How to Make a Celtic Knot Quilt Square
Celtic knots are enduring symbols of an ancient group of people called the Celts who lived in what is now England, Ireland and Wales. While not much is known about the people, the elaborate, interconnected patterns they left on stone altars and monuments thrive today around the world as symbols of enduring love and the interconnectedness of all things. Channel your interest in Celtic knots into quilting by creating a Celtic knot quilt square. Think of your quilt like a canvas and each square as a piece of the Celtic knot that will fill that canvas. When sewn together, the squares reveal a beautiful, unbroken Celtic knot pattern. Start with this simple pattern and move on to more complex patterns as you master the craft.
Things You'll Need
- Computer
- Printer with plain white paper
- Pencil
- Fabric
- Scissors
- Sewing machine
- 90/14 sewing needle
- Thread
- Iron and ironing board
Instructions
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Use the templates found in the resources to create a paper pattern of the Celtic knot square that will form the basis of your quilt. Print four copies of template A, two of template B and one of template C to form one Celtic knot quilt square.
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Trace the templates onto individual sheets of tracing paper. Cut the pieces out of the tracing paper. Understand that the two triangles in template A, the trapezoid and the square in template B and the triangle in template C together form one quarter of one Celtic knot quilt square. Make one quarter of one square at a time and then stitch all four parts together to form one finished square. Sew three rows of three squares (nine total squares) together for a full quilt.
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3
Select three colors of fabric, one of them light and the others dark, so that the colors contrast with each other, making the knot pattern easy to see. Purchase one quarter yard of each fabric color.
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Mark the two colors you've chosen for the two triangles in template A onto the tracing paper. Cut out the individual pieces that make up each triangle. Pin each piece to the appropriate color of fabric. Cut the pattern out of the fabric, according to your chosen color scheme. Pin the three pieces of each triangle together so that the six pieces form two triangles. Repeat three additional times to make up the pieces that form the corner of the Celtic knot quilt square.
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Install a 90/14 sewing needle into your sewing machine so that the needle will perforate the tracing paper, making it easy to remove after sewing. Set your stitch to a straight stitch with a small stitch count so that you make about 8-12 stitches per inch. Sew along the pins on the back of the triangles, removing them as you sew. Sew a one-inch backstitch at the beginning and end of each line you sew to prevent the thread from unraveling.
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Mark the colors you've chosen onto the pieces in templates B and C. Cut the pieces out of the tracing paper and pin them to the appropriate colors of fabric.
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Pin the trapezoids in template C to the squares in template B. Pin the triangles in template B to the trapezoid-square shape to form the other half of the larger triangle that makes up the bottom half of each quarter of the quilt square.
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Sew the pieces together, removing pins as you sew. Sew the two triangles together to form one quarter of the square. Repeat until you have four quarters. Place the quarters on an ironing board. Run a warm iron over the non-papered side of the quarters and press out the tracing paper so that it falls away from the back side of the quarters.
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Pin the quarters together and sew the finished square. Repeat eight times to create a nine-square celtic knot quilt.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
