Make A Unique Quilt For Those Cold Winter Nights

 

By Cynthia Taylor

 

How to make a quilt

 

There is nothing nicer than to see a home-made quilt on a bed, it adds colour and texture to a room and leaves a feeling of satisfaction of having made something that can be admired and enjoyed. In addition it serves the purpose of keeping you warm on those cold winter nights.

 

Quilting is an art that has been carried down through the ages, the technique has been passed on from mother to daughter. But today much of that art has been lost and people buy their quilts instead of making them, the satisfaction and enjoyment of creating the quilt, then passing them on from one generation to another has largely been lost but that can be recaptured. Making a quilt is not something that can be made in a hurry but it is a highly satisfying way to pass the time.

 

Choosing the pattern and materials

 

The first step is to choose a pattern and the materials you wish to use. There are many places to find patterns, online on the internet you would be amazed at the choices, visit your local library, there are usually many books with quilting patterns, talk to friends who have made quilts if you know any.

 

The pattern can determine the type of material that you wish to use. Many people use old pieces of material from, for instance, clothing you have enjoyed or clothing that your children have used. Your research can help you decide whether to go for all new pieces of material or a mixture of both.

 

To wash or not to wash?

 

There are some people who say that the material should be washed beforehand and others that say its better to make it before washing there is no hard and fast rule about this. its a personal choice. Whatever you choose treat all the fabric the same. Some new fabrics the dye runs, its a good idea to test a small piece of you are not sure, if you find that the test piece dye runs, then wash before to make sure that later the dye does not ruin the rest of the quilt.

 

Cutting the pattern

 

Precision is required when cutting the pattern. If you don't cut out the pattern correctly it won't line up on the quilt block. Most quilters know that the best way to get the cut accurate is using a rotary cutter, a quilters ruler and a self-healing mat. With the right tools you have a better chance of getting the pattern cut correctly. Your pattern should have cutting instructions.

 

Putting it together

 

You can begin sewing each block together giving a 1/4” (0.25cm) allowance for the seam.

 

Tip: you can mask the sewing machine plate with masking tape to be sure that you keep your 1/4” seam allowance as accurate as possible. Some sewing machines have a foot guide which makes this much easier.

 

Most patterns will give you instructions and the seam measurements as well.

 

Putting the pieces together is easier if you sew in a straight line, doing corners you will need to be more experienced at sewing.

 

Putting the Blocks together

 

Once you have completed the blocks, the number of blocks will depend on how big the blocks are and how many are needed to complete the size of your quilt – the size of the quilt could be for a single sized bed, ¾ sized bed, queen sized bed or an ambitious king sized bed.

 

You now can choose if you want to add borders round each block. Borders can be added for character, or to make up extra 'square footage' which means you could make less blocks. Two or three borders with different coloured fabrics could make the quilt more interesting.

 

Add any borders you want to the blocks making sure that the end result will fit the background in total. Cut the strips and sew them to the blocks, then sew the blocks together to create one large piece, then you need to sew the outside border.

 

Choose the batting

 

The batting is the filling inside of the quilt, choices of batting are:

 

• High loft batting – this a thicker batting and has more volume, will be warmer in winter.

• Low loft batting – this is thinner and not as warm but will be easier to sew

• Fusible batting - this can be easily ironed on to the top and then to the bottom pieces, using this type of batting you wont need to baste.

 

Choosing the backing material

 

Backing could be a large single piece of material or a second set of blocks. Depending on the size of the quilt the large piece might require you to fill up with pieces of border to make up the size or two halves to create the full size, average widths are 45” (114.3cm) or 60” (152.4cm). A queen sized quilt could be 66” (167.64cm). If you choose part of the backing material to make the border then make sure that the backing is the width plus the extra needed to complete the border as well in all directions.

 

Basting the quilt

 

To baste the quilt you need to put the three layers together and with long stitches (basting) in a contrasting colour sew your quilt together, most quilters suggest that you start in the middle and work yourself out, smoothing the wrinkles as you go along. Many quilters use curved safety pins to help with this part. Other options are a tacking gun or spray adhesive. If you have bought the fusible batting then putting it together is very easy.

 

 

Once everything is put together to your satisfaction, then you can start on the final stage of sewing, choose a matching thread or if you like the contrasting thread look then use, your final result must look good.

 

Begin in the middle and work your way out, use small even stitches. Your quilt pattern will probably have directions for sewing, if it does not have them then use the 'stitch in the ditch' method. What this means is you need to follow the seams in each block and the border. Keep your stitching about a ¼ inch from the seam.

 

The finishing touches

 

Now you need to remove the basting, then finish the edging of the quilt.

 

Once the basting is removed you need to look at the edges and see if they are all even, if not then you might have to trim the edges to ensure that they are all the same. If you are using the backing to complete the edging then you need to leave that about 1- ½ inch longer than the rest. Another option is to use a bias tape, sew it along the edges, sewn lengthwise onto one side, then wrap it around the other side, then sew again. If you use the backing fabric, fold it over the top of the almost completed quilt the sew down all round. You need to be careful with the corners they are the trickiest part. To get the corners looking good you need to keep folding the extra bits of fabric until they look good.

 

Many quilters sign their name and the date on the back side of the quilt, if you like you could include the pattern information and the intended persons name as well. Use an ink that won't wash out.

 

Once you have completed one quilt you might like to make another, the pattern choices are endless and the enjoyment never stops.

 

I used this article for ideas. You can use it as a guide for graphics

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Quilt