How to Make a Simple Sports Pattern Quilt

Sport-themed fabric can be turned into a simple quilt.

Baseball, football, soccer or sports fans in general will love a cuddly quilt with a sport motif. Sport-patterned fabric is available at fabric or quilt shops and Internet quilting fabric sites. Novice quilters will find this quilt pattern easy to construct. This quilt would make a terrific high school graduation gift for a sports fan leaving home for life in a college dorm. The quilt will remind the college student of home, along with his favorite sport.

Things You'll Need

• 3 yards each of two complimentary sport-themed fabrics
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Sewing machine
• 1 1/4 yards medium-weight quilt batting
• 1 1/4 yards muslin fabric for backing
• Safety pins
• Embroidery thread
• Tapestry needle
• Cotton seam binding

Instructions

1. Cut 64 squares, measuring 5 by 5 inches, from the sports-themed fabrics.

2. Connect two squares of different fabrics together by sewing along one edge with a 1/4-inch seam. Sew two pairs together to create a four-patch checkerboard design with the two fabrics.

3. Continue sewing squares together until you have 16 four-patches.

4. Sew together four of the four-patches to create four 16-patches. Use 1/4-inch seams.

5. Sew the four 16-patches together to finish the quilt top. Use 1/4-inch seams.

6. Cut quilt batting and muslin to the measurements of the completed quilt top.

7. Layer muslin, quilt batting and the quilt top on a table. (The muslin should be face-down and the quilt top should be face-up.) Insert safety pins every 5 inches throughout the quilt top to secure all three layers together.

8. Thread the tapestry needle with three strands of embroidery thread.

9. Pass the needle through each patchwork corner from the quilt top through to the back muslin. Return the needle to the front, having made a 1/4-inch stitch. Cut the threads to measure 2 inches long, and tie them in a secure square knot.

10. Repeat the embroidery tie steps in each patchwork corner, removing safety pins as you work along the quilt top.

11. Cut the cotton seam binding to the measurement of the completed quilt perimeter. Pin the binding to the right side of the quilt top at the edge.

12. Attach the binding with a straight stitch seam 1/4 inch from the quilt edge. Fold the binding over, pin it to the muslin backing and hand sew it to the muslin to complete the quilt.

Tips & Warnings

• Sports-themed fabrics can also be coordinated with solid color fabrics for this quilt.

References

• Quilt Chat: What is a Quilt?