Useful Hints and Tips for Patchwork and Quilting

 

If you are new to quilting, or want to try something different, our handy hints and tips should help you with the basic methods, and also give a few ideas for the equipment you

may need!

 

What do I need to start making patchwork quilts?

What is a fat quarter?

Rotary cutting

Patchwork methods

         English paper piecing

         American piecing

         Foundation piecing

         Applique

Quilting methods

 

What Do I Need To Start Quilting?

 

If you’re going to be doing English paper piecing then all you need to start are needles, scissors and thread to get going, however if you are looking to start quilting as a serious hobby then most quilters wouldn’t be without a rotary cutter, ruler and mat. For hand quilting a quilting hoop and thimble is also required. To make starting this fascinating hobby easier, we stock several discount packs for beginners to quilting, with savings of 10% over buying all the tools separately.

Patchwork starter pack

Quilting starter pack

Patchwork travel pack

You will also need thread – good quality cotton thread for piecing and the slightly thicker quilting thread for hand or machine quilting.

Finally, fabric is a must! There are thousands of quilting fabric prints available these days, so it can be a bit hard to choose what to use for a first project – our stash packs and charm packs can make the choice a bit easier, with ranges of themed or colour-coordinated fabrics in smaller pieces ideal for a small or beginner piece. Whatever you go for, make sure that the fabric is 100% cotton for the best results.

 

What is a fat quarter?

 

This is one of the most common questions we get asked! Patchwork fabric is usually sold off a 110cm (44") width bolt – a fat quarter is half a metre cut off the bolt, then cut in half again, so it is approximately 50cm x 55cm (20" x 22") in size (a ‘fat’ quarter metre). A long quarter is simply a quarter metre cut off the bolt, so the finished size would be 110cm x 25cm (44" x 10").

 

Rotary cutting

 

Rotary cutting has revolutionised patchwork quilting, and for quick, accurate cutting of any size patch, rotary cutting takes some beating. You can cut through several layers of fabric at a time, thus saving time, and the angles marked on the rulers make cutting any shape simple and accurate every time. Several rotary cutters are available – different sizes depending on how many layers you will be cutting, and also more ergonomic versions for maximum comfort. There are many shapes and sizes of quilting rulers, however for cutting of most rectangles, squares and triangles a 6” x 12” or 6” x 24” ruler is more than adequate. The added benefit of the 6” x 24” ruler is that it is long enough to cut the whole width of the folded fabric off the bolt, making bindings and borders a breeze!

For even easier rotary cutting, a rotating rotary cutting mat is also available. The mat rotates on a static base so you don’t have to move around the table while cutting, the mat moves instead!

 

Patchwork methods

 

Patchwork is the general name for sewing many patches together to make the quilt top – there are several methods for doing this, these are explained in brief below.

 

English paper piecing

 

For accurate piecing of small regular shapes such as hexagons and triangles, English paper piecing is a very straightforward method. It involves basting (tacking) patches over paper templates, then stitching the patches together.

Patchwork templates are available for marking out the paper templates, this ensures all your paper templates are the same size. Any type of paper can be used for the templates, but Reynolds Freezer paper is ideal as it has a waxed side that allows it to stick to the fabric without the need for pins, but it can be removed easily without leaving any residue.

The pictures below illustrate the various stages in English paper piecing. The first shows the paper template pinned to the fabric (the fabric is cut around the template leaving a ¼” seam allowance. The second picture shows the seam allowance basted around the template. The pieces are then joined together with a simple whipstitch, then the papers removed to leave a lovely finished quilt top.

                           

 

American piecing

 

The American method of piecing involves the fabric patches being joined with the right sides of the fabric together, leaving a 1/4" seam, and can be done by hand or machine. It is obviously much quicker by machine, and using this method a quilt top can be put together in very little time.

After stitching together, the seams should be pressed either to one side (towards the darker fabric) or open – pressing the seams open can reduce bulk and give a smoother finish to the quilt top, and although this may appear to make the seams weaker, with strong modern threads this is no longer really a problem.

 

Foundation piecing

 

Foundation piecing is just that – piecing blocks on a foundation of paper or fabric. Using a tear-away foundation such as paper or Vilene stitch-n-tear, the foundation piece is removed when the quilt block is complete. A good tip when doing this is to set your stitch length a little shorter than usual, as this perforates the paper more and makes it tear away more easily. A fabric foundation, such as a very fine muslin, is left in the blocks and incorporated into the quilt top.

The pattern of the block is marked on one side of the foundation piece – a photocopier is ideal when you have a lot of blocks to make. The four pictures below show the stages in foundation piecing the popular log cabin patchwork design.

Place the centre patch right side up on the non-marked side of the foundation, ensuring there is ¼” overlap over each of the lines (hold up to the light to see the lines through the foundation) and pin in place. Place the first strip right side down along the seam to be stitched, lining it up with the edge of the first patch and pin in place.

Next turn the foundation over and sew along the marked line of the seam. Turn over to the non-marked side again and trim the strip to the correct length. Then press the just-sewn strip back, and repeat the process for the rest of the log cabin design.

 

Applique (or French piecing)

 

Applique (or French patchwork) is a method whereby fabric shapes are sewn onto a background, either by hand or machine. The method of hand appliqué involves cutting out the fabric shapes including a ¼” seam allowance all the way around, then pressing this seam allowance under and tacking in place. The shape is then pinned to the fabric and small hemming stitches used to hold it in place.

For machine appliqué, a very useful tool is fusible webbing, for example Vilene Bondaweb. The fusible webbing is applied to the wrong side of the applique fabric, then the shape cut out exactly to size (no seam allowance

You can then remove the protective paper on the fusible webbing and press the shape in place on the background fabric, and secure the shape using a small zigzag or satin stitch all round, as shown in the picture to the left.

 

Quilting methods

Quilting is the name for anchoring the three layers of the quilt together – quilt top, wadding and backing. This can be done to great effect by either hand or machine, the basic methods for both are explained below.

There are many different styles of quilting, some of the terms used are explained here:

• Quilting in the ditch – this is where the quilting stitches are exactly in the seams of the patchwork top, so they are invisible. Invisible thread is ideal for this style.
• Echo quilting – this is where the quilting follows the outline of a shape on the quilt top, and this is then repeated several times like an echo. Often used around appliqué shapes
• Outline quilting – the quilting stitches when outline quilting are worked ¼” in from the seams, following the shapes of the patches.
• Tied – this is where the quilt sandwich is held together simply by passing a thread through the three layers, then bringing it back to the top again and tying off. This is repeated throughout the quilt, and can be made to be quite decorative with the use of buttons or ribbons at each tie.

The quilt must be prepared carefully before quilting, ensuring the three layers are well secured together (either by basting or using safety pins) with no wrinkles or folds in the fabric. Once this is done you can go aheand and quilt, bind the edges, and voila - you have a finished quilt!

Useful links:

Below are some links that you may find useful:

The Professional Quilter - The business journal for serious quilters

Quiltweb - Online resource for quilting information

QuiltProfessionals - Directory of Quilt Shops, Quilt Supplies, Quilts for Sale and more

UK Crafts Council - The UK's national organisation for the promotion of contemporary crafts.