I am thinking about making a patchwork quilt/blanket for DD, she loves Minnie Mouse and Peppa Pig so thought I would incorporate these two into it. I however am a beginner, do not own a sewing machine (pretty sure my MIL has a working one though that I can borrow if need be) and was just wondering if there are any tips you can give me and I had a few questions.

Am I able to hire a machine from anywhere, I can't afford to buy one at the moment (I had a look on gumtree but I worry about buying second hand when I have no idea what to look for in regards to quality, brand etc).

Is there anywhere online where I can look at and buy fabrics?

I figured a blanket should be easy enough for a beginner, I did do sewing in high school but I also remember struggling and the best thing I made back then was a pillow lol. Also if it matters I am left handed (no idea if that makes a difference).

Any help you can all give me would be great

Regarding a sewing machine: Go to a sewing machine shop. A good one will take the time with you to discuss what you might want, and they should have second hand machines if that's what you decide to go with. There's no problem borrowing one of course, but if you manage to get the money together this is what I think you should do. Another alternative that one of my friends did was go to her local neighbourhood house - they have sewing lessons where you bring your project (in your case the quilt) and for about $9 per week they'll walk you through making it, and you can use their machines - so see if you have this near you!

Regarding fabric: There are so many places online! I think US stores are cheaper online than Australian ones, from what I hear. I do like this shop though, and they have great sales through their facebook pages too.

If you want to see fabrics in person then check out Spotlight (my local has good quilting fabrics), Lincraft, etc. Check google to see if there is a local quilting store, they might have more. To be honest I've never seen Peppa Pig or Minnie Mouse fabric but I don't look for that kind of thing so it is possibly out there.

A basic patchwork quilt/blanket should be pretty easy. If you do go with your own machine (or a borrowed one) you may need to purchase a walking foot, unless you do the quilting by hand.

Good luck, and let us know how you go!

Hey!

I've just started to learn how to quilt and there are some really good tutorials around on the net to help you get started.

http://oldredbarnco.blogspot.com.au/2009/1...rap-winner.html

http://www.redpepperquilts.com/search/label/tutorial

also here's my quilting pinterest board. It's quite ambitious but i will get there one day....

http://pinterest.com/natalie_moschou/for-quilting/

I was completely new to sewing so it took me a while to get the hang of things like sewing a straight line, using a rotary cutter properly etc, but i'm getting there with the help of a few lessons from my local (lovely!!) quilting store. Perhaps have a look to see if there are any in your area and drop in for a couple of pointers. Try very very hard though not to get swept up in their gorgeous fabrics!!!

A few things that you might need are: Rotary cutter and self healing mat, plastic quilters ruler. This should help you cut perfectly straight blocks. I also bought a 1/4 inch foot for my machine and i had trouble getting my head around seam allowances also.

Maybe also look for a pattern that's super easy for a first quilt ie keep most of it in squares as some of the more advanced blocks can be super challenging and time consuming for a novice!!!

Spotlight had pretty much everything i needed to get me started. I personally would get some discounted fabric to practise a little on before starting your project, just to get you into the swing of it all.

Re the character fabric - i havent seen any minnie or peppa at any of the stores but would love to know if you do find any peppa pig as DD loves her!!

Oohhh a quick ebay search showed no fabrics but a few iron on transfers perhaps you could use them like a sort of applique?? Just a thought...

yeah I figured if I couldn't find the fabric I was after then I would look at iron ons

Thanks heaps, no idea when I will get started as I don't have any of the equipment yet so need to sort all that out first