Newbie to quilting from Texas!
12-02-2014, 10:51 AM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 155
Newbie to quilting from Texas!
Hello from Texas!
I am new to quilting and fairly new to sewing! I spent many hours watching my mother quilt and sew and have always wanted to continue her legacy, but was intimidated by my own perfectionism. lol
I am retired and do a little volunteering, so I decided to put my feet in the water by making a rag quilt for a baby carseat. That job was small enough and easy enough to not scare me away. After watching countless you-tube tutorials, I made the quilt with my mom's vintage Singer lightweight.
I moved from there to quilting a throw for a dear friend for Christmas. This one I quilted by hand because the fabric I chose for the backing and batting ended up making my quilt too thick to sew on the machine. Other than sore fingers from pushing the needle through all that material, it wasn't too bad at all. My last task will be to hand sew the binding onto the quilt sandwich. Lesson learned on choosing fabric!
With two small quilt projects behind me, I will be ready to move to quilt throws for the grands. I am already looking forward to shopping for fabric.
Is there a site on this forum to discuss sewing machines? Hubby has graciously offered me a new sewing machine for Christmas! Isn't he a doll? And he said to make sure to get one that will do all I want! Priceless! Now, I don't want to get too carried away, because I may never reach the potential that I have in my head. So does anyone suggest a sewing machine to start with that will allow machine quilting? I will do some by hand as well, but it will be fun to play with some of the stitches offer on new machines.
I look forward to learning and making new friends!
Janan
I am new to quilting and fairly new to sewing! I spent many hours watching my mother quilt and sew and have always wanted to continue her legacy, but was intimidated by my own perfectionism. lol
I am retired and do a little volunteering, so I decided to put my feet in the water by making a rag quilt for a baby carseat. That job was small enough and easy enough to not scare me away. After watching countless you-tube tutorials, I made the quilt with my mom's vintage Singer lightweight.
I moved from there to quilting a throw for a dear friend for Christmas. This one I quilted by hand because the fabric I chose for the backing and batting ended up making my quilt too thick to sew on the machine. Other than sore fingers from pushing the needle through all that material, it wasn't too bad at all. My last task will be to hand sew the binding onto the quilt sandwich. Lesson learned on choosing fabric!
With two small quilt projects behind me, I will be ready to move to quilt throws for the grands. I am already looking forward to shopping for fabric.
Is there a site on this forum to discuss sewing machines? Hubby has graciously offered me a new sewing machine for Christmas! Isn't he a doll? And he said to make sure to get one that will do all I want! Priceless! Now, I don't want to get too carried away, because I may never reach the potential that I have in my head. So does anyone suggest a sewing machine to start with that will allow machine quilting? I will do some by hand as well, but it will be fun to play with some of the stitches offer on new machines.
I look forward to learning and making new friends!
Janan
12-02-2014, 11:12 AM
#2
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: The Deep South near Cajun Country, USA
Posts: 5,442
Welcome from Louisiana. We have friends & family near Conroe & Port Arthur, so we visit Texas a lot. Good to have you here.
There will be a lot of recommendations about sewing machines. Some people on the board do it with embroidery machines, others with almost every other brand. Hope you get some good advice. If it were me, I would make up a quilt to go to test drive each machine. Don't make it too small, because you won't really get a good idea how it works. Think at least baby size, about 36 x 36-44.
I love my Brother, but it really doesn't like those 3 pieces very much. I end up doing a lot of tugging and pushing and it really makes my back sore. On the other hand, it will embroider quilt embroidery patterns on just about anything as long as I can keep the rest of the quilt from hanging up.
There will be a lot of recommendations about sewing machines. Some people on the board do it with embroidery machines, others with almost every other brand. Hope you get some good advice. If it were me, I would make up a quilt to go to test drive each machine. Don't make it too small, because you won't really get a good idea how it works. Think at least baby size, about 36 x 36-44.
I love my Brother, but it really doesn't like those 3 pieces very much. I end up doing a lot of tugging and pushing and it really makes my back sore. On the other hand, it will embroider quilt embroidery patterns on just about anything as long as I can keep the rest of the quilt from hanging up.
12-02-2014, 11:18 AM
#3
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 41,610
Welcome from Ontario, Canada. Well it looks like you have a sweet little Featherweight to sew on right now so keep it for your back-up machine. You are lucky to find a Featherweight for under $200 but can pay a lot more for them. What is your budget for a new machine? Cute rag quilt!
12-02-2014, 11:20 AM
#4
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 155
Thanks, Barb! I found a site called Generations Quilt Patterns that had a very good article about what to look for when buying a machine. It also suggested taking a project to the store to test drive different machines.
12-02-2014, 11:28 AM
#5
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 155
Thanks Tartan! My Featherweight belonged to my mom, so it has sentimental value to me. I had to use the manual it came with to learn how to thread it and oil the machine. I even use my mom's thimble, seam ripper and ruler! It also sews a very good straight stitch.
Realistically, my budget should be pretty low, $300 to $500. If I was young, I might buy a fancy thousand dollar machine, but I'm not that young or rich! I saw some great prices on Amazon. The article I read recommending buying from a sewing machine store rather than Amazon. That way I would get hands-on training and follow-up. I am such a you-tube nerd, that I'm not sure I would take classes.
Realistically, my budget should be pretty low, $300 to $500. If I was young, I might buy a fancy thousand dollar machine, but I'm not that young or rich! I saw some great prices on Amazon. The article I read recommending buying from a sewing machine store rather than Amazon. That way I would get hands-on training and follow-up. I am such a you-tube nerd, that I'm not sure I would take classes.
12-02-2014, 11:46 AM
#6
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Texas, USA
Posts: 5,896
Welcome, from another Texan!
If you want to do your own machine quilting (as well as piecing), you might want to rethink your budget. A wider throat/harp makes a world of difference. Even if you don't buy from a machine store, it wouldn't hurt to look at the machines and maybe 'test-drive' a few.
If you want to do your own machine quilting (as well as piecing), you might want to rethink your budget. A wider throat/harp makes a world of difference. Even if you don't buy from a machine store, it wouldn't hurt to look at the machines and maybe 'test-drive' a few.
12-02-2014, 11:56 AM
#7
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 1,371
Welcome! Love your quilt. I am very happy with the 2 Janome sewing machines I own. They have many models at various price points and are quite easy to use. They come with a good number of feet, so buying additional feet is not usually necessary. I would go to some local quilt shops or sewing machine stores and try out a few. It is best to buy a machine that can be serviced close to home if need be. Good luck and welcome aboard!
12-02-2014, 11:59 AM
#8
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Central NJ
Posts: 5,587
Welcome from NJ. Very cute rag quilt and lucky you to have your mom's featherweight! Definitely a great machine.
Yes, you'll get lots of suggestions here regarding machines. I agree with buying from a local dealer vs Amazon. Not even necessarily for classes but for local service when the need arises. With the budget you have in mind, you might want to consider a higher-end used machine from a local dealer. Many times these will even come with some limited warranty. You have a great back-up and piecing machine with the featherweight.
I would suggest making up a list for yourself of all of your 'wants' and 'needs'. When I was shopping a number of years ago, one of my 'needs' was the needle up/down feature. Didn't care about bunches of stitches but ended up getting them anyhow due to other 'needs' on my list. I have a computerized Viking Platinum and love it. Have not had an hours worth of difficulty with it. I do next to no machine quilting. I'm a hand quilter and only machine quilt those charity quilts or craft projects that demand it. And the machine handles it just fine.
And definitely take your own practice pieces - both piecing fabrics and a quilting sandwich - of fabrics you typically sew. I do a reasonable amount of home dec sewing as well. My machine will handle from sheer to upholstery fabrics and everything in between. And the best feature is auto tension! I don't have to change any tension settings - just pick a fabric type from the menu and bingo - it's all set.
Happy quilting!
Yes, you'll get lots of suggestions here regarding machines. I agree with buying from a local dealer vs Amazon. Not even necessarily for classes but for local service when the need arises. With the budget you have in mind, you might want to consider a higher-end used machine from a local dealer. Many times these will even come with some limited warranty. You have a great back-up and piecing machine with the featherweight.
I would suggest making up a list for yourself of all of your 'wants' and 'needs'. When I was shopping a number of years ago, one of my 'needs' was the needle up/down feature. Didn't care about bunches of stitches but ended up getting them anyhow due to other 'needs' on my list. I have a computerized Viking Platinum and love it. Have not had an hours worth of difficulty with it. I do next to no machine quilting. I'm a hand quilter and only machine quilt those charity quilts or craft projects that demand it. And the machine handles it just fine.
And definitely take your own practice pieces - both piecing fabrics and a quilting sandwich - of fabrics you typically sew. I do a reasonable amount of home dec sewing as well. My machine will handle from sheer to upholstery fabrics and everything in between. And the best feature is auto tension! I don't have to change any tension settings - just pick a fabric type from the menu and bingo - it's all set.
Happy quilting!
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