Am I crazy? I would love some advice

[missmlissa]

Hi!
So a friend of mine is getting married in November and I want to make her a quilt.  But I've never made one before.  I can sew, so that's a start
What I'd like to know is
A)  Is this a really bad idea?
B)  Any ideas on an easy pattern that is also wedding present worthy?
C)  Where so I start?

[MareMare]

A) I don't know if it's a bad idea, but it's an ambitious and possibly stressful one! But you could totally do it in that time frame. Are you thinking a bed-sized quilt? Or maybe a lap quilt?

B) Hmmm, you might want to get a good basic quilt book and see what kind of patterns strike your fancy, or go with something simple but striking, like a rail fence or 9 patch or something. Here's my Quilting board at Pinterest of patterns I want to make, something might strike your fancy!

http://pinterest.com/soapsbymaremare/quilts/

C) Here's a blog with a lot of good beginner info, and she also has patterns and stuff listed.

http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/quilting-basics.html

[missmlissa]

Thanks Mare Mare.  I've been looking around and really like the rail pattern it kind of looks like a chevron pattern which is everywhere now.  Her wedding colours are plum, grey and ivory and I think that in the rail pattern it would look great.

[MareMare]

Pretty colors! For equipment, the best thing I can recommend is to get a 1/4 inch foot for your machine so your seams are all the perfect size.

[donniesgirl]

This is just my two cents, but I find the actual quilting part most stressful.  I've basically given up on machine quilting & I go rent a longarm & just do a random pattern all over lol.  Someday when I have time, maybe I'll go & do these great father patterns etc, but for now, what I really enjoy about quilting is putting the tops together.  So that is what I focus my effort on.  

I don't know if you'd have time to learn a longarm & learn to put a quilt together by then...but the other option is ties.  They are quick & easy.  That is what I sent for my partner in the "I Want to Learn to Blank" swap: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=294799.msg3473157#msg3473157

For patterns, I second Rail.  I like Nine Patches and Log Cabins, too.  I usually wouldn't say curved edges, but the Raw Edge Circle pattern someone did on a quilt block swap a couple years ago was super easy to put together, too.

http://www.cluckclucksew.com/2009/12/raw-edge-circle-quilt-tutorial.html

[missmlissa]

That quilt is really pretty, donniesgirl.  I think I'm going to do the Modern Lines quilt from Mare Mare's Pinterest (thanks!).  I love the look and I might end up paying someone to quilt it.  But I might try quilting it myself first, we'll see how everything goes.  Now I just need to find myself a 1/4" foot and a quilt ruler. 

[donniesgirl]

Yeah I vote send it out but maybe I mentioned I don 't care for the actual quilting part?

Ooh MareMare - I am making the Bake Shop chevron quilt on your pinterest in Moda Love Letters! I have the squares together and the diagonal sewn - just need to cut into triangles.

[MareMare]

Yeah I vote send it out but maybe I mentioned I don 't care for the actual quilting part?

Ooh MareMare - I am making the Bake Shop chevron quilt on your pinterest in Moda Love Letters! I have the squares together and the diagonal sewn - just need to cut into triangles.

Oh that's a fun one! Can't wait to see it!

donniesgirl--I just recently decided that I hate quilting when I am attempting to free motion quilt. I decided to just concentrate on coming up with/working on fun straight line quilting and enjoying that. Quilting is definitely near the bottom of my list as far as favorite steps in the overall process.

[donniesgirl]

MareMare - do you machine quilt?  Or hand quilt?  It would be hard to get me off the longarm now that I've tried it lol.  But even then, I'm free motioning random squigglies.  There is an advanced class I could take to learn patterns & things...but I think the problem is I'm too hard on myself when something doesn't come out exactly perfect.

[MareMare]

I machine quilt on my regular machine. I don't make too big of quilts though, mostly baby and lap quilts. Where did you get time on a long arm machine? How fun!

[donniesgirl]

There is a local quilt shop near me that has long arm space.  Once you have taken a class, they let you rent out time on one.

Hmm...maybe I could try straight lines on the chevron quilt.  It might be good for that...

[MareMare]

Oh that's cool! That's what the other quilt mod, superstitch, does too! I've never worked on one!