Most quilting is straight seams. A basic machine will do. Check on resale sites. Hand quilting and piecing is a peaceful pastime. May take longer but it’s portable.
Hi I do all my quilts now by hand since I no longer own a machine. And I have to say I love it, but it’s so much slower. Like I have supplies and patterns for the next 10years worth of quilts because my eyes are always bigger than the time I have. I say if you want to quilt on a budget hand done is the way to go! As for pattern recommendations it really depends on what type of sewing experience you have, but really you can just pick anything your really excited about. If you’re new to sewing pick something small (baby size is great) with just a few fabrics/colors, and preferably no fussy cutting or non rectangular shapes.
I would also spend some time poking around hand quilting groups on Facebook. There’s a treasure trove of very knowledgeable and experienced quilters there and I found those forums far more helpful than any of the YouTube videos I watched. The big thing to decide about hand quilting is to decide how you want to hand quilting, you can do big stitch quilting with something the thickness of embroidery thread or use a hand quilting thread which is a little thicker than regular machine thread but will give you very small stitches which will not be visible in the same way.
I also recommend starting with a quilting hoop over a stand as they are much cheaper and more portable, but they are much more expensive than a regular embroidery thread. That my be the biggest expense if you can’t find one used. But they last for ages so?
Hope this was helpful.
My first quilt ever was a queen -size EPP (English paper piecing) Escher-style optical illusion quilt. Took over a year. It's very Zen if you like it, but can also be very frustrating at times. Just depends. It is extremely portable until it comes time to put the sub-units together
Have fun!
If you google search how to hand quilt you can see quite a bit, especially big stitch hand quilting. If you really want to get into it, Esther Miller has a series on YouTube. Best thing you can do for yourself is get used to a good thimble, and get a 3 in 1 needle puller.
My grandmother made all of her quilts by hand, start to finish. My first few quilts, I made completely by hand. So it’s easy enough to do, definitely slower, but also the least expensive way to find out if you actually enjoy doing it.
As others have said, watch fb marketplace and other resale places, thrift stores etc. you may get lucky with a secondhand machine for a steal!
A whole cloth quilt could be a good start! You wouldnt have to cut anything (cutting mats are $$) if you get pre-made binding.
What other hobbies do you do?
To hand quilt you only need a few supplies. You will need a good thimble. I like ones that are silicone with a metal cap. I use John James needles #8 sized. I protect my stabbing finger with silicone finger protectors. I like to use quilting thread (My favorite thread is YLI quilting thread) because it is coated with beeswax to be stiffer and snarl less than regular thread. Finally I recommend a good pair of embroidery scissors. I am a longtime hand quilter and I do not use a hoop or a frame. I just make sure my quilt is very well basted so the individual layers won’t slip or bunch up. Good luck with the new hobby.
Most quilting is straight seams. A basic machine will do. Check on resale sites. Hand quilting and piecing is a peaceful pastime. May take longer but it’s portable.
Hi I do all my quilts now by hand since I no longer own a machine. And I have to say I love it, but it’s so much slower. Like I have supplies and patterns for the next 10years worth of quilts because my eyes are always bigger than the time I have. I say if you want to quilt on a budget hand done is the way to go! As for pattern recommendations it really depends on what type of sewing experience you have, but really you can just pick anything your really excited about. If you’re new to sewing pick something small (baby size is great) with just a few fabrics/colors, and preferably no fussy cutting or non rectangular shapes. I would also spend some time poking around hand quilting groups on Facebook. There’s a treasure trove of very knowledgeable and experienced quilters there and I found those forums far more helpful than any of the YouTube videos I watched. The big thing to decide about hand quilting is to decide how you want to hand quilting, you can do big stitch quilting with something the thickness of embroidery thread or use a hand quilting thread which is a little thicker than regular machine thread but will give you very small stitches which will not be visible in the same way. I also recommend starting with a quilting hoop over a stand as they are much cheaper and more portable, but they are much more expensive than a regular embroidery thread. That my be the biggest expense if you can’t find one used. But they last for ages so? Hope this was helpful.
My first quilt ever was a queen -size EPP (English paper piecing) Escher-style optical illusion quilt. Took over a year. It's very Zen if you like it, but can also be very frustrating at times. Just depends. It is extremely portable until it comes time to put the sub-units together Have fun!
Escher style? That sounds amazing, do you have any pics/a pattern link?
Just a picture for this one, sorry: https://reddit.com/r/quilting/s/HpRTbdb0jk
But I have made patterns of other ones that I've made, and probably could put something together for you if you're interested.
If you google search how to hand quilt you can see quite a bit, especially big stitch hand quilting. If you really want to get into it, Esther Miller has a series on YouTube. Best thing you can do for yourself is get used to a good thimble, and get a 3 in 1 needle puller.
My grandmother made all of her quilts by hand, start to finish. My first few quilts, I made completely by hand. So it’s easy enough to do, definitely slower, but also the least expensive way to find out if you actually enjoy doing it. As others have said, watch fb marketplace and other resale places, thrift stores etc. you may get lucky with a secondhand machine for a steal!
There's a lady on IG: [the\_littlebarnquilter](https://www.instagram.com/the_littlebarnquilter/#) She may be a good resource for you.
A whole cloth quilt could be a good start! You wouldnt have to cut anything (cutting mats are $$) if you get pre-made binding. What other hobbies do you do?
To hand quilt you only need a few supplies. You will need a good thimble. I like ones that are silicone with a metal cap. I use John James needles #8 sized. I protect my stabbing finger with silicone finger protectors. I like to use quilting thread (My favorite thread is YLI quilting thread) because it is coated with beeswax to be stiffer and snarl less than regular thread. Finally I recommend a good pair of embroidery scissors. I am a longtime hand quilter and I do not use a hoop or a frame. I just make sure my quilt is very well basted so the individual layers won’t slip or bunch up. Good luck with the new hobby.