Get the know-how you need to create beautiful quilts and decorative quilted items Quilting is a fun hobby -- but where do you begin? From selecting fabrics and designing a quilt to stitching by hand or machine, this friendly guide shows you how to put all the pieces together -- and create a wide variety of quilted keepsakes for your home.

Includes 17 great quilting projects and 8 pages of color photos

Get the know-how you need to create beautiful quilts and decorative quilted items

Quilting is a fun hobby—but where do you begin? From selecting fabrics and designing a quilt to stitching by hand or machine, this friendly guide shows you how to put all the pieces together—and create a wide variety of quilted keepsakes for your home. We'll have you in stitches in no time!

THE DUMMIES WAY®

Explanations in plain English"Get in, get out" informationIcons and other navigational aidsOnline cheat sheetTop ten listsA dash of humor and fun

Discover how to:

Select the right fabrics and threadsDesign your masterpiece Use quilting softwareSave time with rotary cutters and other cool toolsQuilt by hand or machineGet creative with appliqué

Get Smart!@www.dummies.com

• Find listings of all our books
• Choose from many different subject categories
• Sign up for eTips at etips.dummies.com

Quilting is a fun hobby -- but where do you begin? Get the know-how you need to create beautiful quilts and decorative quilted items

If you're interested in taking up quilting as a hobby or simply looking for new project ideas, Quilting For Dummies is for you. From selecting fabrics and designing a quilt to stitching by hand or machine, this friendly guide shows you how to put all the pieces together -- and create a wide variety of quilted keepsakes for your home.

You may think you need some sewing experience before you can start cutting and piecing, but that's simply not the case. You can use this book even if your sewing expertise stops after threading a needle. Quilting For Dummies starts at the beginning, helping you to gather the right quilting tools, fabrics, and thread. From there, you'll design your quilts and sharpen your sewing skills. Finally, you'll see how to piece your quilt together and add all the finishing touches.

The book contains illustrated examples, step-by-step instructions, plenty of projects and patterns, plus helpful advice on

• Performing simple stitching maneuvers
• Selecting the right quilting fabrics and threads
• Creating new templates to produce original patterns
• Designing your masterpiece
• Learning new sewing techniques and quilting fundamentals
• Making sense of quilting software
• Saving time with rotary cutters and other cool tools
• Quilting by hand or machine
• Getting creative with applique
• Choosing new sewing machines and materials

Quilting For Dummies also features more than a dozen patterns for projects to get you started and information on quilting software and internet resources. Discover quilting timesavers, ideas for displaying your creations, how judges of quilting contests review the quilted art, and so much more!