6 Things You Need to Get You on Your Way to Creating a Gorgeous Quilt!

Hello fellow Thread Heads!

If you have read through the pages in our online shop you may have noticed that I am a true lover of patchwork quilting.

Since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved quilts!  To me they were the perfect mix of function and beauty all wrapped up in love and affection.

It wasn’t until I was an adult that I decided to have a go at making my first quilt.  For whatever reason, they intimidated me!  But hand on heart, I can tell you dear Thread Heads, they are not tricky at all!  As with any skill, you get better at it the more you do it.  So start out with a small project and then move to more complicated projects as you hone your skills.

I always keep in mind the person I am making the quilt for and I imagine them keeping warm and snuggled up while I sew.  The first quilt I made (below) was for my mother for a landmark birthday gift.  And I will admit that I probably should have chosen something simpler.  I made errors galore in cutting which was extremely frustrating.  But as a true Thread Head I saved my wonky pieces and have used them in several other projects since then!  So no need for tears or swears when you make the inevitable snafus and blunders!  Apologies for the pic quallity!  It’s an oldie!

For my second quilt, I actually took a step backwards and went for something easier.  Still made with love for my wonderful brother, just without the frustration!  I pictured it as a throw for a leather chair in his living room.  Again, sorry for the dodgy pic!  My technology has moved on since then!

Traditional quilts recycled worn out garments which were cut up into pieces and stitched back together into a lovely design, layered for extra warmth and cosiness, and then stitched to keep the layers together.  You can use things like baby clothes, old pyjamas or pieces of well-loved clothing to make your own recycled memory quilt.  Or you can choose from the gorgeous quilting weight cottons that are available to the modern quilter.  As I’m sure you’ve noticed, we are real fans of this type of fabric!

There are a lot of gadgets and ‘must have’ suggestions out there from quilting product companies.  Some of the gadgets are great and are fun to use.  But why invest in those things before you decide if you actually enjoy quilting?

So here is a very quick run down of what you need to try your hand at making a quilt:

1. cutting mat –

• with good markings for angles in the largest size your craft table will allow, preferably 18 inch x 24 inch size which will work for pretty much any project

2. rotary cutter –

• with locking safety feature so the blade is covered and immobilsed when it’s not in use.  Some people use scissors, but personally I’ve gotten used to and prefer the accuracy of a rotary cutter

3. a 24 inch x 6 inch quilter’s ruler –

• there are soooo many quilting rulers on the market, but this size if a good one for starters as it will cut long strips across the width of the fabric of standard 44 inch 112cm quilting weight cotton when folded in half width-wise

4. fabric, fabric and more fabric!! –

• This is the fun part!  Gather a selection of colour coordinated fat quarters or half metre lengths if you want a more uniformly coloured quilt top, or for a scrappy quilt top, just choose a selection of fabrics you like with a mix of small to medium prints and in tones and colours you think look nice together.  How much fabric you’ll need will depend on the size of the quilt you want to make.  About three metres worth will get you started with a baby quilt.  Keep in mind you’ll need some longer strips of the same width for your quilt binding (I tend to use 2 inch or 2.5 inch width strips)

5. wadding or batting –

• this is the cosy layer that sits in the middle of  your quilt to give it warmth and, once quilted, lovely texture!  What you use is your choice depending on how thick you want the quilt to be and on the fibre content you prefer.  I love all cotton wadding.  But a very good choice is 80/20 poly to cotton as it’s easy to use and will happily go into the machine washer and tumble dryer.  Be sure to buy a piece that is about 4 inches bigger than the top of quilt as this will allow for any shifting when you begin quilting your ‘quilt sandwich’ (the top, middle and bottom layers of your project)

6. needle and thread, of course! –

• for machine quilting, I use an ordinary 90/14 Universal needle for piecing my cut fabric into blocks and a 90/14 Quilting needle for the actual quilting.  I personally like using a good quality all cotton thread as I like the ‘vintage-y’ puckered look of a quilt when it’s washed and cotton thread will pucker and slightly shrink along with the fabric and wadding

I’ve never quilted by hand.  It’s a goal, but all my quilts have been done on my standard low- to mid-ranged sewing machine.  It’s nothing fancy, but it does the job.  Maybe someday I’ll get myself something designed specifically for quilting, but for now, I am more than happy to use my tried and true machine!  Hand quilting is something I will try someday when I have more patience in wanting to see the finished product!!  I do, however, love, love, love to add hand embroidered details when creating a ‘label’ to put on the back of any quilt I make.  It definitely makes the receiver of the quilt know it was made especially for them.

I find the end result of quilting projects to be so satisfying and I hope you will, too!  In the upcoming weeks I’ll include some beginner’s project ideas for making your own quilt.  But don’t say I didn’t warn you!  Quilting can become very addictive!  They are lovely for bedrooms and as a throw in your living room, but remember, too that they make great gifts!

Please feel free to share tips, secrets and pics from your quilting projects!  We would *love* to see them!!  And if you are feeling ready to start your very first quilting project, good luck and have fun!  Leave a comment below should you need any encouragement, advice or assistance along the way!