How to Quilt With Satin

Make a purse or blanket from rich-colored satin fabric.

You can turn a piece of satin into a quilted purse or handbag for an elegant-looking fashion accessory, or make a full-size satin quilt to drape across the sofa and enhance your home's décor. Each project is simple enough for novice quilters and gives you the opportunity to practice some basic sewing stitches by hand or on the sewing machine. Give the finished product as a gift to a special friend or let yourself indulge a little and keep the elegant item for yourself.

Things You'll Need

• Satin fabric
• Cotton batting
• Lining fabric
• Sewing needle (or sewing machine)
• Thread
• Satin cord
• Double-fold bias binding tape

Instructions

Quilted Satin Bag or Purse

1. Cut a piece of satin about 12 inches wide by 36 inches long. Cut a piece of cotton batting and a piece of lining fabric the same size.

2. Place the satin rectangle face down on your working surface. Place the cotton batting and then the lining fabric on top. Sew a straight stitch around the outside edges to join the fabrics.

3. Lay the fabric with the lining side facing upward. Measure 1 1/2 inches from one short end. Make a line down the fabric with a piece of chalk. Measure over another 1 1/2 inches and make another line. Continue all the way across the fabric.

4. Rotate the fabric and measure 1 1/2 inches from one long end. Make a line and repeat across the fabric to make a grid of squares on the lining.

5. Sew a line of small straight stitches along each chalk line to make quilted fabric.

6. Place the fabric satin side up and fold it in half lengthwise to make a 12-inch-by-18-inch rectangle.

7. Sew the two 18-inch-long sides to make side seams. Use a zigzag stitch for extra strength or sew a straight stitch and stitch back over each end.

8. Cut a piece of satin cord to about 30 inches long. Pin one end on the left side seam, about 1 inch away from the top. Pin the other end on the right side seam. Sew stitches through the cord and the lining to make a strap for the bag.

9. Flip the bag right side out. Measure the circumference of the opening of the bag. Cut a piece of double-fold bias binding tape to this length plus 1/4 inch.

10. Slide the top edge of the bag in between the layers of the binding tape and sew it in place with a straight stitch all the way around the top edge of the bag.

Satin Quilt

1. Lay the satin fabric on your working surface. Measure a square for the quilt. For large quilting squares, cut a 12-inch square from the satin. For small quilting squares, cut a 6-inch square instead. Use the satin cutout to make as many squares as you would like for the quilt. For a 48-by-60-inch quilt with 12-inch squares, cut out 20 squares. To make the same quilt with 6-inch squares, cut out 80 squares.

2. Arrange the squares into the order you would like them to appear on the quilt. When using 12-inch squares, make the arrangement five squares across by six squares down. When using 6-inch squares, make the arrangement 10 squares across by 12 squares down. Use whipstitch to sew the quilt squares together.

3. Cut a piece of lining fabric to the same size as the quilt. Cut a piece of cotton batting to the same size.

4. Lay the satin quilt face down and place the cotton batting on top. Lay the lining fabric on top and sew around the outside edges to join the three layers together.

5. Cut four pieces of double-fold bias binding tape, one for each side of the quilt. Slide one edge of the quilt in between the two layers of one strip of binding tape. Sew the binding to the quilt with a straight stitch. Repeat with the remaining three sides of the quilt.

References

• "The Bag Making Bible: The Complete Guide to Sewing and Customizing Your Own Unique Bags"; Lisa Lam; 2010
• Quilting 101: How to Make a Quilt

Resources

• Fiber Image: Hand Sewing Stitches