What I Learned Along the Way
Making my first quilt taught me more than I expected. Some lessons were obvious, some were painful, and a few are funny now that enough time has passed.
If you’re thinking about starting your first quilt, here are a few things I learned.
Things I Learned the Hard Way
- There is a real reason some fabrics cost more than others
- Quilting is never perfect, and that’s part of the charm
- You will stab yourself with a needle at some point
- Binding is still not my strong suit and needs more practice
- Quilting is way more addicting than I expected
Working at a sewing machine for hours, keeping track of threads, lining up right sides, and sewing a consistent inch seam allowance takes practice.
Mistakes happen, seams wander, and sometimes you just keep going anyway.
Why My Quilt Doesn’t Have Borders
You might notice this quilt doesn’t have borders around the outside like many quilts do. That was a very intentional choice.
First, I had often dreamed of a simple zig-zag quilt without borders. I liked the clean, straightforward look.
Second, I didn’t want to spend extra money on more fabric. Quilting supplies add up fast, and I was already stretching my budget.
And third, I knew myself well enough to admit I wouldn’t have time to add borders and still finish within a month. Even without them, I finished later than planned.
Sometimes choosing what to skip is just as important as choosing what to add.
The Fabric Mistake I Won’t Make Again
I already knew there was a reason higher-quality fabric costs more. Still, I talked myself into cutting corners for my first quilt.
I told myself, “It’s my first quilt. I’ll just use cheaper fabric for the backing.”
That was a mistake.
I was nervous about messing things up and couldn’t justify spending $40 on backing fabric.
The fabric I chose was too lightweight and refused to cooperate. It bunched up, shifted constantly, and made putting the quilt sandwich together way more frustrating than it needed to be.
Next time, I’ll spend the money on better backing fabric. That lesson stuck.
A huge thank you to Ashley at Mommy By Day, Crafter By Night, for putting this quilt-along together.
The amount of work that goes into creating clear quilting instructions is no small thing, and her tutorials made such a difference for me.
Even though this quilt-along started back in 2012, you can still follow along and make your own zig-zag quilt today!
