Learning To Quilt

While working on the Blankets for Haiti project I have had several people mention to me that they do not know how to quilt but would like to learn.

Let me continue this post by saying, I am not an expert quilter by any means. I am very much a beginner (you'll see lots of imperfections in the photos). One of my goals for 2010 is to become a better quilter. I have found the blogging world a valuable place to find tutorials, patterns, Q&A's, and lots of inspiration. I've also checked out tons of books from the library and even splurged on a few quilting magazines.

If you have never made a quilt before I think this, "Me and My Girl Tutorial" would be a perfect first. The quilt was actually made by a mother and her young daughter using bandannas.

I have really been enjoying the quick and easy to follow tutorials on the Missouri Quilt Co.'s site. Reading blogs like "Red Pepper Quilts" and "Oh, Fransson!" are also really inspiring. You may also want to peruse the posts from "Sew, Mama, Sew's" quilting month; they cover a wide range of topics and skill levels.

I've found that when it comes down to it plain old practice is what really works. I just finished up this quilt last night for Quilts For Kids. There are several patterns listed on the organizations website that are easy to follow. This quilt uses the "Four Patch Quilt Pattern". If you would like to see other quilts I have attempted to make, use the google search on my blog and search, "quilt" (I tried it myself and they all pop up).

This is by no means an exhaustive list of resources; there are lots of amazing sites, blogs, forums, etc. out there to venture to. If you are a quilter, what sites do you like to visit? Do you have a favorite quilting book? How did you learn? What new skill do you want to learn in 2010?