Well--I don't have a lot of fabulous quilting on my current BOM but since I am doing it half-sized I can stitch in the ditch and that holds everything together. I may add more quilting later (I am doing quilt-as-you-go because I don't want to have another unfinished project). With the full size you will probably need more quilting but if you keep yours eyes open these ladies and gents are bound to give you some ideas. Welcome to the forum and don't hesitate to ask for help as you go along--we don't want you to get overwhelmed.

Hi Martha -

They usually don't include quilting suggestions with the BOM pattern, but maybe Janet did. Either way, don't stress about that part. In the end, this quilt will be your masterpiece. It's your first quilt, so it will definitely be your best so far. With every quilt, I just try to make the best so far. I don't always succeed, but I love them all. They have a little of my heart in them.

When it comes to the quilting, what I like to say is the most important role of the quilting is to hold the layers together. Ultimately, if you stitch enough to hold your layers securely and none of the stitches are toe-catchers (a stitch so long that your toe catches in it as you use the quilt), then you have succeeded. Anything beyond that is gravy and will get better with each quilt. I believe the most important tip to being able to quilt is -- relax. No matter what your skill level, your stitching will be better when you are relaxed than when you are tense. If you feel yourself getting tense, take a couple of deep breathes and find your happy spot. If you can't find your happy spot, step away for a little while. This is a hobby so you should enjoy every minute of it.

Also, as you are quilting, don't get uptight about little mistakes. While quilting, your nose is just inches from the quilt and you will see every minute mistake that you make. But nobody else will ever put their nose that close to your quilt. And mistakes won't be noticeable once there is a lot of stitching on the quilt. A quilter once told me that the more quilting you put on the quilt, the less you will be able to see the mistakes, and I've found that to be true. I make a lot of mistakes, but I will only pick out stitches if the mistake is huge (as some say, able to be seen when riding by on a galloping horse) or if there are tension problems that will cause the stitching to come out later. As Leah Day says, the time spent picking out stitches only gets you better at picking out stitches. It doesn't get you better at quilting.

To learn quilting, take advantage of all of the information available to you. There are a lot of quilting videos on you-tube. There are some wonderful classes at craftsy.com. See if your local quilt shop offers classes. Try everything on practice pieces to see what works for you. Everyone is different, so what works for one quilter will not necessarily work for another. It's a lifetime exploration for you to enjoy...

Martha, welcome to the world of quilting and it's awesome you have started on your first quilt.

Now, I'm going to be honest with you. Everyones first quilt is riddled with mistakes. Take a deep breath now. Do another. Ok, now that has sunk in a little. It's not going to be perfect and that's ok. Even the fabulous quilters you see out there with their amazingly perfect piecing and quilting that just flows started from the beginning. And their's had a ton of mistakes too. Fancy quilting is just quilting with a lot of practice. If you like to draw, then draw on your quilt with a quilt marking pencil or pen and follow the lines. If you like to follow patterns then find a quilting pattern (that is simple) and trace that onto your quilt. An easier way might be to quilt a 1/4 of an inch away from your stitching.

After this quilt is done and you are still nervous about one process or another, try doing some donation baby quilts. This way they could have simple piecing if you want to practice your quilting. Or mostly simple blocks with one or two fancy if you want to practice your piecing. Another way to practice the quilting is to put a sheet of the quilting pattern in a plastic sleeve (inserts for binders) and use a dry erase marker and doodle and doodle away until it becomes easier. Another trick is to pick out thread that matches your fabric, so it almost disappears. That way the mistakes are almost impossible to find. Keep on practicing and have fun doing it.

My first quilt was a hawaiian wallhanging quilt. And because I can't do anything easy my first time. Hubby can tell you, I always start way too difficult. Anyway, when you lay the wallhanging on a table it has a pop tent in the middle. Ooops. But, I love the colors and might try again later or not. It was a great learning experience.

Have fun and you are in the right area for questions.
Clara

This is my first quilt. I just started it late March but all is going well so far. Only 3 more blocks and sashing to get caught up to all of you veterans. What I can't wrap my little brain around is how you do all the fancy quilting on it. Please tell me it's not free-hand. Tell me there is a quilting pattern for each block and tell me there is an easy way to get those straight lines on the back ground fabric. If there isn't an easy pattern for each block, tell me there is anyway so I can be happy in my ignorance and keep going.