My sister and I plan to design and construct a quilt but I've never done this before... any advice?

My Grandma's 75th birthday is In March and my sister came up with the idea of making a quilt with pictures for her birthday. I agreed to work with her on it, but I've never done anything like this before. As for my sister, I think she might have helped construct a quilt once, but I'm not sure and I know she's never designed a quilt before. We both agreed that when we see each other on Christmas, we would present our design ideas to each other, decide on one and split up the work.





Any advise?????My sister and I plan to design and construct a quilt but I've never done this before... any advice?
You could actually do any quilt block that had a larger center square and put the photo there, but if you've never made a quilt before, you'll want to stick with a fairly simple pattern.





There are three basic issues you need to be prepared for:


1. How to get the photos onto fabric.


2. How to sew the quilt top.


3. How to fasten the layers (top, batting, backing) together.





The first is easy. You can purchase fabric sheets that are treated to go right through an inkjet printer. Read the packaging to be sure that it's washable. There are several different brands and they should be available at most fabric and craft stores. This is not the same as transfer paper, where you print the photos onto paper and then iron it onto the fabric. That doesn't last as long or look as nice. Keep in mind that the stuff isn't cheap - plan carefully when you print the photos on it and then cut them apart, leaving 1/4'; extra all the way around the photos for your seam allowance.





The next part, sewing the top, is where all of the fun and most of the challenge lies. I'd advise picking up a basic beginner quilting book, like ';Start Quilting with Alex Anderson'; or ';Quilter's Complete Guide'; by Fons %26amp; Porter. This will help with info about rotary cutting, seam allowances, putting blocks together, etc. The simplest pattern would be just photos alternating with plain squares of fabric, like a checkerboard. You could also sew a strip of fabric on all four sides of the photo, like a frame, then sew the framed photos together. If you wanted to get a little more complicated, you could make simple four patch or nine patch blocks for the alternating squares. This would give you a diagonal chain effect. Get some graph paper and try drawing out your designs - it helps to put it on paper.





Finally, you need a way to fasten the layers together. If it's a relatively small quilt, you can just sew straight lines through the layers using a regular sewing machine. You'll need to learn about basting the layers together first. You also need to check the batting you choose so you know how far apart it can be quilted. Some batting has to be quilted as close as 3'; while other batting can be as far as 10'; apart. Instead of quilting, you might want to consider tying the quilt. This involves using embroidery floss, pearl cotton or yarn to thread through all three layers and back, then tying a secure knot to hold everything in place. You can tie the knots on the front of the quilt or on the back, depending on if you want the loose ends to be visible.





Check out this link for more quilting resources:


http://piecemealquilts.wordpress.com/qui鈥?/a>My sister and I plan to design and construct a quilt but I've never done this before... any advice?
1. Don't worry too much about it being perfect. One of the biggest parts of this gift that she will love is that you two made it together, just for her.





2. Think about and/or investigate things she likes. What's her favorite flower? Her favorite color? What kind of things do you remember about your childhood with her? Does she have any hobbies?





3. Consider a simple design - make a number of squares that have the pictures on them, then put them together with panels of other fabric in between.





4. Try and see if you can get some friends together for the last 'quilting' step - once the entire quilt is put together, you have to sew through all layers with thread to make it puffy here and there.





Read up on the links provided by the other answers, and have fun making this. Also, I can tell you from experience - once you have your plan, start working sooner rather than later. You'll be glad.
This is a great question for the quilting forum on Craftster:


http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php鈥?/a>





There you can get handmade quilting techniques, ideas, tips, etc.
Take a class and get some expert input!