You’ve got your machine and all your tools and you’re ready for the fun part – picking out the fabric. Woo hoo! What you might not know is that some fabrics are a dream to work with – and some are a nightmare.
This video gives you some tips on how to choose fabric for a beginning sewist. Hint: It’s not the velvet and satin! At least not for beginners. After you have some of the basics under your belt we’ll have a few special lessons on working with all the “tricky” fabrics I mention. You will learn to sew with velvet – just not for your first project. 🙂
Want to jump ahead to working with some of those “fancy” fabrics? Here are links to some lessons. . .
- Working with stretch fabrics
- Working with napped fabrics (velvet, corduroy and more)
- Intraux to Faux Fur
- Sewing fat polar fleece
- Tips and Tricks for Working with Cuddle Fleece
And I have a whole bunch of info about working with felt – one of my favorite fabrics.
If you’re looking for specific info about choosing fabrics (and colors) for a quilt, here are some helpful posts for you.
- How to Choose Fabric (and Colors) for a Quilt
- How to Applique with Fleece and Fur
- How to Applique with Satin
- How to Applique with Shiny Fabric (like metallic tissue lamé)
Now that you know how to choose fabric that will be easy to work with – pick a project and start sewing! There are a bunch of free patterns here.
Happy sewing!
Hi Wendi I have been collecting fabrics since 1994. All my fabrics are stored, by colour, in plastic crates. Aged 65yrs I am now trying to take stock of my stash and want to try to use a lot of them up. I am not very experienced at patchwork and quilting – indeed I wonder why I bought many of the fat quarters!!! My problem is that the blue and red crates are overflowing but I don’t know how to utilise them into a quilt or something. Your advice would be most helpful. I realise I could add white to these two colours but that’s not appealing right now. Can you help please? Desparate of Harrow Middlesex United Kingdom. LIZ BRYENTON
Hi Wendy, I’m waiting on a supply before I can finish a current project so thought I’d start a Baily Bear kit that I have :0). But then I realized I haven’t washed the fabric yet :0{ I’m wondering if the fabric came prewashed?!
Just need to tell you too that your tutorial videos, patterns, supplies, and projects are Awesome! I am having a Great time learning so many new things!!!! Wendy
Sorry – that fabric hasn’t been prewashed. I know I usually recommend it for everything – and I prewash everything before it’s allowed into my stash – but I wouldn’t worry about it for this project. That fabric has a very low shrink rate.
Liz,
If you have a lot of scraps in a limited range of colors you’re actually in great shape for making a scrap quilt. I’m working on a few more quilt patterns that will include instructions for scrappy versions – but I won’t be finished with them for at least another month. In the meantime, take a look at the posts I wrote about this Stripey Scrappy Quilt. http://wendigratz.blogspot.com/search/label/quilting?updated-max=2012-03-28T08:00:00-04:00&max-results=20&start=11&by-date=false The Buttonholes Quilt http://shinyhappyworld.bigcartel.com/product/buttonholes-quilt-pattern also has instructions to make it scrappy – blue buttonholes on a red background (or vice versa) would be lovely! 🙂 Good luck!
Best,
Wendi
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