Quilting Guide For Beginners – 10 Steps

quilting guide for beginners

If this is your first time trying to make a quilt then we understand that your excitement might be accompanied with a little bit of nervousness. You are overwhelmed by the idea of creating something from scratch and you have little to no idea on how to go about it.

But fear not, it is a feeling that most, if not all first-timers endure before they complete their first project.

Today we are here to make things a little easier by providing you quilting guide for beginners with some basic knowledge on quilting and how to make a quilt if you have never tried to make one before.

By following our step-by-step guide you will soon find yourself admiring the results and looking forward to your next project in no time.

Let’s Start Our Step by Step Quilting Guide For Beginners:

Step 1: Choosing a Pattern

Different colors and patterns are what make quilts so unique. You can make hundreds of quilts and still be able to tell them apart just by the distinctive patterns on them.

For your first quilt, we suggest starting with something small, like a baby quilt with basic block patterns.

You will need different fabrics cut into squares and strips. Check out these tutorials that explain how to choose and cut patterns for your quilt and have them ready for your project.

Step 2: Gather All Your Supplies

Make sure you have everything laid out and cross check to see if any tools or materials are missing. You don’t want to stop your work in the middle and go looking for supplies because that will just kill the flow.

Listed below are some essential tools that you will require for quilting:

1. Fabric– Picking the right fabric for quilting is important so choose wisely. You will need the right kind of fabric to build your stash and also for the patterns and we recommend cotton for the job because it is one of the easiest materials to work with and also the most comfortable for a quilt.

2. Batting and Thread– Batting can be thin or thick and of several materials and colors so you can pick the right one to suit your project, as for the thread you must always go for the high-quality ones that run super smooth and has minimum lint.

If you have no idea about the weight and the numbers on threads then just keep in mind that thicker threads have lower weight numbers while the thinner threads have higher weight numbers.  You must choose threads according to how much you want them to be visible on the patterns.

3. Rotary Cutter, Scissors, and Marking Tools You will need cutting machines and marking tools designed especially for fabrics.

4. Quilting Ruler- You might need 2 or 3 quilting rulers to start with.

5. Pins and Clips and basting spray These are useful in holding parts of your project down as you work on them and also for holding layers of the quilt sandwich together.

6. Cutting Mat

7. Seam Ripper- As a beginner, you will be making errors and will need a seam ripper more often than you would think.

8. Needles- Collect all the right needles to go with your sewing machine as well as for the hand stitches

9. Sewing Machine- While most sewing machines can be used for quilting, there are a few that are designed specifically for the job. A good quality sewing machine for quilting will make your whole experience much better.

10. Iron- An iron is an absolute must for quilting. You will need it to remove wrinkles from your fabric and smooth out each pattern so you can sew more comfortably. Pressing the fabric pieces will also result in a more flawless result in the end.

Step 3: Cutting

Cutting patchwork for quilting is not like cutting fabric for any other sewing projects. There needs to be precision and accuracy in your work if you want to be able to stitch the pieces together.

Here is how you can learn to cut the patchwork correctly:

Step 4: Decide on a Layout

Assemble your squares and move them around until you have the pattern in mind. Once you have your layout ready you can now proceed to pin them with straight pins ensuring that the pieces are well aligned.

Step 5: Sewing

Unmatched seams can make sewing your quilt later on much more difficult, resulting in less than perfect stitches and an undesirable final look. To avoid further complication all you need to do is to sew in a perfectly straight line using your machine and ¼ inch seam.

Step 6: Pressing Seams

Once all the rows are seamed together you need to press them using an iron. This will flatten the seams and remove any creases present. Be sure to also iron the backing fabric which will be the base of your quilt.

Step 7: Basting the Quilt

Another very important step in how your quilt will turn out is basting. Using a basting spray has become quite a popular method nowadays but some still prefer to pin baste a quilt. The temporary spray fastens all the layers of the quilt much faster than the pinning method but you can choose whichever you are most comfortable with.

Both methods are explained in this video tutorial:

Step 8: Quilting Stitches

There are no limitations to the number of different stitches you can use to sew the layers of the quilt sandwich together. If you want to keep things simple and easy with your first quilt then you could just go with stitching straight lines across your quilt or you could get creative and do your own style of free-motion quilting. The stitching technique you choose really comes down to personal preference but we recommend practicing on some extra scraps of fabric before moving on to the real piece.

Step 9: Binding the Quilt

Binding the quilt is all about securing the edges and turning the corners of your quilt before you can finally call it a completed quilt. There are several methods of going about this and you can pick whichever you like as long as it is done right.

Binding can be hand-sewn or machine-sewn, you can also add important dates or personal messages to give it some character.

Learn the basics of quilt binding here:

Step 10: Be Proud of Your Accomplishments!

Once the binding is done there is only one thing left to do and that is to layout your finished project and admire the results!

Some prefer to give their quilt one last ironing to smooth out any traces of wrinkles but it is not always necessary. Creativelive talks more about it.

You could add a label with the date to help you remember the process and experience of working on your very first quilt or you could just fold it nicely and put it in a gift box and have it sent to someone special.

The next quilt you make could turn out even better and the process will seem much easier no doubt but nothing can replace the sense of accomplishment of making your very own first quilt so try to have as much fun as possible to make it an experience to remember!

Conclusion

There are so many steps you can take to make your quilting more fun and pleasant. While some steps and quilting guide for beginners are made to increase the pleasure of quilting.

By following the guidelines mentioned above you will able to do quality quilting and share your experience leave a comment below.

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