How to Sew an Album Quilt

An album quilt was a quilt that was traditionally given as a present to a bride. They were also given to a friend or family member that was moving away. An album quilt is unique because no square is the same. The squares are also usually signed by different friends or family members.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Variety of fabric
• Fabric for backing
• Batting
• Sewing machine
• Fabric for binding

1. Decide on the pattern for the album quilt. Since an album quilt requires a lot of different kinds of fabric, you'll need to plan ahead so that you can save the right size of squares and amount of fabric for the quilt. The easiest pattern for this kind of quilt is a plain quilt made out of squares.

2. Decide on the size of the quilt and the size of the squares. It is best if you know how many squares you'll need for the entire quilt. This will both give you a goal and allow you to know when you have the right amount of squares.

3. Start saving. Album quilts are traditionally made out of fabrics that are special to the recipient, such as part of a favorite shirt, or out of something that is special to a friend or family member that will remind the recipient of that person.

4. Lay out all the squares when you have enough. You can organize the squares randomly or pair them by color to create blocks of the same colors. The options are endless as far as how to organize the squares.

5. Make sure that all the squares are washed and ironed flat. This will make the squares easier to work with.

6. Pin the edges of the squares together and sew together all the rows. Iron the seams to one side. It is best if you alternate which side you iron the seam to from row to row. This will help you line up the seams in each row.

7. Pin and sew the rows together. Make sure to line up the seams. Iron the seams for all the rows.

8. Embroider and decorate individual squares. Use your imagination and the taste of the person you're making the quilt for to personalize the quilt.

9. Take the backing and batting that you are going to use and baste it to the quilt top. Basting means that you pin all three layers together so that the quilt can be sewn together easily and won't move around. This eliminates puckering and ripples in the quilt. You can use pins, basting spray, fusible thread or stitch the layers together with large hand stitches. Just remember to begin basting in the center of the quilt and move outward.

10. Begin sewing through all three layers of the quilt. Keep your quilt supported to avoid pulling on the stitches. You can sew free handed without using a pattern or you can follow the ditch, or the seams that you created when you made the quilted top, and sew the quilt together there.

11. Finish the quilt by making a binding. Cut strips of fabric at least 3 1/4-inches wide that are as long as the edge of the quilt. Fold the binding in half with the wrong sides facing each other and iron it.

12. Unfold the binding and sew it onto the quilt with the right side of the patchwork side and the binding face each other. Make sure that the edges are even. Fold the binding the way it was pressed and slip stitch it to the backing of the quilt.