I want to make a quilt?

Do what I did with crochet - youtube it! There are plenty of people who show step-by-step how to do it, and http://www.eHow.com can usually help you out with the very basics and the lingo. As for sewing machines, it is also easy to sew the thing by hand! It may make your hands cramp up a bit and be a bit more time-consuming, but my grandmother did all of her quilts by hand, so if you don't want to mess with the machine, there's also that option. Also, the person who answered first - there is a "crafts & hobbies" subsection under "games & recreation."

I've written a number of answers here at YA before that deal with beginning quiltmaking where I've defined a lot of things as well as given ideas for some easier quilt patterns for beginners, and where to get more info, so my replies in these questions should get you started: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ap.dZGcsx7OnCVMltm8eVmvty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20070610225929AA9GdXv http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aj..zgsZAT_xERX8lb1pXNjty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20070807081321AADEzdj http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ao4fxwiaGcLuRM7jTejgR2cW53NG;_ylv=3?qid=20100131094207AAamCs8 http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aj..zgsZAT_xERX8lb1pXNjty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20070531101935AAemBUZ http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080409104104AApc86N http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AhmW0FRrP1mDq71D_yO5jvfsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20090125034632AAMWPMo http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100212215140AA6Qksu http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091005161906AAhQaG0 As for the English vs. American terminology, the biggest things re quilting I remember are that you call "wadding" what we call "batting," and you call "wool"? what we call thread (the very slender stuff that's used for stitching in a sewing machine, or for hand quilting, etc, though that might be a different type of thread or might even be polyester or wool "yarn" if the quilt were "tied" instead of quilted). HTH, and have fun! Diane B. P.S. One of those answers above also mentions why it's not necessary to be a person who can sew to be a person who makes quilts! They're mostly different skill sets. LATER.... I put the 2 words blog and biro into both the normal Google search engine and into it's Image search, but didn't see any quilts. (This was the first entry in the regular search: http://thoughtsandbirosketches.blogspot.com ) If you can copy out the url from the page you saw while you're on it, and then post it here, someone may be able to tell you more about that particular quilt pattern/technique. I probably won't see this question again though so you could also ask that as a new question (and remind me/us of this previous question).

People were making quilts long before America even existed. If you're in the UK, then to to your local public library and get out a book on quilting, and get your mum to buy one of the UK monthly patchwork magazines, as they often have instructions for the basics at the back.

well sounds like you are in the UK. got public libraries there? Your best bet is to get several beginning quilting books from your library and read through them. some can have some pretty good step by step directions. I would start small. Just do a quilted pillow or table runner first. Or a small baby's quilt. Manipulating that much fabric for a full size quilt is not something for a beginner. Start off with just squares. practice sewing them together. I recommend a book over a web site. I went to bing and typed in learning to quilt. I have sewn for years. and I found some of these beginning how to quilt web sites would really overwhelm you with too much information

You are in the correct category and there are plenty who make smart remarks just to earn points for "answering" a question. US terms vary a bit from UK/AU/CA/NZ terms. But all seems to work out. These books have received very good reviews from several UK residents - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Encyclopedia-Quilting-Patchwork-Techniques/dp/085532984X (don't care for title) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quilting-Dummies-Cheryl-Fall/dp/076459799X/ref=pd_sim_b_3 Learning the terms/glossary would benefit you when reading the instructions. Find a pattern you like and make just one block - I have learned from experience that some magazine articles have misprints and pattern errors. If the block turns out as you like, then continue with the quilt. Cut pieces accurately - very important. Keep the seams the same width - just as important as the cutting. Press each row in opposite directions and when you place the rows together, the seams will lock together and help prevent shifting - I center with a straight pin for extra assurance. Have fun and enjoy the experience. Send me a picture of the quilt!

Aw, how nice of you to get into quilting! It's a dying craft, you know. That and knitting (though knitting a little less so). Alright, here's a down-and-dirty quilt pattern. I would suggest making a doll's quilt or baby quilt first to get the steps down and move up. These instructions are for a baby quilt. You will need: Scissors Thread (contrasting thread and a thread that matches your quilt top and backing) Sewing machine 1 yard each of two or three fabrics (you'll have extra) Seam ripper Ruler 1/4" seam allowance stick (optional. I love mine) Batting 1 yard of backing fabric Pins Large safety pins or basting pins Iron Even-feed walking foot (if machine quilting) Note: it's always a good idea to pre-wash your fabric so that any shrinking happens before it's in a quilt. 1) Cut your fabric (not the backing one) into 6 in. X 6 in. squares. Have a total of 48 squares. 2) Arrange in a pattern that looks nice to you in six across and eight down. 3) Sew blocks together using a 1/4 in. seam allowance. If you're using the block, lay it down and mark your seam allowance and sew on the line. If not, there should be a line on your sewing machine next to your needle near the feed dogs. Make sure to pin so your fabric doesn't slide. Sew the six blocks across together into strips, then sew the strips together. Iron your seams so they lay flat; you can press them left or right or open. I like to press them open so my quilt lies flat and doesn't bunch when I'm quilting. 4) Now is the hard part. You can either quilt by machine or by hand. You're basically making a fabric sandwich with the backing fabric, batting, and quilt top. Place the backing fabric right-side down and iron it to get rid of any wrinkles. Place your batting on top, and your quilt-top right-side up on top of the batting, and iron it so it all lies flat. Take your safety pins or your basting pins and pin all three layers together. This is important. You don't want your quilt to move while you're quilting it. 5) For machine quilting: Attach your even-feed walking foot with your thread that matches the top as your thread, and the thread that matches the backing as your bobbin so it doesn't show when you're done. A really simple way to quilt is called "stitch in the ditch", in which you simply sew on your seams you've made by sewing the blocks together. You can also look up other patterns online. Go slowly, and make sure your tension is fairly loose. 6) For hand quilting: go here http://www.ehow.com/how_2120257_hand-quilt.html, because I actually haven't hand-quilted before and have no idea how one goes about it! :) 7) Trim your batting and backing fabric so that it's about 2 in. from your quilt top. Fold the edges over once, and then again so the rough, cut edge of your fabric doesn't show. Using your sewing machine, sew a 1/4" from the edge so that it catches all three layers of fabric. Repeat around. You can also look up other binding techniques online to find the one that's best for you. 8) Trim away all of your stray threads and feel proud! I hope this ways helpful! Have fun making your quilt! :)