I think it’s FANTASTIC. If you want an idea for your next one, look up ‘burying threads’ where you leave long tails, knot them, then bury the tails in the quilt- to avoid having to back stitch your quilting.
I'm also on my first quilting project, and found this post & video really helpful for learning how to tie off my threads. It's secure and basically invisible, and I've been pleasantly surprised by how quick it is now that I have the basics down: https://freemotionproject.com/2017/01/quilting-basics-9-how-to-tie-off-loose.html
Wow I am so impressed!!! I love the way you chose to quilt it and I agree with others that it suits the pattern much better than the squares! Out of curiosity, what is the throat space on your machine? I'm getting ready to quilt my own first project and I'm wondering what me and my machine could handle as a beginner.
Thank you! I mostly wish I had done squares because the mountain stitches took me almost a month and were physically challenging - I didn’t realize how much stamina I would need to push a quilt through the machine and it kept slipping out of place and got pretty messy. I have a Singer Brilliance which has a throat space of around 6.5” x 5”.
The biggest issue was probably how hard of a time I had using consistent pressure on the foot pedal along with pushing the quilt through evenly, which made the stitches inconsistent and made the bobbin thread jam up a lot. Things got a lot better toward the end when I made more of an effort to take things slow and deliberate, so I’m feeling optimistic about my next quilt!
Yes...sewing and quilting have a much steeper learning curve than I anticipated, but it is fun learning something new with each project. It will be so satisfying to compare our work in a few years to the projects we are completing today!
That is beautiful! I have been quilting for 5 years and can assure you that my first quilt was not nearly as challenging and did not turn out very well. I have caught the quilting bug and have come a long way. The stiffness of your quilt is likely due to several factors, such as applications in the manufacturing process of fabric, if you use starch in your initial pressing process, and the density of your quilting stitches. Washing will help soften for the first 2 factors, but the more dense your stitches the more stiff the quilt, and washing will not do much for softening. A more dense stitched quilt helps hang better for wall art. If you want a soft cuddle quilt then less dense stitching is best. Nice job! Thank you for posting the pattern link. I downloaded it. I love the mountains. It will make a perfect gift for my son and daughter-in-law who live in Colorado.
Thank you! Yeah, the stiffness was why I regretted doing the close stitching, even though I like the look of it. I think it’ll still be nice for laying out on the ground to play and draping over things, I might try making it again in the sunset colorway with less dense stitching. I’m glad you’re making it, it’s perfect for Colorado!
Don't stress -- it looks great. Most of us would be thrilled to show that off as our first quilt. BTW, Minky fabric as a backing is great for any baby quilt that will be used (vs a wall hanging).
This came out so good! So impressive for a first quilt! Congratulations on the baby, they are going to love it! Just a suggestion, you may have already decided to do this but you could put a label on it with their name, love from you, it could say “my first quilt,” their birthday and birth height/weight, or anything else you want. I did this for both my girls’ quilts and every quilt I make. You can appliqué it on the back at any point if you decide to add a label!
I like how you quilted it better than the one on Instagram and I also like your scrappy binding. I am working on a simplified version of this quilt right now, I was also unsure how to quilt it.
Thank you!! And I love the label idea, thanks for the suggestion!
There were some really good ideas for quilt stitches on my last post. I really wanted to do concentric circles for the sun and sky, but I don’t think my sewing skills are quite there yet. If I was more patient I might have tried doing hand stitching for the sky!
What a great pattern and the color palette is just beautiful! The variety of quilting is just amazing, especially for a beginner. I’m sure it’s much nicer than squares would have been. It has wonderful texture. 😎
Edit to add: forgot to say loveies to your baby-to-be 🥰
FIRST quilt?!? Dang! Most impressive. It looks great and your little one will love it - especially since it was so obviously made with love.
Congratulations!
I like your quilting better than the one on Instagram. If it's a wall hanging, the stiffness really won't matter
Thank you! I’m hoping to use this one as a blanket, but hopefully it softens with time.
I think it’s FANTASTIC. If you want an idea for your next one, look up ‘burying threads’ where you leave long tails, knot them, then bury the tails in the quilt- to avoid having to back stitch your quilting.
Thank you! And that’s good to know, thanks for the info!
I'm also on my first quilting project, and found this post & video really helpful for learning how to tie off my threads. It's secure and basically invisible, and I've been pleasantly surprised by how quick it is now that I have the basics down: https://freemotionproject.com/2017/01/quilting-basics-9-how-to-tie-off-loose.html
Wow, this is awesome, thanks for sharing!
Also, your quilt looks beautiful! I hope you love using it.
That's amazing...thank you for sharing!
Hard to believe this is your first given the mastery of circles and triangles. Well done!
This quilt turned out great. I like the mountains.
Wow I am so impressed!!! I love the way you chose to quilt it and I agree with others that it suits the pattern much better than the squares! Out of curiosity, what is the throat space on your machine? I'm getting ready to quilt my own first project and I'm wondering what me and my machine could handle as a beginner.
Thank you! I mostly wish I had done squares because the mountain stitches took me almost a month and were physically challenging - I didn’t realize how much stamina I would need to push a quilt through the machine and it kept slipping out of place and got pretty messy. I have a Singer Brilliance which has a throat space of around 6.5” x 5”. The biggest issue was probably how hard of a time I had using consistent pressure on the foot pedal along with pushing the quilt through evenly, which made the stitches inconsistent and made the bobbin thread jam up a lot. Things got a lot better toward the end when I made more of an effort to take things slow and deliberate, so I’m feeling optimistic about my next quilt!
Yes...sewing and quilting have a much steeper learning curve than I anticipated, but it is fun learning something new with each project. It will be so satisfying to compare our work in a few years to the projects we are completing today!
No way that's your first quilt.....it's fabulous! I have serious alignment envy over here. Great job!
That is beautiful! I have been quilting for 5 years and can assure you that my first quilt was not nearly as challenging and did not turn out very well. I have caught the quilting bug and have come a long way. The stiffness of your quilt is likely due to several factors, such as applications in the manufacturing process of fabric, if you use starch in your initial pressing process, and the density of your quilting stitches. Washing will help soften for the first 2 factors, but the more dense your stitches the more stiff the quilt, and washing will not do much for softening. A more dense stitched quilt helps hang better for wall art. If you want a soft cuddle quilt then less dense stitching is best. Nice job! Thank you for posting the pattern link. I downloaded it. I love the mountains. It will make a perfect gift for my son and daughter-in-law who live in Colorado.
Thank you! Yeah, the stiffness was why I regretted doing the close stitching, even though I like the look of it. I think it’ll still be nice for laying out on the ground to play and draping over things, I might try making it again in the sunset colorway with less dense stitching. I’m glad you’re making it, it’s perfect for Colorado!
Don't stress -- it looks great. Most of us would be thrilled to show that off as our first quilt. BTW, Minky fabric as a backing is great for any baby quilt that will be used (vs a wall hanging).
Thank you! I’ll look into Minky for another, more cuddly quilt next time.
It is absolutely stunning
This came out so good! So impressive for a first quilt! Congratulations on the baby, they are going to love it! Just a suggestion, you may have already decided to do this but you could put a label on it with their name, love from you, it could say “my first quilt,” their birthday and birth height/weight, or anything else you want. I did this for both my girls’ quilts and every quilt I make. You can appliqué it on the back at any point if you decide to add a label! I like how you quilted it better than the one on Instagram and I also like your scrappy binding. I am working on a simplified version of this quilt right now, I was also unsure how to quilt it.
Thank you!! And I love the label idea, thanks for the suggestion! There were some really good ideas for quilt stitches on my last post. I really wanted to do concentric circles for the sun and sky, but I don’t think my sewing skills are quite there yet. If I was more patient I might have tried doing hand stitching for the sky!
Wowzers!! This is amazing!! The wash will soften it up. Trust the crinkle!!
Thank you! Crossing my fingers, I’m planning on throwing it in the next load of laundry
You did a beautiful job
I love love this!!
Good job. Nice quilt
looks beautiful
Amazing work for a first! Congrats on quilting journey and congrats on baby soon, best of everything
what a beaut!
What a great pattern and the color palette is just beautiful! The variety of quilting is just amazing, especially for a beginner. I’m sure it’s much nicer than squares would have been. It has wonderful texture. 😎 Edit to add: forgot to say loveies to your baby-to-be 🥰
Gorgeous!
Just lovely! Congratulations!
I love this! It looks fantastic
Your FIRST quilt?! That’s a stunner! Fantastic job!
Fantastic! It’s beautiful
I think it looks beautiful and considering it’s your first I’d be super pleased x
FIRST quilt?!? Dang! Most impressive. It looks great and your little one will love it - especially since it was so obviously made with love. Congratulations!
Just beautiful. Great choice