Quilting 101 – Getting Started

Well as you know I have been quilting like crazy this past week making blankets for Project Linus, the charity that donates blankets to those in need.  Our chapter of Project Linus donates to both of the hospitals in our area and to the Child Advocacy Center.  Also, I have had several friends and acquaintances loose their homes in the tornado that hit Joplin this past week and have been working on making quilts for them as well.

Several friends have asked me to teach them to quilt in the past and there seems to be a renewed interest this week as everyone is pulling together to help out those in need.  So to get things started I have made a list of the items that you will need to make your quilting journey easier. 

 

Supply List

Sewing Machine (unless you want to stitch everything by hand)
Scissors
Rotary Cutter
Cutting Mat (self healing mats cost a little more but are worth the investment)
Klutz glove
Rotary ruler – these come in different sizes and you can also buy them in shapes like squares, diamonds, circles, half circles, etc.
Straight pins AND Safety pins (Large)
Thread
Darning needle and one sewing needle
Seam ripper
1 skein of yarn (Walmart has them on sale for $1.00 at this time)

and of course material and batting.

I would imagine that everyone already has a sewing machine, scissors, and a seam ripper as these things can be purchased in a starter sewing kit.  The other items are necessary, but you don’t have to spend a fortune buying them.  I personally do not use a Klutz glove, but I have been known to cut myself while using the rotary cutter.  It is a safety glove designed to be worn on the hand that is holding the ruler.

You will want to match your thread as closely as possible to your project making sure that you are using quilting thread.   Quilting thread is heavier than your basic mending/all purpose thread, but lighter weight than upholstery thread.  I tend to match my thread more to the backing material than to the quilt top although the two should be somewhat coordinated; however, white thread always works and matches everything.

For our first project we are going to use a 6 inch square.  I bought a kit at Walmart that had several squares ranging from 4 inches up to 12 inches, you can buy the kit if you would like, but you can also use a metal ruler and follow the lines on your cutting mat or a rotary ruler .  Now don’t go overboard buying fabrics at this point.  We are going to make our first quilt out of scrap fabric.  Some you have scraps and some don’t.  If you don’t have any scrap fabric, go to your local fabric store and buy scraps out of the remnant bin or buy a few fat quarters or even a jelly roll, which is fabric cut into 2 1/2 - 3" strips, but make sure you have different shades from dark to light and interesting patterns.  Remember that fabric will look different when it is cut into smaller pieces and assembled next to other fabrics, so don’t judge the fabric at first glance.  Try many different patterns and colors.

This project is going to be a version of the “split rail fence” design using left over strips of fabric that have been saved from numerous other projects.  The fabric that I am using was donated by a lady in Washington state to help out our efforts to make blankets for Project Linus.  (The quilt example in this lesson will be donated to Project Linus)

Step 1 – If you don’t already have strips, cut your fabric into 2 -2 ½ inch strips.  Sew the strips together using a ¼ inch seam.  You can sew them together in any order that you find visually appealing.  For this pattern you will sew 4 strips together.  If you are using scraps, please know that the strips may not be exactly 2 – 2 ½ inches.  You may have some bigger or smaller, but after sewing the strips together, they need to measure 5 ½ to 6 inches depending on the size of the square that you are using.  Each square should have four rows for this pattern.

Step 2 – Once you have sewn your strips together you will need to iron the seams making that the square lays flat.  Then use your square ruler or rotary ruler to make a 5 ½ inch or 6 inch square.   I used the six inch square for this project.

Step 3 – You are going to sew the squares together alternating the direction of the strips.  The first square for your first row will be horizontal, then the next square will be vertical, then the next horizontal, etc, until you row is the length you desire.  On the second row your first square will be vertical, then the second one horizontal, etc.  You goal is to have each square going the opposite direction of the square that it is next to.

Step 4 –  Once you have assembled your rows of squares you are going to press your seams all in the same direction.  This makes it easier to quilt and makes the quilt to lay flat.

Step 5 –  Next, sew your strips together using a ¼ inch seam.  Repeat this step until all the rows are sewn together. Then press the new seems all in the same direction.

**You can stop at this point if you are happy with your quilt top.  Some quilters like to sew an additional edging around the quilt to “frame” it, but this step in unnecessary for our project since we are using scraps.

Step 6 – You are going to lay your quilt top on top of your backing fabric RIGHT sides together and trim your backing fabric 2 inches wider than your quilt top.  Then lay both pieces onto the batting with the layers being: quilt top, backing fabric, batting from top to bottom, and then trim the batting to the size of the backing fabric.

Step 7 – Use your large safety pins to pin all three layers together.  This will prevent slipping while sewing the layers together.  You will sew around three of the edges completely using a ¼ inch seam.  When you get to the fourth edge, sew 4 inches from one corner and then back stitch.  Move down the edge approximately 5 inches and start sewing again, back stitching at the beginning and then sew all the way across the rest of the quilt. 

Step 8 – Trim the fabric around all of the edges so that your edges all meet the edge of the quilt top.  Be sure to trim and round the corners.

Step 9 – Turn your quilt right side out through the opening you left on side 4.  Pull the corners out using a straight pin.  Then fold down the edges of the opening and use a whip stitch to close the opening.

Step 10 – Ok, we are not going to quilt this with thread, we are going to do a traditional “tie” quilt.  You will need to cut your yarn into 6 inch pieces.  Then thread the darning needle with the yarn piece.  You can measure exactly or eyeball your thread tie placement.  I recommend putting the ties in approximately 4 -6 inches apart. 

You will insert the needle through all three layers of the quilt.  Then back through approximately ¼ inch from where you brought it up.  Tie your two end pieces together in a knot and then trim the yard down to the length you desire (approximately 1 inch would be good).

Now you have your finished quilt!  I hope you have enjoyed this project.   Please check back for other sewing ideas.

Happy Sewing!