***nanann***

batsteph

Since you're the quilting guru, I have some questions:

As background, we're working on putting together Daniel's big boy room (in which he's already living), and we know we're doing a transportation theme. ?I don't want to go overboard on it, though, so I'm thinking just a simple patchwork quilt for the bedspread: ?Some solids, some plaids, nothing fancy. ?Problem is, I can't find anything I like premade. ?Everything's either heavy on the florals, super expensive (he has a full bed), or poor quality. ?Sometimes (okay, often) all three. ?After a month of unsuccessful looking, I'm done and I think I'd rather just make him what I see in my head.

So here are my questions:

1. ?I've never made a quilt before; however, I'm confident in my sewing skills. ?I've made lots of clothes, home furnishing items (other than quilts)... ?I even made D's christening gown. ?Do you think I can realistically tackle a quilt made up of squares (prob. 3x3 or larger), possibly with a "frame" of fabric between the patchwork and the binding, or am I jumping in over my head here?

2. ?How crazy can I go mixing fabrics? ?Do I need to stick with all similar-weight cottons, or can I, say, throw a few corduroy squares in there as well?

3. ?I don't want the quilt to come out all "puffy"; just kinda flat. ?Enough batting that you can tell it's a quilt, but not so much that the quilting is buried in deep channels. ?What kind of batting should I use?

4. ?I'm fine with machine-quilting this one, although I'd love to learn hand-quilting eventually. ?I have a totally non-fancy but good-and-sturdy sewing machine, but it's not a longarm model. ?Can I still machine-quilt this thing? ?I'm thinking strictly straight lines, probably some kind of grid pattern. ?I'm willing to jump into hand-quilting now if you think trying to machine-quilt something so large on my machine would be a nightmare.

5. ?Aside from fabric, what do I need? ?I know I'd need fabric for the piecework, backing, and binding; and I'd also need batting and thread. ?I'm thinking a square and a rotary cutter would save me from pulling out my hair. ?Anything else? ?What kind of thread do you prefer for putting the blocks together, and what kind for the quilting??

6. ?If I can machine-quilt it myself, what kind of stitch do I use?

7. ?Anything else I should know before getting started? ?(Even if it's, "Don't make an actual quilt as your first quilting project.")

Thank you for any help/advice you can offer! ?:)?

nanann

I have lotys of advice, but can't talk right now.  going on vacation ion like 10 minutes.,  I'll try to respond tonight or tomorrow, but you can also try the craft board and get lots of advice.

 

Yay for another quilter!