When I teach Beginning Quilting, I like to teach them to make a quilt from start to finish. So the students learn how to use the rotary cutter to cut and piece strips to make a lap size quilt top. They measure and cut their borders and layer, pin and baste the three layers in prep for finishing. I show them how to tie the quilt using embroidery floss, but they know that if they want to try quilting on their home machine or hand quilting, you layer it the same way. The final class is cutting and attaching their Double Fold Binding with mitered corners. I show them several ways they can hand sew the binding down by hand and they leave to go home and finish that last step to their finished quilt.
It's an intense 6 week class, and sometimes they have "homework", but I think it's very satisfying for them to have a finished project when we are finished. It's fun for me to see them progress and to see the parade of More Peas in a Pod quilts in an array of different fabrics.
The last class I taught ended the first week of June and I had two students who couldn't make it to the last classes, so I caught them up recently. Shirley (above) spent Monday with me finishing her last two sessions of class. She had some fabric issues and changed some of her fabrics midway through, but it turned out pretty in the end. That's another teaching moment...our first fabric choices aren't always the best. It's ok to switch them if they aren't working out.
Most of us remember that first quilt....what was your first quilt? Did you take a class or teach yourself?
I will be drawing the names of the winners of the giveaways tonight...there is still time to enter, so go for it! Just go back through the week to the original posts and enter there! Thanks for helping me celebrate!
I'm helping my daughter with her yard sale again today. She will be moving in August so she is downsizing. It will be interesting to see how many people are out sale-ing on July 4th! Happy 4th of July!
I think your peas in a pod is one of my favorite quilt patterns! I love seeing all the fabric variations of your students-good inspiration for even us folks who aren't novices.
ReplyDeleteGreat results. I still have my first quilt from the mid 80s which was for a double bed - I had no idea what I was doing but discovered rotary cutters and used them to cut round the templates!! I did then go to a class to find out what I should be doing with a rotary cutter and that was a start to finish class as well and I rely appreciated that. I break all the rules now but think that it's so important to be taught well in the first place.
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