My First Quilt – Part 1
Full of unsure stitching and unpicked seams, first quilts are often far from perfect. But they are full of character – and full of memories. Celebs of the quilting world take their earliest quilting attempts out of the attic to reveal their wonders and flaws and to reminisce a little about the whole ‘getting started’ experience. Read on for the first segment of My First Quilt! By Janai Velez
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Molli Sparkles
Blog: www.mollisparkles.com
Instagram: @molli_sparkles
Email: sparkle@mollisparkles.com
When did you make your first quilt? It seems like a thousand full moons ago, but I’m celebrating my five year quilting anniversary this year. My first quilt was titled, Walking On Sunshine.
What inspired you to try quilting in the first place? My Grandma Sparkles is a quilter, so I grew up surrounded by fabric stashes and the hum of a long-arm machine. I have a few creative academic degrees, which were doing me a whole lot of no good, so I decided to try a new tactile approach to the arts.
How did you learn the quilt-making basics? I asked Grandma Sparkles a few things here and there, and then looked the rest up on YouTube and the Internet. It’s amazing what you can get by on with just a hope and a prayer!
Did you use a pattern or did you design your first quilt yourself? Well, if you can call two-and-a-half-inch squares designing it myself! They’re like Post-it Notes, but I thought of making them yellow!
Did you make mistakes with your first attempt? Oh Molli me, oh Molli my! I should create a quilt inspired by this one, just to see how far my design and technical skills have come in five years. Let’s just say the hand-stitched binding took some pretty big bites.
What size was your first quilt? It measured 52 x 72in [132 x 183cm], with the idea that it would be the perfect size for Grandma Sparkles to use while she sits in her recliner.
Check out Molli Sparkle’s What a Kick Football Quilt!
How long did it take to make? I was definitely taking my time, learning all I could about fabrics and sewing during this first quilt. I even started a second quilt while still finishing this first one. From first fabric purchase to final blog posting, it was about six months.
Was it difficult to choose colours and a theme? I used all cotton fabrics, some from my first Lincraft adventure, some from eBay and Etsy, locally and abroad, some no-name basics, others lush designer textiles. Except for the grey fabric used for the border and backing, all of the other fabrics feature yellow in some way. Why yellow? Because there’s simply not enough of it in the world, especially the quilt world.
Who was it made for? Grandma Sparkles, my ultimate quilt diva inspiration.
Where is it now? On my last visit to see Grandma in Alabama [USA], I verified that she still had this quilt in use. She may have been playing me for the fool and thrown it out on the couch just for my visit, but I’m okay with that.
How has the style of your quilts changed since? I’m not sure I’m ever one to prescribe to defining my own personal style. However, I do know that with practice and education, I’ve become more willing and daring with new techniques, shapes, colours and fabrics. Every quilt is a journey, teaching me something new that I strive to carry forward into the next project.
In hindsight, how would you now score it out of 10 (10 being excellent, 0 being poor)? I am nothing but a 10.
Natashia Curtin, of Smee Designs
Website: www.smeedesigns.com
Email: smeedesigns@optusnet.com.au
When did you make your first quilt? About 15 years ago… I think.
What inspired you to try quilting in the first place? My sister Rachel was trying different crafts and she wanted to appliqué something other than the slim ‘country style’ design options that were around at the time. She knew I was a designer and illustrator, so she asked me (nagged and nagged) to design her a castle quilt. I then had to try and make it to see if the pattern worked, even though I had absolutely no interest in appliqué at the time. She’s told everyone she’s ever met at craft shows that I owe everything to her, of course.
How did you learn the quilt-making basics? Rachel dragged me over to her place and showed me how it was done. Once I got the hang of it, my stitching left hers for dead. But it’s all good; later on she found her niche with bead-weaving jewellery.
Did you use a pattern or did you design your first quilt yourself? Duncan, the grumpy dragon became my quilting mascot, as he was the first thing I drew. For a long time, he was on my website homepage. I still sell this design. The fabrics I used are awful, but the design is still good.
Celebrate the beauty of nature with Natashia Curtin’s Four Seasons Quilt!
Did you make mistakes with your first attempt? Ones I still make to this day! The classic ironing the wrong side of fusible webbing and having to spend half an hour cleaning the iron. Stitching too big and not anchoring the points, something I figured out later. Using the wrong colour tone for my blanket stitch. Sewing the sashes wrong side to right and on the wrong side of the block. The quilting stretching waaaaay out of whack and pulling and puckering. (My quilting still sucks, which is why I love my mother-in-law, Margaret, who does my quilting for me. She’s amazing.)
What size was your first quilt? It was 46 x 48in [117 x 122cm]. Big enough to give my mother’s 30-year-old sewing machine a nervous breakdown. And then it had a real breakdown with the very next quilt. If you look at the quilting travesty that is the Farm quilt on my website, you can probably tell where it died. (Once again, good design, crap fabric and quilting!)
How long did it take to make? About four-to-six months, on and off. The shapes in this design are simple, so it was pretty quick.
Was it difficult to choose colours and a theme? Being a newbie, I had no idea there were fabric shops other than the big two. Now that I know about quilt and patchwork shops, I still struggle with fabric choices, just with more expensive fabric.
Who was it made for? A good friend of mine who was expecting. I tried to make it gender neutral.
Where is it now? I think it was very well loved and used for a floor rug, then snuggle rug for quite a while. It may be in a cupboard in the now teen’s bedroom.
How has the style of your quilts changed since?
I do quite a few stitcheries now, not just appliqué. But I think I’ve still got happy fat people in my designer’s heart somewhere! I think I have become more eclectic; I tend to just try stuff, instead of thinking about ‘Will this sell?’. Not the best business model, but hey, at least I’m not bored.
In hindsight, how would you now score it out of 10 (10 being excellent, 0 being poor)? Design is still good, but that’s the only thing going for it. If I had time (ha, ha, ha), I’d redo it in different fabrics to make it shine. Just look at those sash fabrics. Bleugh!!! 3/10.
Vicki Knight
Email: vickilorraine@hotmail.com
When did you make this quilt? This quilt was made about 12 or 13 years ago when we were living in Batlow [NSW]. I was new in town and looking around for something to do and a way to meet people. I stuck my head in at the CWA rooms on a craft day and said, “Hello, I’m new in town, can I join you?” In traditional country-town fashion, they said “Yes, come in”. They were the ones who got me started in patchwork. I no longer live in Batlow, but I’m very grateful to those kind ladies who so generously shared their skills and knowledge with me.
What inspired you to try quilting in the first place? I’ve never really thought whether I had been inspired to try quilting or not. I don’t know if there was any real inspiration to my trying it. I have always loved craftwork and making things, and it was just a natural progression. Maybe it appealed to my frugal nature. I hate to see things wasted, so have been drawn to making scrap quilts.
How did you learn the quilt-making basics? Those lovely ladies at the CWA helped me. I had been garment-making for years, so had a knowledge of sewing, in general, and just built on that. I plodded along with my patchwork, working things out as I went along, and whenever I needed help, I asked one of the ladies in the craft group. I think a lot of what I learned from them was simply by watching them work.
Did you use a pattern or did you design your first quilt yourself? It didn’t occur to me that I might need a pattern when I started patchworking. As far as I could see, it was mostly sewing squares and rectangles together. How hard could it be? So, I started designing from my very first quilt and still don’t use a pattern, although I sometimes take elements from a pattern and incorporate them into something else. Designing is one of my favourite parts of the whole process of making a quilt.
Did you make mistakes with this attempt? I can’t remember making any mistakes when I made this quilt, although I’m sure I made lots. I knew so little about what I was doing that I probably made many mistakes without realising. I had no idea how to quilt my masterpiece, so I tied it. Again, I didn’t know how to tie a quilt either, so I made it up as I went along. I didn’t do a very good job of it, though, and some of the ties have come out. I took it along for show-and-tell at a gathering of a few craft groups when it was finished. I asked everyone to please be kind, because it was my first quilt. They very kindly refrained from laughing.
Feast your eyes on Vicki Knight’s traditional Sweet Justice Quilt!
What size is this quilt? It is hard to get an accurate measurement because it is a bit wonky but it measures about 51 x 72in [130 x 183cm].
How long did it take to make? I can’t really remember how long it took to make. I think it was probably about a month. I made a few quilts that first year, so I can’t have taken too long over any of them.
Was it difficult to choose colours and a theme? I have always loved colour, so choosing colours wasn’t a problem at all. I bought the cat fabric because I loved how bright and happy it was and found the solid colour fabrics in amongst my craft stuff at home. It was a fluke that they matched the fabric that I had bought.
Who was it made for? This quilt wasn’t made for anyone in particular. I just made it because I love making things and wanted to try my hand at patchwork. I have kept it. It was used on the couch for a short time and did a stint as a table protector for a while, too. It’s now in retirement in a cupboard.
How has the style of your quilts changed since? I don’t know that my style has changed that much over the years. I still make bright happy quilts. I still prefer to make scrappy quilts and I use a simple pattern that relies on colour for its impact. I very rarely use solid-colour fabrics now, though. I prefer the texture and depth of a patterned fabric.
In hindsight, how would you now score it out of 10 (10 being excellent, 0 being poor)? I think I would give it about a 2. Until I went looking for it for this article, I hadn’t looked at it for a long time. I can see many ways that I could have done it better. We all have to start somewhere.
Vicki’s School Project
The first quilt I started making was for a school project when I was 14. I didn’t finish it until about 10 years later after I was married and had children. (Those children are now grown and I have five grandchildren.) As you can see, it’s now in very poor condition. I considered washing it before I took photos today but I decided that it would probably fall apart if I did. In those days, it would have been called a quilt, but now it wouldn’t. A quilt is now considered to have three layers, but this only has two.
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