How to Make a Quilt
How to Make a Quilt
How to Make a Quilt - From Start to Finish
A Outline of the Steps in the Quiltmaking Process
1. Planning
As in most projects, the first stage in creating a quilt is the planning.
Things to Consider:
How to Make a Quilt
* What is the purpose and size of your quilt? Will it be used on a bed?
* Is it a baby quilt, a wall hanging or a special remembrance quilt for a 40th anniversary?
* How will you lay out the completed blocks?
Once you have decided these things, then it is on to the next step.
How to Make a Quilt
2. Drawing - (Optional)
Blackford’s Beauty - straight setting layout
Blackford’s Beauty quilt
Straight setting layout
Most quilters like to have an idea of what the finished project will look like. Do this by sketching your plan or be more precise and use graph paper to draw your design to scale. Make several photocopies of your drawing and try out different color combinations using pencil crayons to help visualize the end result. There are also many quilting software programs on the market today complete with fabric libraries, so you can test out many variations of your design quickly and easily.
How to Make a Quilt
3. Calculate the Fabric Yardage
Quilting software is a great tool for calculating fabric needs. After coloring the quilt in your program, the software does it all for you. However, not everyone has this option. If you are not following a pattern that specifies how much of each fabric to purchase, the math can be cumbersome.
Try this. Purchase 3 or 4 fat quarters of various prints or plains in each color family. Your quilt will be more interesting as a result and if you need more fabric, just buy another fat quarter.
4. Choosing the Fabrics
This is the really fun part of making a quilt. Okay, all of the parts are fun, but this one is the first fun part. Start by choosing colors and fabrics that you love. Most quilters prefer to use 100% cotton fabrics for a variety of reasons. If you don’t like the fabrics you likely will not spend much time working on the quilt.
5. Choosing the Thread
100% cotton thread is the preference here, just as quilters prefer cotton fabrics. However, you don’t need to buy many different thread colors. For most projects use a medium grey or medium taupe colored thread for all sewing. These colors tend to blend with most fabrics. There are exceptions of course. If your background fabric is black, for instance, then I would likely use a black thread, but for the most part stick to a neutral medium color.
How to Make a Quilt
6. Preparing Your Sewing Machine
Make sure your sewing machine is in good working order and it is oiled and free from dust around the working parts. If you are not sure if the needle is sharp, replace it with the proper size for your project. (When in doubt ask someone at your quilt shop for the correct size to buy). Sewing machine needles are very inexpensive and can make a great difference in your stitches.
7. Preparing Your Fabric
There is always debate between quilters as to whether to prewash your fabric or to use it as is. In general, if you are making a wall hanging that will rarely be washed, it is not necessary to prewash the fabric. For quilts needing laundering in the future, it is best to prewash your fabrics before starting your quilt. Red, green and purple are notorious for running. Let color bleeding or shrinking take place before the quilt is constructed. Prewashing also removes any chemicals in the fabric.
8. Make a Test Block
Blackford’s Beauty quilt block
Before you cut out all the parts to your quilt, make a test block. This allows you to see what a completed block will look like. You may be surprised at how different it looks than you had imagined. At this point, you may wish to change the arrangement of your fabrics or even choose different fabrics altogether. This can also be a double-check that the math is correct. You will be heartbroken if you cut up all the fabric before you start, only to find that the pattern had an error.
How to Make a Quilt
9. Choose a Layout
When all blocks are completed, use your living room floor or your design wall to lay the blocks out in different arrangements. If you have a digital camera, photograph these arrangements so you can refer back to them, without having to lay the blocks out all over again. Choose your layout and also decide whether you want to use sashing between the blocks or not.
Now that you have chosen a layout for your quilt, you are ready to start sewing the blocks together.
10. Sew the Blocks Into a Quilt Top
You may wish to sew the blocks together in rows and then sew the rows together, until you have the quilt top completed. Sashing may be added at this time. Sewing half of the rows together and then the other half is a good idea, finally sewing these two halves together. This makes the project a little easier to handle.
Another suggestion, is to sew the blocks together in groups of 4, then sew the groups of 4 together. Again it is much more manageable to make two halves first.
11. Choosing a Border Fabric
It is quite surprising how different your finished quilt top will look than you had imagined. By waiting to purchase the border fabric until now, you will likely choose a fabric very different than you first had planned. Take your quilt top to the store and “audition” different bolts of fabric, by laying your quilt out on top of the border fabric, until you find one you really like. The staff at your local quilt store love to help you choose and will offer helpful suggestions.
12. Sewing the Border
It is surprising how a border can “make or break” a quilt. Other than the fabric choice, it is all in the sewing. Here is a tip on how to apply your border fabrics.
13. Basting the Quilt
The quilt sandwich is made up of a backing fabric on the bottom, the quilt batting in the middle and the quilt top on top. This “sandwich” is then basted together, using either hundreds of safety pins, or by making long stitches using a long needle and thread.
Note - If you are having your quilt machine quilted on a commercial quilting machine, often it is not necessary to baste the quilt at all.
14. Quilting the Quilt
Feather Quilting Design
Once the quilt has been basted, it is ready to be quilted. In the past, many people thought a quilt was not really a quilt unless it was hand quilted. Today, machine quilting has become an art form in itself. You may do your own machine quilting on your sewing machine or send it out to a local quilt shop. Many individuals have started their own small machine quilting businesses after purchasing one of the commercial long-arm quilting machines.
15. Binding the Quilt
When the quilting has been completed, the raw edges must now be bound. Binding is the finishing edge that covers the raw edges of the quilt sandwich. Single or double fold binding strips can be cut, along either the lengthwise or crosswise threads of the fabric or from strips cut along the bias of the fabric. Bias binding is necessary if the edge of your quilt has any curves, as it is able to stretch around these curves. Straight binding strips will pucker around curves.
Document you quilt - add a quilt label
Add a quilt label to document your quilt
16. Documenting Your Quilt
Documenting your quilt can be done with a quilt label. This label ensures that generations to come will know who made this quilt. Many quilt labels also contain information about the reason the quilt was made (wedding, new baby), how long it took to make, and some give detailed information about fiber content. Commercial quilt labels are available at quilt shops or you can make your own. Any information that you can add to the quilt label will be appreciated by the future owners of the quilt.
Good luck and enjoy your quilting experience!
How to Make a Quilt