I see alot of people have replyed already. I just wanted to say the best machine I ever owned was an old green wards special. Heavy thing it was, till it got kid matized one too meny times.

"If it works don't fix it"...take it to a repair shop for the bobbin. They just might be able to tell you wher to get a manual.

Hi Moon,

Sorry about the name thing!

Delia

I've only been quilting for about 18 months...and I'm having a BLAST! The BEST advice I can give to you is to take a class from a local quilting shop. A beginners class is the best because it will teach you how to NOT start up bad habits before you cause yourself headaches doing goofy (and frustrating things!!) aka MISTAKES!

If you can't find a sampler class then take some classes that have smaller projects like table runners, wall hangings or a lap warmer.

Also.........MOST CRITICAL OF ALL? Learn where 1/4" is on your machine...and mark it! Don't assume just because you may have bought a 1/4" foot that it's actually 1/4"! This is the voice of experience speaking! Measure it yourself and MARK IT.

I am a royal novice, but I appreciate how much my first instructor hammered that into our heads!

In addition to the good advice already shared, check out some of the quilting shows on TV. Fons & Porter on PBS, Simply Quilts on HGTV, and Eleanor Burns on the RFD network. Sewing with Nancy on PBS also occasionally does quilting shows.

Have fun, and don't expect perfection!

The more I think about it, I think it's a good idea for a beginning quilter to use a good sewing machine. If you can't make your old machine run smoothly (and fairly quiet), and if you're having trouble with threading, loading the bobbin, thread tension, etc., you're going to want to give up before you get started.

I'm using a Brother that I bought on-line for about $200. It's not as good as a $3000 Bernina, Janome, BabyLock, Husqvarna, etc., but it's easy to use and it does what I need it to do.

If you think you need a newer machine and if you can afford it, buy it. If it turns out that you don't like sewing, you can always sell it.

I agree with Felicia concerning the beginners class. I started quilting by doing a monthly sampler block at the quilt shop. I was having a hard time, but once I took a 3-2hr class, I found I could do so much more.

I too agree with Pam. I have an older Elna that was eating my fabric and couldn't do machine quilting. It was so frustrating! I couldn't spend too much on my new sewing machine, so I bought a Kenmore for $300. I'm so happy with it. I know I have several limitations and that's not a Bernina or a Husqvarna, but I can machine quilt with it and it sews very nicely. If you purchase a machine that is $300 or less, and you like quilting, you need to know that down the road you'll need to buy a better machine. In my case, it will be years before I need something better.

Good luck!

QuiltingEmi

Welcome!

My machine is a Pfaff Hobby 1042 I bought new for $250. It's a little workhorse and I love it. Someday I'll upgrade, but for now it does beautifully. You CAN find a good machine for a small amount of money, but you have to do your research first and sew on a few to be sure.

I'm self-taught. What I did was pick up a block-of-the-month kit set from JoAnn's and went to work. It was at a basic enough level that I could manage it just fine and learn as I went. It's a good option if classes are few and far between or if you just feel more comfortable learning on your own first. That quilt is on my bed right now and even with all its ugly mistakes, it's still a favorite of mine. That quilt gave me the basics, then I've learned a bunch of new tricks with each quilt I make. I find it really rewarding to puzzle things out myself, but if you aren't that sort of person, go for a class, you'll save yourself a lot of headaches.

Welcome, you have been given some great advice. I would also agree that if you have a local quilt shop look there for a basic class. They all offer some form of a "Quilting 101" class. When I first started it was the best thing I did. There is nothing better to increase your confidence and enthusiasm then to do a project start to finish. It is well worth the investment.

Hi Moon! Sorry I'm slow to welcome you to BC - and the wonderful addictive world of quilting! I just read all the posts and the ladies have given you great advice. I really don't have much to add, except to say that any machine that sews good will work just fine for piecing blocks. I have quite a collection of sewing machines and not a one of them is "top of the line" fancy since I simply can't afford one of them. I mostly sew on an older Kenmore that hubby's former boss's wife gave us when she bought a new $2000 machine. And I have several other machines that people have given me, or I've picked up a garage sales or auctions. Just yesterday I bought a Necchi Model 524 for $3 at a garage sale - the thing is like new - I'll bet it hasn't been used more than 2 hours. The lady told me "something is wrong with it - the thread keeps breaking!" She had $5 on it and when I went to pay her, she said, "I'll just take $3 for it!" I adjusted the tension and it sews like a dream! I'm going to oil it up good and give it to my older granddaughter who's just learning to sew.

I just finished cleaning up my grandmother's old New Home treadle machine that hasn't been used in over 40 years - it sews like a top yet.
So, any machine that sews a straight line will work for piecing quilts.

Just start out with something simple - there are lots of simple easy blocks that can look quite impressive when they're put together. More important to the appearance of a quilt than a fancy complicated block, is good fabric, balance of color, etc. If you have a quilt store in your area, check out their sale rack. The store near me usually has a couple shelves of drastically discounted bolts. Last time I was there she had an entire shelf of Thimbleberries fabric for about $2 a yard.

Get a good rotary cutter and large cutting mat, along with a couple rulers (you can get all that at a Jo-Anns or even Wal-Mart). Actually, if you're careful what you buy, you can get some fairly good fabric at Wal-Mart. Hold the fabric up to the light and if you can see through it, it's too thin for a quilt. The Wal-Mart in my town carries a line of "quilters fabric" - while it's not quilt store quality it isn't all that bad. I got some for my granddaughter to use for her first quilt - that way if it gets messed up, I'm not out that much money and she won't feel bad for messing up!

Nola

The only thing I'd add to Nola's good advice is about rulers. When I started quilting, I bought everything at the fabric section at the local dime store. I didn't know quilt shops even existed! The ruler I bought was a thin plastic ruler -- it had no weight and I couldn't hold it steady for cutting. And it was easy to nick it with the rotary cutter.

It was all they had at the dime store, so I figured it must be what quilters use. I suffered through two or three quilt tops with that flimsy ruler before I discovered the "real" quilting rulers.