How to Piece Quilts
No one knows the exact date when people began piecing quilts together, but it can be argued that the first pieced quilts were made out of necessity. People needed blankets to keep warm, so they took scraps of fabric and sewed them together to make something usable. Pieced quilting has now become an art form. You too can take pieces of fabric and sew them together to make something beautiful and decorative for your home. Get together with a friend and piece a quilt for someone who is in need or sick. Pieced quilts make great gifts for almost anyone.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Quilt pattern
- Fabric
- Ruler
- Roller cutter with mat
- Scissors
- Plastic zipper bags
- Iron
- Pins
Instructions
-
-
1
Choose a quilt pattern that is easy enough for you. If this is your first quilt project, start with an easy pattern, such as nine-patch block, patchwork or quilt ribbons.
-
2
Purchase the fabric needed as stated in the quilt pattern directions. Choose 100 percent cotton fabrics for best results. Wash, dry and iron all the fabric to prevent shrinking in the finished product.
-
-
3
Trace any quilt pattern pieces with paper and pencil or simply follow the directions for cutting out straight sided pieces using a roller cutter and a mat.
-
4
Cut out all of your fabric pieces, following the quilt directions. Keep the pieces organized by putting them in separate plastic zipper bags. For example, if you are sewing a 9-patch block you will need four squares of a light fabric, which can go in one bag, and 5 squares of a dark fabric, which can go in another bag.
-
5
Sew the pieces for one block together, leaving a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Sew three rows for each block: two rows of dark-light-dark and one row of light-dark-light, for the 9-patch block. Iron each seam after sewing, pressing the seam allowance to the darker color.
-
6
Sew the three rows together to form a square. Butt seams up against each other on the front of the fabric, with the pressed seam allowances going in the opposite direction on the back, to make crisp points and make a smooth-looking top of the quilt.
-
7
Use plenty of pins to hold the fabric at the seams, making sure all the seams line up.
-
8
Arrange the blocks as shown in the quilt pattern. Sew the blocks together into rows, iron and then sew the rows together to complete the pieced quilt top.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Using a roller cutter and a mat can make cutting out straight pieces such as strips, squares and even triangles very quickly. For pieces that have an odd shape, you will need to trace the pattern and cut out the fabric using scissors. Use graph paper to make sure the pattern pieces are perfect.
For a lot of pieces that are sewn together in the same manner, save time by chain piecing. Simply keep on sewing without stopping until you have all the sets of squares sewn together. Clip the pieces apart and then proceed with the rest of the pieced quilt top directions. This will save you a lot of time and thread.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Steve Baccon/Photodisc/Getty Images
