Love, Laugh and Learn (Beginners Class)

Just finished teaching another beginners class at Patchwork Cottage.  Again another great class and a great group of ladies.  I am always so excited to meet new quilters and teach beginners.  They are always so excited about learning to quilt. 

The first class seems a little intimidating when you learn to measure and cut fabric, how to read a ruler and most scary is how to use the rotary cutter. Then you start to sew and learn about the 1/4 inch seam.  Now you are sewing and your machine messes up and you feel like you want to give up, then comes squaring off those blocks, learning about the sashing and borders.  Don't give up because at the end you will have a beautiful quilt.  It won't be perfect (because after all it is your first quilt) but it is your quilt that you make.  Just remember how far you came in just a few weeks, look at what you have learned.  When you stop and think that when you walked into the class, you didn't know how to properly read a ruler and were scared to make that first cut.  OK, maybe some of your points are off, but in the class you learned why they were off so next time you know what to do different.  Pat yourself on the back, you stuck with it and you have your first quilt.

Remember advanced quilters, we were all there and we all make it through that first quilt. We kept practing and we got better.  One day it clicks and you say I remember that from class. Then we are out shoping for new patterns and new fabric and the quilting bug has you.

I do believe as a beginner you have to relax, have fun and laugh.  When Mita asked me to teach the beginners class at her shop, we wanted to come up with a catchy name.  We
came up with "Love, Laugh and Learn".  We wanted everyone to "love" what they were making "laugh" along the way and "learn" to quilt.  Don't give up, take another class, meet other ladies that quilt and your quilting journey begins.   You will meet so many wonderful people in quilting and will make some everlasting friendship. 

Below are some of the blocks we put on the design board.  Each one is different.  It is fun to see how a block can look so different by your color choices.  They really did a great job.  Once they sew the sashing, corners stones and borders their blocks will pop and they will see all their hard work paid off.