Black Friday Sew-in #6

The question for this giveaway is:

If you had to teach someone how to do one quiltmaking technique, what would that be?

If you are a beginner, what would you want someone to teach you?

More Chances to Win:

Mean Mom Stuff:

  1. Substantive comments only. “Sign me up” comments will not be entered.
  2. Comments on questions close tomorrow 11/30/2013 at 6pm PDT. I may not actually get to choose the winner until December 1, but no whining if you can’t leave a comment at 6:01pm on 11/30.
  3. The books will be sent from Lark. I will send them the names and addresses and they will send you the book.
  4. Everything else is coming from me and will be shipped the week of December 2.
  5. International entries are welcome!
  6. I will select winners using the Random number generator.
  7. Make sure your email address works. If I can’t contact you, I can’t send you your prize
  8. No whining, acting out, frowning or complaining. Whiners and complainers will be disqualified.

If you are looking for the Creative Prompt, look here: https://artquiltmaker.com/blog/2013/11/creative-prompt-235-meal/

Author: Jaye

Quiltmaker who enjoys writing and frozen chocolate covered bananas.

34 thoughts on “Black Friday Sew-in #6”

  1. I would teach accurate cutting techniques, quarter inch sewing and pressing. I would talk about fabric selection as to type (cotton or blends) and quality, and grain lines.

  2. Even though I’ve been doing this on and off for over 10 years, I still consider myself a beginner. I would want someone to teach me how to free motion quilt. I can’t seem to get the hang of it without a gobby mess underneath.

    1. I don’t consider myself a beginner, but in the free motion quilting department I could use a lot more practice. I am wondering if you need to try FMQing on a different machine to see if your machine is creating the big gobby mess underneath? My machine is older and there wasn’t as much FMQing going on when I bought it so it isn’t always happy when FMQing. I don’t do a lot, because I don’t practice so I am not good at it. I would start by making some quilt sandwiches and practicing every day. I have heard that works. I can’t speak to it personally since I don’t do it. Jackie at SewExcitedQuilts has been doing a FMQ sampler that is gorgeous!

  3. This is silly, but I wish I could learn to press correctly! I seem to be super heavy handed, especially with flying geese or anything with a bias edge. I have had people watch me and guide me and I still manage to wonkify everything! I’ll keep plugging away…perhaps there are actually square squares in my future!!

  4. I would love to have a chance to watch someone hand-stitch binding in person. It’s hard to make out that level of detail in the Youtube videos I’ve seen, and sometimes I’m not sure if I’m executing written instructions properly because I’m a very kinesthetic learner & don’t always get the instructions until I’ve done it several times — and sometimes I inadvertently teach myself weird or inefficient techniques because I initially misunderstood something. What I’m doing seems to be working, but I’d really like to be able to watch someone else’s process in person.

    1. I found that I had to make about a dozen bindings very close together (a previous effort to finish up UFOs) to really get the process. I would be happy to show you how to sew the back of the binding down by hand. Let me know if you are in the neighborhood. 😉

  5. I would really like to learn “quilting for show”, not necessarily because I want to enter shows, but because I’m always hearing how the binding has to be just so, and knots need to be buried, and judges get out their magnifying glasses and rulers, etc. What they are actually looking for exactly is beyond me and I would like to know.

    1. I have to agree. The comments that I get back always comment on the binding. I want to see the rules that say how to do the binding perfectly. I want step by step instructions and not just a random comment in an envelope after a show.

    1. I have never seen the value of the scant quarter inch, so clearly I need to buckle down and learn more about it. I use thin thread and my foot is an exact quarter inch.

  6. A bazillion years ago I went to a quilting workshop that I was not particularly interested in. I went anyway to support the guild. I wasn’t expecting to learn anything new. The first thing the instructor taught us was how to thread a needle! It was amazing! It was counter-intuitive. I would never have thought to try it. And even now, with crappy vision, I can still thread a needle.

    1. I love it when that happens. It changes my whole attitude about a workshop or a class or an experience. Someday you’ll have to show me that trick. If you do a video, I’ll post it on my blog.

  7. I would teach the importance of accurate cutting. Without accurate cutting, the errors just multiply as you try to compensate for being just a bit short or a taking just a bit wide seam.

    1. I am hard pressed whether you learned souls think pressing or accurate cutting is more important. Clearly someone needs to show both in a way that a lot of people can learn and teach others.

    1. I think this is something basic that would be a great tutorial. I wonder if Quilty has a video? I don’t even know if I know the ‘proper’ way to press. I know what works for me. Is that proper? I don’t know.

  8. The first thing that comes to mind is not really a technique. I would teach how to buy fabric! If I had it to do over, I wish I had known good from bad quality. I wish I had known to not just buy fabric to buy fabric. I could go on and on. lol

    Techniques…hmmm, that is a toughie! How can I teach what I am still trying to perfect? And as far as what I would like to be taught…I have struggled with that, as long as I have been a quilter. I have never taken a class. I don’t want to take a class. But then I am weird that way. 🙂

    1. This is an excellent point! I tend not to buy Joann fabric, but I have a few pieces that I know are not good quality. I have been slowly using them for gift bags or weeding them out, but sometimes the pattern was so great, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

  9. I would concentrate on the need for perfect cutting of the blocks. If you don’t cut straight then the block does not end up right. Thanks for the giveaway.

  10. I just don’t think it’s possible to choose one thing/method. Too many skills are essential in successful quilt making. Yes, I know it’s a hypothetical question, but I still can’t choose. 😎

  11. This is a tough question, as I do teach. I guess it would have to be the importance of accuracy in cutting, piecing and pressing. I learned those things the hard way.

    Loving these questions.

    1. A lot of people think the way you do IMO. There must be some generally accepted teaching methods that are not getting the message across. Have you seen Nancy Johnson-Srebro’s cutting books?

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