Diane Palmer asked:


Learn to knit, and get those creative juices flowing… I can still remember the moment I learned to knit. I was 6 years old, and my grandma sat down with me while my mother was busy with my new baby brother.

She taught me to cast on, and knit, and I was so excited I took my knitting everywhere.. it was all uneven and horrid, but I was excited that I had learned something new, and still love to knit to this day!

I am left handed, and always found many crafts hard to do because of it, such as crochet. But knitting can be done easily whether you are left handed or right handed.

Learning to knit as a child is a great way, but if you never did learn to knit, and would like to, then why not get started now!

Take it in little steps. Learn to cast on one day, and then learn to do the basic garter stitch the next day, and PRACTICE. That is the biggest part of knitting, is practicing. Once you have mastered the garter stitch, then you can try to purl, which is going through the back of the stitch.

Once you have mastered basic knitting, then you will need to learn to cast off. Continue to practice and make lots of blocks of knitting. (you can always make them into a quilt later!).
There are many books, ebooks, and videos on the market that will teach you how to knit, learning from an experienced knitter sitting right beside you, will still always be the best way, like my grandma did. But the next best thing I feel is a video. One where you get a real good close-up of what the teacher is doing, not something far away.

With a video, you can play it over and over again, and if you sit there with your needles and yarn, you will get this new skill. Its good for the brain to learn new crafts and skills, it gets the creativity flowing and keeps the brain alert.

It is never too late, and you are never too old to learn something new! Try it, knitting is good for relieving stress, as many men are finding. Knitting has become popular amongst celebrities and many professional men.. to help with stress and become creative.

So, get yourself some knitting needles and yarn, and maybe a basic pattern to get started with, once you learn your basic skills.

Try it, you may like it, so watch a good video and learn to knit…

learn how to knit



JOESPH

Penny Halgren asked:


If you have ever considered starting a quilting business but don’t feel good about America’s tough economy, I challenge you to think again. There are plenty of reasons to start your own quilting business now!

Money spent on quilting supplies in 2006 increased 45.4 percent. That year, quilters spent $3.3 billion in the United States alone. Statistics further show that the average quilter spent just over $2,300 for supplies in 2006.
Some will argue that times have changed since 2006. It’s true. Times have changed and those changes make this a great time to start a quilting business of your own.

For instance, many large businesses and corporations are downsizing. Quilters can turn their hobby into money if they find themselves without a “regular” job. Maybe you could use your quilting skills or knowledge to earn extra money on a part time basis. In times like these, every little bit of money you can earn helps!

But in addition to all those great reasons, there’s still a bigger reason that this is a great time to start a quilting business.

Statistics show that quilters would prefer to buy supplies from retail stores and quilt shows, but the number of quilters who shop for supplies and services online has grown. In 2003, only 17 percent of quilters said they bought more than half their supplies online or through mail order. Just three years later, that percentage had jumped to 20 percent.

The 2006 survey shows statistics for quilters who bought more than half their supplies online. The survey doesn’t even address how many quilters bought LESS than half their supplies online. I’m sure that number is huge!

More quilters report having high speed internet access. In 2006, 73 percent of quilters surveyed had access to high speed internet - which makes shopping online safer. That percentage was 12 percent higher than in 2003.

Here’s another good reason to start a quilting business online. As more and more quilters reach retirement age, spending more time at home and often moving to rural communities where there are no quilting shops, online opportunities will continue to grow.

Quilting is not solely an American hobby. Quilting is spreading world-wide. Not too many years ago, Japan and Australia hosted their first quilting shows. Those shows have grown and we are now seeing quilt shows in many Scandinavian, European and Asian countries.

To sum it up: quilting supplies and services offered online reach much farther than the United State’s slumping economy affects. There’s no need to let a nation’s economic slump create a slump for you or your dream business.

Whether you want to offer a hand or machine quilting service, sell supplies or start a remnant shop on your favorite online auction site, there’s no time like the present to start your own quilting business.

Internet businesses give quilters the opportunity to be business owners without the often expensive overhead of renting office or retail space. An internet business is just as real and viable as a brick and mortar location - each setting has its own benefits. An internet business will allow the quilter time to grow his or her business without feeling the pressure to “sink or swim” in a storefront location.

If your dream is to start a quilting business, don’t wait another day. That doesn’t mean you should march in and tell your boss you’re through tomorrow, but you should start investigating your quilting business options. The online market is not saturated, and the sooner you get in and find your niche, the sooner your own quilting business will be profitable!



KENNY

mickeymore asked:


I want to incorperate people’s faces in a spring handmade quilt. Everyone at work has to make a 12 x 12 inch quilting block for the quilt. I want to put their faces in the middle of flowers. Also everyone has a piece of the same material they have to use in the block in some way to tie the whole quilt together.

ARMAND

MIKE SELVON asked:


Wherever in the world you go you will find patchwork quilting to be a great hit. Though the basic concept was popularized by the Amish somewhere around the 17th century, the quilt pattern of sewing has been around for many thousands of years, right from the time of the Egyptians. Today, the making of the quilts is not only considered a highly satisfying hobby, but also as a medium to earn a comfortable income through a home based business.

No matter where you live, whether in Europe, Asia or North America, you will likely fall in love with a patchwork quilt, whenever you see one. There is a basic charm in the quilt pattern that literally warms up your heart. This is why patchwork quilting is the favorite pastime of many people across the globe.

Besides making excellent bedding for yourself, you could always make sentimental gifts for others. Whether it is for a wedding gift, for a baby, a birthday or an anniversary, the quilt is an excellent offering which says, without any words, “I love you.”

Quilting is usually a time consuming and a painstaking endeavor. However, the end product well justifies the trouble involved. Those who want to profit from this wonderful occupation need to start with small personal orders from friends and relatives, which could actually give an accurate idea of the local demand.

In most cases, the word-of-mouth advertising will bring in so many orders that an upgrade to machine quilting may become necessary in order to deliver on time. Though patchwork quilting by hand is in higher demand, the machine made products are appreciated too. Many people, who start on a micro scale, expand exponentially within a year. Going online could also help, although you would need a website and would have to learn a few things about internet marketing, in order to find a niche market in the virtual world.

Patchwork quilting has always been a hot favorite for people, whether in the ancient civilization of Egypt or in the modern world of today. This is because of the extremely attractive designs, and it also symbolizes love; maybe because it takes a lot of time to make a beautiful quilt.

Whatever it is, this is an art form which can make a wonderful home business as well. Anyone can start on a micro scale and expand as per the demand. For those who want to grow faster, the internet is a ready made tool waiting to be used, though some basic initial training is recommended.



FREDRICK

Tima.ashar asked:


The art of quilting is not something new to this world, it has been around for centuries, but still there is no confirmation about the exact origin. According to the historians is that the history of quilting, piecing and applique was widely used for clothing and decorating stuff at home in ancient times. There is a common belief that quilting originated in China and Egypt at the same time. The oldest quilted garment found till now dates back to somewhere around 3400 BC.

Back in the 11th century, the crusaders picked up a type of quilting from the Middle East and brought it back to Europe. During that time, quilted piece of cloth was used by the Knights to give them extra cushion under their armor.

The Romans were the pioneers in introducing quilted bedding, which was used as mattress. Europeans got hold with this idea and they stuffed sack between two-combined mattress. It was in the 15th century when the Europeans found quilting as a necessity when they were troubled by cold winds in the winter season.

The very first quilts were made of few layers of cloth that was attached together with running stitches. Quilt Frames came into existence as it was difficult to stitch many layers of cloth together. Europeans, blessed with these frames started to create quilts that were more decorative, more finely stitched.

19th century marked a great period of quilting in Europe and America. People in villages would come together and make one or more quilts in an afternoon. Women were very pleased with this as they could come out of the boundaries of their home and could contribute in doing something useful.

For more information on quilts and quilt making, visit - Quilting Book

The author is a freelance writer associated with http://www.quilting-book.info



DESMOND

Kristen Q asked:


I have a beautiful new sewing machine and I would like start quilting. What materials and tools do I need to start?

MICKEY

snovak49849 asked:


I am a beginner when it comes to quilting. I would like to try hand quilting, but the frames i have found so far are really expensive….. I would like to find a frame or plans for a frame. Is there anyone out there that can help?

GENE

Janette O asked:


I am a beginner to sewing and quilting.I have no previous knowledge of quilting.

RAPHAEL

Simon Rand asked:


I’ve always been stubborn. When I was a young child, my favorite phrase was “Me do it,” and I’ve only become more determined with age.

I’m also a former scholar. So when I decided to seriously play with fiber, I set out to read everything I could find about it. I started out with teddy bears, moved on to quilts and then crazy quilts, then to embroidery and needlepoint, then to Kaffe Fassett, then to knitting, and then to crochet.

I fell madly in love with crochet for three years, until my wrist gave out. (But, fortunately, it’s finally starting to recover.) By then I was spinning wild yarn on a drop spindle, and since spinning is usually discussed with weaving, I found myself playing on simple frame looms. Although I’m not promiscuous, I now love spinning and weaving as much as I love crochet.

I couldn’t have done any of this without my beloved books and magazines. Except for a few needlepoint classes and a crochet conference, I’ve learned just about everything I know from print and three videotapes.

About being taught…Before falling in love with yarn, I was an impassioned schoolteacher. I’ve spent some of the best times of my life in a classroom, usually as a teacher and occasionally as a student.

But the trouble with schools and classrooms is that they are inherently conservative. They exist to pass on previous knowledge, and they are also used, sometimes quite viciously, to socialize students. Unless the teacher is truly remarkable, students learn either to think like the teacher or to rebel like the other rebels.

The same holds true for less formal fiber classes. The woman who taught those needlepoint classes taught to make us dependent. We each bought a different painted canvas, and then she would choose the fiber and tell us what stitch to put in what place. No stitch guides, no discussion of design, not even a mention of needlepoint’s glorious history–just “Do this here.”

The crochet conference was a lot more fun. What could be better than spending a three-day weekend with hundreds of other people who share your obsession? I also had the very great pleasure of spending all of my class time with the brilliant British crocheters, Sylvia Cosh and James Walters. They are two of the remarkable teachers I talked about earlier–although they teach the techniques they’ve developed, they also gently encourage individual experimentation. Just looking at their work up close was enough to send me home inspired!

But this was a conference sponsored by a guild, and the officers held tightly to their party line. They wanted to quickly move crochet into professional and artistic territory, but since I’m a populist at heart, I wanted to decrease the competition and increase the celebration of everyone’s work. When I dared to say so publicly, I earned the president’s undying enmity.

Don’t get me wrong–I think professionalism is admirable and artistic growth is sublime. But I also think competition is brutal, and I’d hoped that a modern guild would want to encourage and celebrate all of its members.

I should have known better. Groups are also inherently conservative and exist to further the interests of the people who run them.

Creative independence is partly conservative, too, because we all draw on the past to learn skills. Many of us also delve into the histories of the crafts we love to discover the work of our foremothers.

But we become creatively independent when we absorb as much as we can and then move on to develop our own ways of working. In the Spring, l998, issue of Interweave Knits, Linda Ligon writes about Peruvian and Bolivian knitters. In her wonderfully witty way, she says she’s mystified by how the women knit so creatively, using virtually every known knitting technique to make strikingly beautiful and original pieces.

There’s really no mystery, of course. These women are so thoroughly at home with knitting, so thoroughly skilled and confident, that it’s second nature for them to knit the way they do.

Think about the great cooks you know. At one time they followed recipes, like the rest of us, and for many of them, reading cookbooks is a way of life. But they’re so experienced that they’re able to take a little of this and a little of that and come up with a delicious meal with very little effort.

Or so it seems…Because what we don’t see is all the thinking that goes on. And this is the key–first we become so skilled that our technique is almost automatic, so we can then put most of our effort into thinking.

When I say “thinking,” I’m actually talking about the creative process. It can be as quick as stir-frying a meal from leftovers or as complex as designing and sewing a quilt. What matters is not that we become Martha Stewart or Nancy Crow, but that we find an authentic way to express ourselves.

This is the joy of creative independence.

This is also a joy of being alive.



GONZALO