You could make this quilt as your first big project!
Over the last couple of years I have had increasing numbers of beginning quiltmakers contact me about lessons and where they might find the support they need.
As I see it, potential quiltmakers fall into several categories and need programmes tailored to their specific interests and needs. The first and probably larger group is composed of people who want to make one or two projects that are easy and readily available. They want to have a social experience mainly and secondarily a quiltmaking experience, and are not too interested in going further into the tradition and becoming intensely involved.
The second and smaller group of potential quiltmakers will not be best served by a large, mainly social group such as a guild or a class at the local quiltshop. Instead they are ready to learn all the skills needed in traditional quiltmaking and want to do so from the ground up - and in an organized and detailed way while at the same time exploring their creativity, their access to all art forms and to the history of quiltmaking over the years.
The latter group is the group I am interested in reaching out to and I have given a lot of thought to how best to serve their needs.
As I age and as my own quiltmaking business expands rapidly, I have less and less energy to spend on the direct teaching aspects but have spent considerable time in polishing online lessons or tutorials and getting them ready to present to you, and am well aware of the need to provide feedback. This blog seems like the ideal vehicle to serve your needs and I will be interested in hearing from those of you who feel they would like to expand their skills at the same time as they unleash their creative quiltmaking "inner self".
Your comments will help me to gauge the need for this type of tutorial and what the content should include. Don't be shy, talk to me and I will respond to your comments.
Basically I am going to offer this as a free service but may expand to provide at cost simple fabric packs and instructions including templates for a limited number of projects.
See you soon!
quilts
4 comments:
bravo!~ Wonderful news Janet! Thank yoU!!! I'll pass this along! I've really enjoyed the Laurie's at Minick & Simpson's blog. I KNOW how many have gained knowledge from these and really look forward to YOURS! We NEVER stop learning!!!! XO
I've been following Laurie's posts on handquilting too, and feeling very validated by her choices being so similar to mine. Especially though, I've been approached by so many younger women locally who want to learn, but am not set up to do other than an occasional workshop. Hope this will inspire.
Thank you Janet, for your answer to my question about those Boat houses seen on Neil and Susans blog. I honestly didnt now what they were used for. Coming from Southern CA I dont recall having any there. Its facinating.
I just bumped into your blog and was intrigued by this post and also the one on new quilters being sucked into the financial abyss. Thank you for both! I'd be interested in lots of technique instruction, but even very basic skills still elude me - for instance, how does one cut large fabric pieces at home (that is, without a huge cutting surface handy)? I've never mastered this yet. Is there a cure for terror of paper piecing? Tips for quilting neatly over hefty block intersections? I love new patterns but I'm still flailing at matching up my points. Real-Life 101 would be incredibly useful!
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