Quilting For Beginners Learning The Basics

Through the years, quilting has continued to hold such a high esteem from among the different needlework arts. Like any other skill, quilting can initially prove to be a little intimidating especially for people who never have a close affinity with sewing. For novices who are quite eager to test their pluck at quilting, using a quilting kit can significantly simplify matters by providing a detailed guide and basic materials needed in any quilting project for beginners. For seasoned quilters, the quilting kit can also be a helpful tool such as offering some pre-cut designs and quilting fabrics that will effectively streamline the processes involved in quilting.


Basic Materials


If you have the interest and the patience to pursue quilting, then you are actually a few steps ahead. To give you a head start, you naturally need to gather all materials and tolls needed such as the fabric, quilting thread, needles, pins, iron, rotary cutter, measuring tape, pair of scissors and bunting material. Now you might this is a relatively easy task that so much like doing your own shopping, right? However, the materials needed are usually available in different varieties, without being any wiser, you will probably be making grave mistakes and find yourself totally in the dark. So here are some helpful guide as to the recommended specifications of quilting tools and materials for beginners:


§ Fabrics should be 100% cotton for easy handling
§ Quilt Batting made of cotton or polyester
§ 100% cotton or polyester wrapped thread, size 50 – preferably in light gray or black to blend well with colored fabrics
§ Heavy duty spray starch
§ 45mm rotary cutter with spare blades
§ Iron
§ Size 12 sewing needles
§ Glass heads sewing pins (or you can choose the glow in the dark variety)
§ No-rust safety pins
§ Acrylic ruler - 3" x 24" or 6" x 24", marked in 1/8" increments
§ Self-healing cutting mat - 16" x 24"
§ Sewing machine (optional)


Choosing the Pattern


Now that you have your materials at hand, you can then start with your very first project. Choosing a pattern can be as crucial as choosing the fabric to use. There are a number of patterns that you can easily get online, ranging from the simple and the complex and intricate ones. Since this is your very first pattern, stick with the simple and easy patterns to avoid running your fabric. Even if you have some experience with sewing, there is an all too real possibility of ruining your fabric – so pick out the easiest pattern you can find.


Novices should pick out patterns where seams don’t necessarily have to match and anything that has some bias edges, such as triangles and diamonds. Here is the top 5 highly recommended quilting patterns for novices:


Top 5 Patterns for Beginners


1. Quick and Easy Rag Quilt - rag quilts especially make great lap quilt for a nippy or frosty day. Making a rag quilt can be quite easy and you can easily piece it together without having to worry about stitching perfect seams Even beginners can easy complete this particular pattern after a day or two.


2. Stretched Stars Quilt – If you think sewing a star can be a little complicated for neophytes, think again. You can easily make stars by simply combining half square triangle units, a perfect pattern for beginners


3. Walk Around the Block – Making quilting squares or blocks can prove to be quite fun and enjoyable. For this particular project, you will need to make 22’ squares along with great triangle and contrasting borders.


4. Bright Hopes Quilt – This project would look some assembled seams. However, making Bright Hopes only require you to make partial seams, piecing all blocks together to create a colorful 12” design


5. Can’t Stop Spinnin’ – This is considered as the pinwheel blocks that can be easily achieved by assembling little simple units to be sewn in different directions.

All the aforementioned patterns can their specific directions and instructions that you can easily download online at the website, www.quilting.about.com/od/quiltpatternsproject.
Having the right materials and the perfect pattern of your choice is but only half of the battle. Now that you are all set, you can solely concentrate on your sewing skills as you go through your very first project.


Quilt Cutting Methods


Traditionally, a pair of scissors is used for cutting fabrics. A successful quilt would largely depend on the cutting the fabrics precisely, that means this will re quire an extra ounce of care and caution. This conventional approach of using patterns and scissors is called templates, which will naturally require painstaking method. However, the availability of the rotary cutter has greatly simplified the cutting method and significantly cut the cutting time in half. That is why all quilters are advised to invest in a high quality rotary cutter, which will effectively eliminate the need for patterns and templates in cutting up some simple shapes such as squares and triangles.


Along with the rotary cutter, you will need a self healing mat to protect your working table’s surface from cuts and scratches. You will also need an acrylic ruler for a more efficient and straight cuts. What is quite amazing is that the rotary cutter is highly capable to cutting six layers of fabrics all at the same time. When purchasing one, make sure you will choose one with a safety guard to avoid accidents.


1. To cut your quilting squares, iron the fabric first and find its crosswise grain. Then you can lay your fabric on the mat with the right side facing down. Fold the fabric in half, deftly lining up the fabric folds with the selvage edges.


2. To be able to make sure you will be making straight cuts, align the one-inch marker at the bottom of your acrylic ruler with the bottom fold of the cloth. Make sure to leave a small amount along the ruler’s edge for some trimming later. Hold your ruler firmly and cut by pushing the rotary cutter away from your body or outwardly.


3. When cutting, hold the cutter at a 45 degrees angle to the cutting surface. Be sure to keep an even pressure, the lesser you move your fabric, the more accurate your cutting will be.


Hand Piecing Techniques


1. After you have cut and prepared your quilt blocks, you will be ready to piece your fabrics together. The basics in hand piecing requires sewing the seams only o the marked lines instead of sewing from the edges.


2. When marking your squares, make sure you will put your marks on the wrong side of the cloth so that it will not show. To hold the layers of fabric together push down some pins at each corner perpendicularly.


3. Your first stitch should be doubled with a backstitch or two to make it more secure. Weave your thread making straight stitches along the seam line. You can make 4-6 stitches at a time before pulling the thread out. Do not forget to remove the pins as to sew.


4. Turn the fabric often to check your stitches and to be sure that you are actually following the marked lines.



5. For your last stitch, also do a backstitch to secure it firmly. Join the sewn block together, piece it together by using pins to hold it in place. Secure the pins perpendicularly.


6. Stitch the seams to join the squares together; making sure that you will not sew beyond the seam allowance. At each intersection, make a knot or a backstitch and then sew the remaining seams. Iron the fabric after all seams have been sewn together.


Applying Appliqués


Making appliqués is among the most popular enhancements used in quilting. For beginners, be sure to select designs with some straight line and gentle curves. As what many quilters would attest, sewing sharp points and all those little stitches would take a lot of practice, so stick with the simple designs.

1. For you appliqués to be able to curve gracefully, it should be cut on the bias. Every appliqué piece should be properly pressed and folded.

2. When applying stems with even widths, you can use bias bars at are readily available in quilt shops.

3. Pin the appliqué pieces in place according to the diagram provided in your pattern. You can overlap your designs for a more natural look and effect.

4. Be sure to use threads that match the color of your appliqués. When sewing, pull the stitches tautly, but not tight enough that can possibly cause your fabric to pucker.

5. To manipulate the edges in your appliqués, use the point of your needle and make sure to securely and first and last stitch with a knot or two or more backstitches.


Now that you have gained more important background knowledge on the basics of quilting, you actually have a headstart. Quilting should be a fun and enjoyable pastime, so try not to be too hard on yourself. You are bound to make some mistakes along the way, as even experts also do. Like any other skill it will probably take you a few projects or so to actually hone your skills on the quilting craft. Adventure having enough confidence and expertise, don’t be afraid to experiment and test out other different methods of quilting and trying out different combinations. Remember, quilting is essentially an art for, a clear reflection of your inner thoughts and personality. So think of it as a leisurely pursuit, and a marathon sewing project.