What I Discovered Along the Journey
Creating my initial quilt instructed me more than I had anticipated. Some insights were clear, some were distressing, and a few are amusing now that enough time has elapsed.
If you’re contemplating commencing your first quilt, here are a handful of things I discovered.
Lessons Learned the Challenging Way
- There is a genuine rationale why certain fabrics are pricier than others
- Quilting is never flawless, and that’s part of its allure
- You will inevitably poke yourself with a needle at some stage
- Binding continues to be an area where I struggle and requires further refinement
- Quilting is significantly more captivating than I had guessed
Spending hours at a sewing machine, managing threads, aligning correct sides, and stitching a consistent inch seam allowance demands practice.
Errors occur, seams drift, and at times you simply forge ahead regardless.
Why My Quilt Lacks Borders
You may observe that this quilt does not feature borders around its perimeter like numerous quilts do. This was a very deliberate decision.
Initially, I had often envisioned a straightforward zig-zag quilt devoid of borders. I appreciated the clean, uncomplicated aesthetic.
Furthermore, I was reluctant to spend extra funds on additional fabric. Quilting materials accumulate quickly, and I was already stretching my finances.
Lastly, I knew myself well enough to recognize I wouldn’t have the time to attach borders and still finish within a month. Even without them, I completed the project later than intended.
At times, deciding what to omit is just as crucial as deciding what to include.
The Fabric Error I Won’t Repeat
I already understood the reason why higher-quality fabric is more expensive. Still, I persuaded myself to cut corners for my first quilt.
I reasoned, “It’s my first quilt. I’ll simply utilize less expensive fabric for the backing.”
That was a blunder.
I felt anxious about making mistakes and couldn’t rationalize spending $40 on backing fabric.
The fabric I selected was too flimsy and refused to cooperate. It bunched, shifted incessantly, and made assembling the quilt sandwich far more exasperating than necessary.
Next time, I’ll invest in superior backing fabric. That lesson registered.
A huge thank you to Ashley at Mommy By Day, Crafter By Night, for orchestrating this quilt-along.
The volume of effort that goes into crafting clear quilting instructions is no trivial matter, and her tutorials significantly benefitted me.
Although this quilt-along commenced back in 2012, you can still participate and create your own zig-zag quilt today!
