Are you interested in quilting? If you are, you are not alone. It has been estimated that, as of 2014, there were 21 million people in the United States who said they were quilters. The American quilting industry was worth $3.7 billion that same year. It has been said that about 14% of American households have at least one quilter. if you are just starting out, maybe you saw a custom memory quilt, there are some things you can do to get off on the right foot.
- You have to walk before you can run. You may have seen a great custom memory quilt and want to jump right in by learning the hard patterns but before you leap to those, you should start by leaning and mastering the more simple patterns with basic shapes. Start off, not with triangles, but with squares and rectangles and then work up to triangles and other shapes.
- Start with smaller quilts. Another good way to start with your quilting is to begin by making smaller quilts. Start by making quilts for your kids’ dolls or the dog’s bed. Build up to larger handmade quilts as you are ready to do so. Keep in mind that you will get better at quilting if you give it time and your effort.
Do not expect to do this perfectly when you first start and you will have a better time with your quilting. - Look into quilting classes. Many people a lot of fun taking beginning quilting lessons. You may find a number of other people who saw a custom memory quilt and were just as inspired as you have been to begin to learn how to make a quilt. If you are not sure where to take a quilting class, talk to a local sewing or knitting shop. You can also talk to stores that sell craft supplies. As with everything else, you should look online for classes on quilting in your area.
- Try to find patterns that work with larger quilts. If you are looking to create a custom quilt, you should look at patterns that can be used on larger works. Many people like these because there is less work putting all of the quilt pieces together to create a larger piece. You want to always be thinking about learning the basic skills that are needed for quilting.
- Consider kits. There are also quilt kits that you can get. They have all of the pieces pre-cut and ready to go together. You can use these to work on the skill set you need to develop and nurture to make your memory custom quilts but can begin to see things you have made faster, which can keep you interested in this fun hobby.
- Make time for your hobby. When people start a new hobby such as quilting, it can sometimes be hard to set aside time from all of the other things you have going in your life but you have to if you want to get better at it. Also many people take up this hobby to destress, you may find that if you spend time working on your quilting, you feel better doing all of the other things that you still have to do every day.
- Set up a quilting area in your home. If you are working on certain pattern or just working on your skill level, having a place to keep all of your quilting supplies and a good place to practice your quilting, you will find the process to be a whole lot more rewarding. Just as you need to carve out a part of your time to devote to learning your new hobby, you should have a special place that you can call your “quilting space.”
This help you make the most of the time you spend on your new hobby.
Memory quilt patterns, custom memory quilt and patterns for bereavement quilts are very popular today. Working on a quilt ca be a good way for you to work out the grief you feel over losing someone you love while making something beautiful. That is one reason these have developed such an intense and growing following.