In some ways, it is tough being a beginner quilter in this age. We seem to be in a time of transition. It used to be if you wanted to learn to quilt, you had to find a local quilter or take a class at a quilt shop. These seasoned veterans would show you the "correct way" to do it. Now, with local quilt shops closing down, many new quilters are turning to the internet to learn. Yes, on the one hand, there are loads of free tutorials on the web, but on the other hand everyone seems to do things differently. It can be frustrating hearing a teacher say, "well, do what works for you", especially when you don't know yet what works for you. It's almost as frustrating as reading those dreaded words at the end of a pattern you've been crushing on, "Quilt as Desired".
The truth, of course, is that there is no longer an absolute "correct way" of quilting. Heck, even the mythical 1/4 inch isn't always necessary (Yep! I said it!). So what is a beginner to do?
Now I don't claim to be an expert. I would still call myself a seasoned "Newbie". I've been quilting now for a few years and I still change up how I do things from time to time. I still make plenty of mistakes, but I try to learn from them.
Where am I going with all this? Well, if you look up at the top of my blog page, it says, "A blog for beginning quilters, by a beginner quilter." Trouble is, I haven't really been living up to that and I would like to. So, I'm starting a new tutorial series called "How I Do It". I don't claim for these tutorials to be the absolute "right way" to do something. They will just show you how I do something, and what works for me. They will focus on things a beginner quilter might like to know, and I will include any tips or tricks I've learned along the way.
I'm also making it a linky party so other bloggers can share how they do "it", whatever "it" might be (just keep it quilty people!). Why make it a linky party? Well, because there isn't just one way to do most things in quilting, and I hope that the linky can be a source for beginners to learn alternative ways to quilt so they can find "what works for them".
What kind of tutorials am I talking about here? Well, I am basically taking pictures during various steps of the quilting process and I plan on turning them into tutorials. I hope to keep things simple. Instead of tackling "cutting" all at once, I will likely break it up into more specific segments like "cutting strips" or "cutting pieces larger than your ruler", etc., depending on what project I happen to be working on at the time. It happens that I have mostly been working on the finishing stage of a bunch of quilts at the moment, so I'm starting with things associated with that stage. Sometimes my tutorials will come with a project that is beginner friendly, sometimes they won't.
My first tutorial is set to go out on the Ides of March (that's March 15th). I will publish at least one new tutorial on the 15th of each month and invite you to do the same. So, I ask you, "Et Tu, Brute?" I challenge you to think of what kind of tutorial you can create and link up that will be helpful to a beginner quilter.
I can't wait to see how you do "it".
Thanks for reading today,
Jen
