of experience you can learn from.
For example, you could learn how you can speed up the quilting process by skipping a redundant step. You just never know what little nuggets of knowledge will come your way.
Find a Quilt Channel on Youtube
Youtube has exploded with so many quilt-related channels that you can find almost anything you ever want to know about quilting. My recommendation when finding channels is to subscribe to all quilt channels. Yep, I said it.
By subscribing to them all you create your own guild of knowledge via YouTube. You might make 4 patches like one channel personality and then make flying geese like another channel personality. You never know what will make the most sense to you and what works with your quilting style.
Connect on Social Media
Connect on all the social media channels that you are already part of. Don’t just limit yourself to joining the official pages. Find the groups that spring from these pages and jump in.
There are amazing quilt ladies who have cute quilt pattern alterations. This will spark your own creativity to make the quilt your own.
Join in on a Sew Along or Quilt Along
Find a quilt shop, fabric, or pattern designer running a sew/quilt-along and join in. These are a great way to find quilters that enjoy the same things that you do. So instead of boring your spouse (guilty), you can chat with a fellow quilter who has similar likes as you.
By joining a sew/quilt along, you will also expand your quilting skills by creating new quilt blocks you normally wouldn’t make on your own.
The quilting world is large, if you dive into the deep end right away, you can avoid mistakes. Plus meet fellow quilters and make a lot of quilt friends.
