How to Sew a Quilt in a Weekend

Quilting can let you express your creativity while you make warm coverings for your bed and wonderful gifts for others. Unfortunately, not many people have time to make quilts using traditional methods familiar to our grandmothers. If you are willing to learn to strip quilt, however, you can sew a quilt in a three-day weekend.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric
• Washer and dryer
• Ironing board and iron
• Rotary cutter and cutting mat
• Pins
• Sewing machine and matching thread
• Sewing scissors

Instructions

Day One

1. Wash, dry and iron your fabrics. This will ensure your quilt does not shrink when it is washed.

2. Cut the fabric. You will need 15 strips measuring 3.5 by 42 inches of the dark fabric, 12 strips measuring 3.5 by 42 inches of the light fabric and 31 squares measuring 9.5 by 9.5 inches of the light fabric.

3. Sew your strips together. Pin right sides together, align the raw edges and sew one dark strip to one light strip using a quarter-inch seam allowance. Press the seams open.

4. Join another dark strip to the opposite side of the light side so you have one strip made up of dark, light and dark strips. Cut this strip into 3.5-inch segments. You will need 64 segments of this strip.

5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4, switching the order of the light and dark strips. You will have a strip made up of light, dark and light strips. Cut this strip into 3.5-inch segments, You will need 12 of these segments.

Day Two

1. Make your blocks by sewing 2 dark, light, dark segments on either side of a light, dark, light segment. You will need 32 blocks for your weekend quilt.

2. Alternate pieced blocks with the light-colored fabric squares you cut in the beginning. With right sides facing and raw edges aligned, sew a row of blocks together. Each row will be made of 7 alternating blocks.

3. Begin the next row with a solid block, followed by a pieced block. Alternate rows like this until you have sewn 9 rows with 7 blocks each. Press all the seams in the rows open.

4. Pin the first 2 rows together, right sides facing and raw edges aligned. Sew the rows together horizontally. Continue adding rows, making sure the pieced and solid blocks alternate. Press all the seams open.

Day Three

1. Cut the batting with your sewing scissors a quarter-inch smaller than the quilt top all around. Cut the 4 yards of backing fabric in half so you have 2 pieces of 2 yards each.

2. Place right sides together, align the raw edges and sew these pieces together along one long edge. You will then have a backing piece that measures 72 by 90 inches. Trim the backing to the quilt size.

3. Baste the top, batting and backing together. Begin at the center of the quilt and take large stitches through all 3 layers to each outer corner. Baste around the outside edges to prevent the fabric from slipping.

4. Quilt your weekend quilt on your sewing machine. Begin at the center of the quilt and work outward, using small running stitches. Stop sewing 1/2 inch before you reach the quilt edge.

5. Clip the basting stitches and pull the thread from the quilt when you have completed the quilting. Fold the top edge under three-quarters of an inch and press.

6. Bring the backing fabric forward and press a quarter-inch all around. Fold the backing again over the quilt top, making a small border. Sew to the front of the quilt.

Tips & Warnings

• Buy a variety of fabrics. Include some lights, some darks and some medium shades.

Resources

• Quilt information.
• Quilting supplies available online.