Quilting

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

A quilt sash is the border between the quilted squares that can be used to add color and definition to the quilt. Not all quilts have sashes, but adding a sash can add contrast to the quilted piece.…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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,…

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…

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…

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…