Beginner Quilter - help!

[redllamayellowllama]

After a life-log fascination with fabric, I decided a while ago I'd really like to get into quilting. I've taken some sewing classes, got myself a machine and feel like I'm knowledgeable enough on the sewing basics to give it a whirl.

I'd like to start with something simple - a 9 block with applique for DS, but I really need a bit of hand-holding. If in doubt, I like to consult books. Can anyone recommend a book that will take me through the beginner (hopefully leading into intermediate) stages?

Amazon has yielded 'Quilt with Confidence' by Nancy Zieman and '90 minute Quilts' by Meryl Ann Butler. Any good?

TIA

Can you find a local beginners class? I always think of Quilting as a sociable craft.

I really like Katherine Gurrier's books and I've found this one useful. If you're looking for attractive but simple patterns then I strongly recommend this book by Jan Mullen. I've made a few of them and they are really quick and look great and because the patterns are a bit wonky deliberately the wonkiness of your mistakes doesn't show. This Kaffe Fassett book has some great patterns too, some very simple and some a bit tricky.

Check on Book Depository, the Jan Mullen book is much cheaper there and the others might be too.

Thanks all. I found quite a useful quilting compendium in the library and have planned out a design. I think I might just dive in and give it a go.

Quilting classes - I can't seem to find any locally that aren't in the daytime. There's a course coming up in June at the V&A with Kaffe Fassett. It's pitched at beginners, but I might be setting my sights a bit high even with that!

I'd say just go for it. I am a beginner too and have just made my second quilt and it's just applique with a patchwork border. And then quilted all around the appliqued figures. IMO it's only by diving in and making mistakes that you learn!

I'd love to go on a V&A course. But I live a wee bittie far!

Liberty run the occasional patchwork class if you're near London. I'd love to find a local course but am struggling a bit. I've just started and am already hooked, but would love some real life advice and support. Lots of good info online, Quilted Paradise is teeming with American women who are all passionate and highly knowledgeable. And here, of course...

I bought Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam Lintott which has lovely ideas in it. It's not really aimed at beginners but there are some fairly basic ones in there which gave me enough ideas to have a go and I'm about to attempt one from her second book. It's not great on the quilting side of things - just says "quilt as desired" but there's lots of videos on YouTube and elsewhere.

I realised quite rapidly that no-one's going to shout if I get it wrong - so I just have a go and see what happens. It's completely addictive - dh is concerned I've become a quilting obsessed madwoman...