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I'm a pretty nifty hand-quilter, but I still don't have a clue how to use a sewing machine. I bought one a few years ago, discovered that the manual is absolutely useless (barely shows you how to thread the needle), made a few sporadic attempts to see if I could work it out on my own, and gave up. Because I've got severe ME/CFIDS, I have substantial memory problems and find that if I learn a few things and then go back to the sewing machine months later, I can't remember any of it. I need to be using it regularly, and I need something that's a really good source of information so that I can check up on anything I've forgotten.
Classes, whether group or individual, aren't an option, as I'm both housebound and broke. My neighbour was going to teach me, but she's left the country. (She always used to say that thread tension was more of an art than a science, and seemed to think that I would just pick it up, but I remained completely lost.) This leaves books. I do well with books, I learnt 95% of what I know about hand-quilting from books, although as I have visual problems I do better with the ones with larger print, or at least smaller blocks of print to read at any one time. Since craft books of this type tend to consist of instructions in lots of short paragraphs, often in neat little boxes with bullet points and the like, that's usually fairly manageable where continuous prose isn't. (I don't do terribly well with videos and use them only rarely.)
Anyway, I need recommendations for a book, please! Something available in the UK, and not too horrendously pricey. I'd like it to cover all the basics, from threading the needle onwards. I'm mainly going to use the machine for quilting, though things like how to put in zips would be useful as well. I do have quilting books which talk about how to use a machine for quilting, and while I can't tell how good they are as they assume that you already are proficient in using the machine, at least some of that part of things should be covered already. I suspect that good free-motion quilting is something I should get a separate book on, unless there is some miraculous tome out there which takes you from the very basic beginner level all the way up to all the little tricks for free-motion quilting. (Every single quilting book I own assumes you already know how to use your sewing machine. I seem to be the only person out there who is an advanced hand-quilter but can't use a sewing machine at all!) I'm right-handed, so I'm not bothered about whether the book shows instructions specifically for lefties. Anything which mentions ergonomics is a bonus, as I have trouble with grip and fatigue and so forth, but I reckon that's the sort of thing I can find out as needed on this forum or elsewhere. Nice clear illustrations are a must, combined with full explanations in the text (as opposed to the Ikea-furniture-assembly-instructions school of thought!).
The machine is a Husqvarna Emerald 118.
Classes, whether group or individual, aren't an option, as I'm both housebound and broke. My neighbour was going to teach me, but she's left the country. (She always used to say that thread tension was more of an art than a science, and seemed to think that I would just pick it up, but I remained completely lost.) This leaves books. I do well with books, I learnt 95% of what I know about hand-quilting from books, although as I have visual problems I do better with the ones with larger print, or at least smaller blocks of print to read at any one time. Since craft books of this type tend to consist of instructions in lots of short paragraphs, often in neat little boxes with bullet points and the like, that's usually fairly manageable where continuous prose isn't. (I don't do terribly well with videos and use them only rarely.)
Anyway, I need recommendations for a book, please! Something available in the UK, and not too horrendously pricey. I'd like it to cover all the basics, from threading the needle onwards. I'm mainly going to use the machine for quilting, though things like how to put in zips would be useful as well. I do have quilting books which talk about how to use a machine for quilting, and while I can't tell how good they are as they assume that you already are proficient in using the machine, at least some of that part of things should be covered already. I suspect that good free-motion quilting is something I should get a separate book on, unless there is some miraculous tome out there which takes you from the very basic beginner level all the way up to all the little tricks for free-motion quilting. (Every single quilting book I own assumes you already know how to use your sewing machine. I seem to be the only person out there who is an advanced hand-quilter but can't use a sewing machine at all!) I'm right-handed, so I'm not bothered about whether the book shows instructions specifically for lefties. Anything which mentions ergonomics is a bonus, as I have trouble with grip and fatigue and so forth, but I reckon that's the sort of thing I can find out as needed on this forum or elsewhere. Nice clear illustrations are a must, combined with full explanations in the text (as opposed to the Ikea-furniture-assembly-instructions school of thought!).
The machine is a Husqvarna Emerald 118.
