Monday, August 20, 2012

7 Simple Quilting Steps For Newbies

By Sean T Saunders


Making your own handmade quilts at home saves you from having to purchase quilts from shops if you wish to purchase a lovely quilt from the market, then you will need to spend lot of money on it. However, if you have some basic idea on quilting you can easily make your own handmade quilts at home. It's a great hobby that if practiced properly can lead to beautiful clothing items or bed coverings. Learning how to make handmade quilt is quite easy and you have numerous informative resources available on it. Read this step-by-step guide so you'll know exactly what to do in making quilts.

1. The first and foremost step is to think about the pattern. Complete quilts usually have patterns with instructions for separate blocks which will be sewed together into rows. If you have no clue about where to start with, then you can select from free quilt patterns which are readily available on the internet. If you are creative, you can create your own pattern quite easily. Basically, the first step is to determine which will be the core block. You can get some ideas from the free quilt block patterns obtainable from online resources. Get an idea on the blocks' final dimensions. Calculate what number of rows and columns you will need to create a quilt of the desired size.

2. Purchasing the fabrics would be the next step. Upon deciding on the pattern, determine which fabrics you want for your quilt. Choosing cheap cotton fabrics on your first attempt will be a great idea. Also, you will need some material for your quilt backing.

3. You will have to purchase quilt batting. This is something which fits between the quilt top and the quilt backing. Choose batting capable of meeting needs of how closely together the final project must be quilted.

4. Start cutting the fabric deftly based on the pattern instructions by using a rotary cutter and mat.

5. The next step is to sew the quilt top and then you need to start sewing the individual squares. While doing this stick with the pattern that you have chosen. The individual squares should be carefully sewn together to create a row. Then, the rows are sewn together. Adding border to the four edges is yet another option you may choose to have. Press the seams with an iron.

6. Now you have come to the actual quilting process. Lay down the material for quilt backing on a clean, flat surface, with the print side down. To keep the backing material firm over the surface, fix it with tapes. Next, lay down the quilt batting on top of it and put your quilt top, right side up, on top of the batting. Now you need to use safety pins to attach all the three layers, securing a six-inch space in between them. You can start the quilting work now. You can use any method, either free motion quilting or stitch in the ditch method, to complete the quilting job.

7. The last step is to add a binding. Make binding strips, 2.5" wide by the perimeter and add a foot. Iron your fabric well. Lastly, start sewing the binding strip to your quilt's front, flip to the back and then hand stitch it in place.

By understanding these basic steps on how to make handmade quilts, you can now begin doing your first quilt at home.




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