How to Make a Patch Quilt
Create a colorful and decorative patch quilt with leftover pieces of fabric from other sewing projects. Assemble squares of themed fabric swatches to make different quilts for friends and family members. Make lap patch quilts for special occasions, such as birthdays and anniversaries, or to celebrate holidays, such as Christmas, Easter or Halloween. With a little imagination, children and adults can turn odd fabric pieces into cozy works of art to enjoy for years and years.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- 9 fabric squares, 10-by-10 inches
- Straight pins
- Sewing machine and thread
- Iron
- Backing fabric, 30-by-30 inches
- Quilt batting
- Scissors
- Double-fold binding tape, 1-inch wide
- 9 buttons
- Needle
Instructions
-
-
1
Lay out the nine fabric squares on a work table right side down. Lay them in a design three pieces across side by side, three in the middle and three along the bottom.
-
2
Use straight pins to align the left and middle pieces of fabric from the top row on one side. Straight stitch a seam 1/4 inch from the edge along the one side. Remove the straight pins.
-
-
3
Align and pin the right fabric piece from the top row of the quilt design to the other side of the middle fabric piece just sewn. Straight stitch 1/4 inch from the edge to make a seam on one side so that you have three fabric pieces stitched together to make one long piece.
-
4
Work on the second and bottom rows of fabric pieces in the same manner.
-
5
Iron (with steam) the three long fabric pieces on the wrong side to flatten the seams and make a neat finish.
-
6
Pin the top and middle long fabric pieces together, and straight stitch 1/4 inch from the edge. Pin the bottom long piece to the other edge of the middle piece, and straight stitch 1/4 inch from the edge to create one side of the nine-patch quilt. Iron the seams flat on the wrong side.
-
7
Lay the backing fabric right side down on a work table. Lay the quilt batting on top, working from one corner of the backing fabric. Cut any excess batting with scissors. Lay the nine-patch quilt front on top so that all three layers align. Pin the four edges. Straight stitch 1/4 inch from the edge on all four sides. Remove the pins.
-
8
Straight stitch on the front of the quilt from one side to the other, stitching along the quilt block seams. Turn the quilt 45 degrees and straight stitch on top of the other two seams. This secures the front of the quilt to the back of the quilt and looks like a tic-tac-toe grid. Do not iron the seams here; ironing will flatten the batting.
-
9
Finish the edges of the quilt by straight stitching a double-fold binding tape all around the quilt. The edges are already secured from earlier stitching. Hand sew a button in the center of each square of the quilt front with a needle and thread.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Have the backing fabric just a little larger than the proposed size of the front of the quilt. It's easier to cut excess backing if necessary when aligning them together than trying to make everything fit. The double-fold binding tape also hides minor errors.
A patch quilt can be made any size desired, larger for a king bed or smaller for a doll bed. The technique is the same, but proportional.
Keep a sewing craft box handy to collect small pieces of fabric suitable for patch quilting.
Patch quilting can also be made in odd shapes like crazy quilting, rather than squares. If crazy quilting, lay the fabric pieces close together on an interfacing fabric, almost overlapping, and zig-zag stitch over the seams for a neat finish.
References
- Photo Credit flower quilt image by robert mobley from Fotolia.com
