Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
Quilting a piece of flat material typically involves stitching a marked pattern through layers of fabric. However, you can create a more dynamic quilt by including more dimensional elements, such as pleats. To sew pleats into a quilt, you must treat the quilting threads carefully to prevent the threads from deforming the folded pleats, or from creating tugs and gathers where they should not be.
Quilts are both warm and decorative, and have been constructed for hundreds of years as a way of using scrap fabrics as well as a means of artistic expression. Some quilts are more intricate than others, and this intricacy is developed by using a few different types of minor stitches -- subtle stitches not actually used to piece the quilt together. Using more minor stitches, or substitches, allows the surface of the quilt to seem more textured. Minor stitches can even be introduced into an existing quilt to make it more intricate.
The Cricut, by Provo Craft, is a printer-sized device for crafters. Using interchangeable cartridges and a moving blade, it cuts shapes and lettering from a variety of media. Although it was originally intended for paper and card stock, it's also possible to use a Cricut to cut fabric for applique or quilt blocks.
To make the quilting process easier, a quilting stand is used to hold the fabric, batting and backing together. The frame of the quilting stand holds all of the elements of a quilt taught while it's being completed. The stand can be made out of inexpensive lumber; it is sturdy enough to hold thick layers of quilting materials and lightweight enough to rest comfortably on your lap.
Quilting can be for more than just bedspreads. In fact, you can make several useful things with quilting techniques, including key chains. Whether you want a key chain to match your favorite purse or you want to make use of fabric scraps left over from a previous project, make a cute rag-quilt key chain with a small amount of fabric and a few other inexpensive supplies.
Many people enjoy quilting because it allows them to turn small scraps of fabric into beautiful and useful works of art. Many traditional quilt blocks use small pieces of fabric for a mix-and-match effect. Triangle geese, also known as flying geese, are a traditional quilt piece made from squares of fabric. Flying geese blocks consist of a large central triangle with a smaller triangle of contrasting fabric attached to each side.
Quilting is a fun hobby and a great way to recycle old scraps of material. You can customize the quilt to your household needs. Big-block quilts are the fastest and easiest quilts to make. The larger the block, the faster the quilt can be sewn. Beginning quilters can start with simple patterns of alternating colors, and advanced quilters can create complex patterns to build intricate fabric blocks. Patterns are readily available at fabric and quilting stores and outlets.
A quilting rack for sewing, more commonly referred to as a quilting frame, has been around in one form or another since people started quilting. Quilting frames hold the pieced together quilt firmly in place, giving the quilter two hands with which to hand-stitch the quilt together. There are times when you don't need a large frame, though. Working on a small quilting project makes a large quilting frame feel like overkill. Making a small rack that is more portable can free up your small quilting projects, allowing you to sew while sitting in your favorite chair. Sometimes these smaller…
Quilting began centuries ago as a means to create clothing and bedding. Quilting is the art of joining scraps of fabric together to create larger quilt blocks. Quilt blocks are sewn together to create a quilt top. Sewing a quilt block together is called piecing. Each quilt block is made from multiple geometric shapes combined to create a square. The quilt top is joined over a second piece of fabric with batting sandwiched between the two layers to create a quilt. You can piece together quilt blocks with star designs.
Some quilts are symmetrical in their patterns -- intricate designs that repeat across the length and width of the bedclothes. The pieces of fabric that make up symmetrically patterned quilts tend to be uniform in size and cut in straight lines or even circles. Wonky blocks, however, are cut differently. Wonky blocks themselves are identical in size -- so as to make an even-length quilt -- but the house pattern inside the blocks are varied and asymmetrical, much like older houses in neighborhoods across the country. So get out your scissors and fabric and create your own wonky house quilt.
A quilting frame stabilizes the three main components of a quilt -- backing, batting and top -- during the process of tying or quilting the quilt. It also allows you to hand or machine stitch your quilted pieces together, to make sure that you correctly line up the backing with the batting and top, and to keep those pieces from sliding around during assembly. Build a tabletop quilting frame to perform these functions at a reasonable price.
The great fear in the back of every quilter's mind is working long and hard on a quilt, and when it is done, it is beautifully crafted but, well, ugly. It screams confusion and clashing colors, making it unusable for anything other than the car trunk. The solution is, of course, planning. A big part of the design of a quilt is the subtle interplay between colors and their placement in relation to each other, and many people find working with colors difficult.
Quilted baby boots make a good gift for winter months. Use a pattern to cut pieces and quilt the material, or purchase quilted cloth and simply cut the pieces to the pattern and sew them together. Quilted boots are good for boys or girls, and the material can be unisex or chosen specifically for the baby based on the parents' interests. Football patterns make good boots for a baby with a dad who wants him to be a kicker, while a pattern of tiny dresses would be appreciated by a fashion-conscious mom.
There are numerous methods for piecing fabrics to create quilt block patterns and free-hand textile designs. Incorporating sky and grass elements into a quilt can be approached from two very different techniques. Whichever strategy you choose for piecing a quilt with sky and grass, the result will undoubtedly be a beautiful, calming creation sporting soft blues, teals, creamy clouds and grasses in variegated green fabrics.
Quilting is a fairly easy craft to learn, but it is necessary to have the right tools when laying out your quilt. Modern tools used today include a rotary cutter, self-healing mat and a ruler. Make sure to choose fabrics that are not too tightly or too loosely woven. If the fabric is too loose, it will fray. If it is too tight, it is difficult to navigate the quilting needles. You have many choices of fabric and designs, but the cutting and sewing of the fabric must be done with precision.
When creating a quilt, the actual quilting process begins after the patchwork cover has been sewn together. Quilting is accomplished by sewing through the patchwork outside and the batting in the middle. Diagonal stitches are often used when creating square quilts, although they work well on rectangular quilts, too. Diagonal stitches give the quilt a geometric look. Often, quilters will use many perpendicular lines to create an all-over diamond pattern when they sew their quilts with diagonal stitches.
Origami is the Japanese art of folding sheets of paper into decorative objects. It started as the ceremonial folding of paper certificates and later developed into an art form. There are many different styles of origami, and while folding paper is the typical practice, designers sometimes use other materials, such as cloth, to make origami designs. Quilt origami assembles blocks for quilting by folding and stitching sheets of fabric. You can make cloth look like fennel flowers in this manner.
Mitered corners add an expert touch to any project by creating a framework around your quilt. These corners resemble the sections of a picture frame and while achieving this effect will make your quilt look like the work of an expert at the task, mitered borders are a finishing technique that are actually more intimidating than they are challenging. When you are finished, you will be amazed at the scope of your skills while you have enhanced the quality of your quilting.
If you're looking for a fun, versatile, easy and highly portable craft project, yo-yo quilts are hard to beat. Yo-yo quilts are not actually quilts, in the strictest sense of the word, because they do not involve multiple layers or batting, but they can make beautiful bedspreads or coverlets. You can also use yo-yos to decorate clothing or bags or to create wall art. You need only a few simple sewing supplies and scrap fabric to embark on a sewing project with many possibilities.
A baby quilt can be comforting and soothing to a baby as he drops off to sleep. Rag quilts are simple to make, but not all types of fabric work. Choose a soft fabric that will keep your little one warm, as well as a fabric that is machine-washable. A few such fabrics are available at fabric stores, and many of them also come in attractive colors and baby-themed patterns. Once you know the benefits of each of these fabrics, you can make a rag quilt that complements your nursery design and keeps your baby warm.
Stippling is a quilting technique of close stitches that can be done by hand or machine. It creates a textured surface, as the fabric puffs up between the stitching. By definition, lines of stippling must be curved and can never cross each other. To meet these requirements, quilters can follow a paper pattern attached to the fabric, use a quilting stencil, mark a freehand pattern or stitch completely freehand.
The final process in quilting involves binding the edges of the quilt. Binding forms a protective boarder around the outside of the quilt, keeping together all three layers, including the top, batting and backing. Quilt binding is typically between 1/4 and 1/2 an inch wide. However, the width of your binding is based on your preference. When binding your quilt, it is important to create attractive corners so your quilt appears neat and professional.
A square-within-a-square quilt is one of beauty that also displays the skill of the quilter. It is more complex than the standard square-by-square quilt. Instead of measuring one block before sewing, the square-within-a-square quilt requires measurements for one large square and four triangles. The result is one large block that magically meets the measurements needed to fit the larger quilt. However, completing such a block is not a work of magic; it just takes some strategic measuring.
If your significant other is in an occupation in which he has to wear ties every day, chances are he has a collection of ties. Once your closet is feeling a little too cluttered and you want to make some room, don’t toss the old ties out. Use old ties that are still in good condition to make a sun ray quilt. Ties are a great source of fabric because they come in various textures and a splendid array of colors. A sun ray quilt consists of a square block of color that is offset by long triangles that appear…
When you know someone who is sewing a quilt, and an upcoming occasion calls for you to give that person a present, think about quilt-related items that could be meaningful to the quilter. It helps to do research about the process of quilting so that you understand what types of materials go into the project. From there you can create a gift that the person will find functional and enjoyable.
Quilts often have two different strips around the outside of the quilt top: a border and a binding. Quilt borders can have butted or mitered corners. Butted corners have the vertical or horizontal border strips overlap the perpendicular border strip with a straight vertical or horizontal seam. With a mitered corner, the border strips meet at a 45 degree angle, like a picture frame or floor molding. Mitering requires a little more fabric than a straight or butted corner so take that into account when purchasing your fabrics.
A serger can save you valuable time and energy when finishing your quilt. Unlike a regular sewing machine, a serger will sew, trim, and finish the edges of your quilt simultaneously. Although the benefits of a serger are significant, the machine is more challenging to operate than a traditional sewing machine. Although daunting to many amateur quilt-makers, with a little practice, you'll be serging quilts like a professional in no time.
Finishing a quilt with mitered corners allows the edges to meet at a 45 degree angle. Though there are a number of techniques for finishing the corners of a quilt top, mitering the corners is a common method for intermediate to advanced quilters which achieves a uniquely clean final effect. According to master quilter Nancy Murty, mitering is particularly effective when working with stripes or other prints. Beginners to the technique can gain experience connecting strips of fabric on a bias before attempting to corner a quilt.
You can draw a quilt square in a wide variety of different ways. Learn how to draw a butterfly quilt square with help from an illustrator in this free video clip.
Quilt blocks can be simple squares of fabric, or they can be very complex. Intricate quilt block designs can be made with fabric scraps cut into curves, small triangles and squares, circle halves and shapes like leaves, petals or figures. Blocks made with intricate pieces of fabric require more handling, which means that fraying is more likely than with a simple square. A few simple techniques will help you prevent or minimize fraying when you make quilt blocks.
The “cutting” size of a quilt border is not the same as the “finished” size. The cutting size represents what the dimensions of the quilt borders need to be in order to achieve the finished size. By contrast, the finished size represents what the dimensions of the quilt borders are once the quilt is completely put together. To determine the cutting width of the outside border on quilts you must account for the amount of fabric that will be used when stitching the border to the quilt top. Determining the cutting width will help you achieve your preferred finished width.
Sashing is a term quilters use to refer to the space in between the patchwork on quilts. When planning your quilt pattern, you decide whether to sew patterned patches directly to on another, or whether you add spaces in between the patches. This technique allows you to frame a patch, highlighting your work. It also increases the size of the quilt, allowing you produce less patchwork to complete it.
Reminiscent of Native American blankets, military chevrons and decorative rick-rack, a zigzag quilt can complement a guest room or a bedroom. The pattern was originally called "streak of lightning" by American settlers in the late 1800s. It produces a visually striking quilt, especially when using multiple colors or prints. Zigzag quilts are commonly constructed of pieced triangular fabric blocks, but joined strips of fabric cut to size can be easily arranged into the same zigzag pattern. A twin size quilt measures about 66 inches by 86 inches, but the size can be adjusted for throws, crib and lap quilts or…
With the popularity of rotary cutting and speed machine piecing, hand-piecing skills seem a thing of the past. While it is not as fast as other methods, hand-piecing allows you more control over your stitches -- especially on smaller projects, curves, very elaborate pieces or finely detailed blocks. Hand-piecing lets you take your quilting project anywhere, such as in a car or train, without the need for your machine or a source of electricity. Try hand-piecing as a way to slow down, connect with your project and enjoy quilting the way it has been done for hundreds of years.
Students from elementary school through college often live in fear of fractions, but what they don't realize is they encounter fractions every day. Students deal with fractions when they cook, follow art patterns and even curl up at night with their quilts. Teachers can modify their lessons for children with fraction-phobia by using a couple of fraction quilt ideas.
If you don't have the right workstation setup for quilting, you could face serious drag problems. These happen when the quilt gets too bunched up or, worse, hangs off the side of the table, forcing you to fight gravity while struggling to make straight stitches. You don't need to be a master carpenter to make a sewing table that suits your quilting needs -- it's simply a matter of gathering the supplies you regularly use and making a workspace that's big enough for whatever you're working on.
Making a large quilt can be a challenge. It’s easy to lose sight of the developing pattern, because of the sheer volume of fabric involved. It’s also difficult to maintain a consistent tension when sewing the patches, with some puckering or others sewn too loose. A quilting rack or frame can help overcome these issues. It can keep the fabric taut and smooth -- allowing the quilter to monitor the quilt’s progress. This frame is easy to dismantle and store.
Whether you want to display a homemade creation or dress up a room with textures and patterns, there are many options for hanging a quilt. A straightforward quilt hanger you can make at home, called a compression quilt hanger, clamps the upper edge of your quilt and allows the remainder of the quilt to hang free. Once your hanger is complete, you can leave it as natural wood or paint or stain the hanger to match the colors of your room.
Double-faced quilt panels are assembled together to create a beautiful bedspread or wall hanging that looks great on both sides. Rather than a regular lining backing, these quilts are made from panels comprised of two layers of quilting squares with a layer of cotton batting or polyester filling in between. These individual panels can be finished with simple, turned-in and sewn edges, or you can finish each panel with a decorative binding border.
A quilt can be thought of as a "sandwich" of sorts. It is comprised of the quilt top, the backing and the batting. The quilt top provides the visual theme of the quilt. The batting provides the warmth and heft of the quilt. The backing protects the batting and complements the top. These elements have to be selected and combined prior to the final quilting and binding.
Not all historical quilts were made to provide warmth. Instead, some served as a way to show off the maker's exquisite needlework. The quilt maker would frequently cover seams with fancy decorative embroidery. One example -- which looks complex but is actually rather simple -- is the feather stitch. Using this stitch over the seams in your quilt provides an elegant, hand-finished look that a machine alone typically fails to provide.
A quilt top consists of several different parts. The quilt squares, the sashing and the border all combine to -- hopefully -- form an attractive and visually appealing top. The border, though the last part of the quilt top to be assembled, serves to frame the quilt, tie it together visually and can even be used to increase the size. Adding a border to a quilt is a straightforward process.
In a typical quilt, the seams are hidden as much as possible. The opposite is true for a rag quilt. While the "right" side of the fabric is still exposed, the seams are on the outside of the quilt rather than hidden inside. With most fabrics, this results in a frayed look at each of these seams in your finished quilt. Fleece, however, does not fray this way. Instead, you end up with a rag quilt with clipped rather than frayed seams.
Creating your own quilt is an exercise in decision-making. Not only must you choose the pattern, if you are using one, but also the various fabrics. From there, you have to decide which fabric to use for which pieces, what material to use for your backing and batting, which precise shade of thread works best, and much more. After all these decisions, the step of putting on the border may sound appealingly uncomplicated. However, you must make decisions here too. One eye-catching option is to use corner squares, also known as cornerstones.
Quilts are often given as gifts of comfort and can offer a sense of warmth and security. Cream is an excellent neutral shade and can be a more subdued color option to work with than a straight white. It offers a relaxing background, ideal for adding applique or combining with other, busier quilt fabrics. You might also decide to create a basic solid quilt, and use it as an opportunity to focus on your quilting technique and stitching.
Embellishments add to and enhance the colors, textures and look of a quilt -- creating a unique piece of artwork that can be admired for years to come. Common quilting embellishments include beads, buttons and fibers, which are typically added by hand or machine stitching. Other embellishments -- such as patches, pom-poms, pewter charms and faux flowers -- can also be used to decorate your quilt. Embellishments typically are inexpensive and simple to attach, and can be added to a quilt you've either made by hand or purchased.
A yo-yo quilt looks like dozens of yo-yos strung together in columns and rows. Most do not have backing or use batting, but you can create your own version of the quilt by customizing and making any idea your own. The number of yo-yo’s depends upon the size of your bed, the s yo-yo size and the size of each quilt square. If you use 4-inch squares with 3.5-inch yo-yo’s, you will need approximately 450 squares and yo-yo's for a single bed, 525 for a full-size, 590 for a queen or 676 for a king-size bed.
Attach letter appliques to a finished quilt using a dual method meant for the security of the design. An iron-on adhesive sheet forms a firm bond between the two fabrics. A stitched edge ensures that the letters will stay even if the adhesive should fail. Use plastic stencils when making the patterns for the letters if you're unsure of your writing ability. Use thick, filled letter styles for the best results.
Binding refers to the finishing of a quilt that is completed by securing its edges. A strip of fabric typically is folded over the unfinished quilt edges and stitched into place. You can then add yarn to this binding to further secure the quilt edges, cover rough edges and add texture and color. Yarn binding is done by couching the yarn along the edges of the quilt, using a yarn couching attachment for your sewing machine.
The sashing on a quilt is the decorative fabric used between the blocks. The blocks and their sashings combined give a quilt its distinctive decorative pattern. Mitering is the means by which the edges of each block, sashing or border are sewn and neatened to give a continuous flow to each section of the quilt, with no ragged edges or unusual-looking joinings. Mitering is important for sashings, as poor mitering will result in a shabby-looking quilt. You will need to stitch the mitered corners at a 45-degree angle for uniform results.
