Beginners' Corner

This is the section of my shop that is devoted to newcomers into patchwork and quilting.

First of all, some information you may find useful before you start:

• A Fat Quarter is a quarter of a yard of fabric cut so that it is square rather than long and thin - it usually measures 18" x 22" (46x56). Buying Fat Quarters is a great way to build a variety of fabrics without breaking the bank 
• The majority of cotton prints I sell come direct from the USA and so is sold in yards - the fabric supplied in the UK (usually the solids) comes in metres, so a fat quarter of my solid fabrics is slightly bigger than a fat quarter of a print
• When stitching fabric shapes together, always use a 1/4" (6mm) seam. Any templates you buy or find in a magazine will have used this seam allowance as standard
• A fat eighth is half of a Fat Quarter and measures 18" x 11" - an excellent size for the beginner to buy to start off. If you want fat eighths of any fabrics, just ask

Secondly, some ideas for where to start. In this section, I have tried to put together a variety of packs and ideas to get you going. You could start with:

• One of my kits - you will find these in the Blocks and Kits section of the shop
• A set of plastic templates and some fat eighths
• Packs of fabric squares - often called charm squares - a great place to start to make a small item - a cushion or a small decorative quilt. Some quilters like to collect these and make quilts where no fabric is repeated. One I saw made from charm squares had 1001 different fabrics
• For the more ambitious or slightly more experienced, I have put together a rotary cutting pack that has the cutter, ruler and mat with a little bit of a discount for buying the set.

Just one final word of warning - this craft is addictive and will get you delightfully hooked!

Happy Quilting