How to Teach Children Quilting

A homemade quilt can be an ideal kid's project.

When you enjoy quilting, you may become quite prolific in the quilts that you produce. A natural extension of quilting is to share your passion with friends and family. Often, children are eager students, wishing to learn the same skills they see you using as you quilt. Share your love of the art and teach children your craft. Sew a simple four-patch quilt for a first project so children can learn the fundamentals and begin making quilts.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton fabric
• Iron
• Cutting mat
• Quilting ruler
• Rotary cutter (with safety cover)
• Sewing machine
• Cotton thread
• Backing fabric
• Batting

Instructions

1. Encourage children to pick out the fabrics they want to use to make a simple quilt. Explain the basics of fabric colors for quilts, using a combination of light colors, medium colors and dark colors. Fabrics also may be solid colors, or they could have patterns. Patterned fabrics range from small to large-size patterns. A quilt becomes vivid and appealing when a quilter uses a combination of light, medium and dark colors with an even amount of solids and patterns.

2. Prewash the fabrics and dry them. Iron all the fabrics to remove wrinkles. An adult should use the iron, if necessary, to prevent burns.

3. Explain the selvage edges of the fabric---these are the woven edges that often have a line of printing. When you cut cotton fabric for quilting, you must make the cuts perpendicular to the selvage edges. Show children how to fold the fabric for cutting by placing the two selvage edges together with the right sides of the fabric facing out. Make a second fold by bringing the folded edge up to the two selvage edges. Iron these folds well to make them flat and crisp.

4. Place the folded fabric onto a cutting mat with the fold nearest you and the selvage edges away from you. Use a quilting ruler to measure 4-inch strips between the folded edge and the selvage edges. Cut about five 4-inch strips by holding the quilting ruler firmly and running a rotary cutter along the edge of the ruler. Cut five strips of each fabric you are using for the quilt.

5. Show children how to place two strips together for sewing. Choose two different fabrics in contrasting colors and patterns for the best visual appeal (light to medium or dark and large to small pattern). Place the two strips together with right sides facing each other and align the corners and edges. Stitch along one long edge using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Help children press the seam toward the lighter fabric. Provide help with pressing to avoid burns, if necessary. Stitch all the fabric strips together.

6. Cut the strip combinations crosswise into 4-inch-wide strips. This will produce many different two-square pieces.

7. Match two pieces together, aligning corners and edges and placing them with right sides facing. Show children how to sew along one long edge to make a four-patch square. Help children press the seam to one side. Repeat this process to make as many four-patch squares as you desire. Sew the four-patch squares together to construct the quilt top.

8. Place the backing fabric onto a flat surface with the wrong side facing up. Place a batting layer over the backing. Lay the quilt top with the top side facing up over the batting. Cut the backing and batting layers to make them the same size as the quilt top.

Tips & Warnings

• The actual process of quilting the three layers of the quilt may be too difficult for beginning quilters. You may wish to complete this process yourself, take the quilt to a professional for quilting or simply tie the three layers together with crochet cotton at the corners of each square. Each of these methods would be an acceptable way to finish a first quilt.

• An adult should use the rotary cutter unless children are old enough to use this tool safely. The blade is very sharp.

References

• "Kids Start Quilting With Alex Anderson"; Alex Anderson; 2002