Quilting Basics


These are very, very basic instructions, for more detailed instructions see the books listed under each section. Complete bibliographys for this books can be found in the bibliography section.

For general quilting information or if you only want to buy one book on quilting, I reccommend the Quilter's Complete Guide by Fons and Porter.

Applique

For more detailed information on applique techniques see Applique! Applique!! Applique!!! The Complete Guide to Hand Applique by Laurene Sinema.

1. Lay out the background fabric on a flat surface.

2. Cut out the applique, leaving enough edge to turn under. (you might want to draw the exact image onto the fabric so you will know exactly how far to turn it under.)

3. Lay the appliques on the background fabric and baste them down with a contrasting thread.

4. Using the needle to turn under the edge of the applique as you sew the edge down wiht eitiher a hem or blanket stitch. Remember to hide the knots under the edge of the applique or under the background fabric. (If you are using a machine, you might want to fix the applique in place with double sided interfacing and sew with a satin or close zig zag stitch.)

Hem Stitch or Tack Stitch

Blanket Stitch

Hand Piecing

For more detailed information on hand piecing and hand quilting see Quiltmaking by Hand by Jinny Beyer

1. Cut out the pieces required leaving a 1/4 inch seam allowance. It helps to mark the seam allowance on the pieces.

2. Depending on the pattern, lay the pieces right sides together two at a time.

3. Taking a small backstitch at the beginning of the seam, sew the pieces together with a running stitch, taking another small backstitch at the end of the seam.

4. Press the seams to one side or the other as needed.

Putting the Quilt Together

For more information on hand quilting see Lap Quilting by Georgia Bonesteel.

For more detailed information on hand piecing and hand quilting see Quiltmaking by Hand by Jinny Beyer

1. Pick a quilting design and mark it on the finished top of the quilt with a light pencil, chalk or other marking device.

2. Lay the back fabric of the quilt on a flat surface with the right side facing down.

3. If using batting, lay it on top of the backing.

4. Lay the top, right side facing up, on top of the batting to complete the quilt sandwich.

5. Baste or pin the layers together. When basting you will need to baste the quilt diagonally from corner to corner and then across the quilt in either direction every 8 to 12 inches to hold all the layers in place. Or place the quilt in a frame, see instructions below

6. Quilt as desired using running or back stitch.

Running Stitch

Back Stitch

Building Your Own Quilting Frame

You need:
2 - 1X4 about a foot longer than the width of your quilt.
2 - 1X4 2.5 to 3 feet long is a good working area. (Or if you have a large space to set up your frame and work in, you may buy your 4 boards to fit the entire quilt. If doing this, I reccommend that all 4 of your boards be 7 to 8 feet in length, then you can accomodate just about any size quilt.)
4 - 2 or 3 inch "C" clamps
Scrap fabric of some sort of denim or heavier weight fabric.

1. Cut the fabric into 6 to 8 inch strips the length of your boards.

2. Fold the fabric strips lengthwise in half and using nails or a staple gun attach them to one wide edge of the 4 boards.

3. The "C" clamps will be used at each corner to hold the boards together.

4. Chairs may be used to balance the frame for sewing on it. Or corner stands may be built out of 2X4's.

To make your own frame stands, cut 4 2X4's to approx 27 inches in length. Attach a 1 square foot piece of plywood or other board to one end of each 2X4. attach a flat metal bracket (available cheaply at any hardware store) to either side of the other end of the 2X4 allowing the bracket to stick up 1 to 2 inches. This will allow the 1X4 frame to sit securely at the top of the 2X4. Place one stand at each corner of the frame.

Putting a Quilt in a Frame

If using a frame that will fit the full size of the quilt, follow the instructions below in putting together your quilt. Note, using this method, I like to have the backing cut 1- 2 inches larger than the finished quilt on all sides.

If using a frame that will allow only a 2-3 foot area of the quilt to be visible at a time, you will need to put the quilt together first and then baste it before pinning all three layers to the frame as described below. You will then need to roll the quilt onto one or both of the long boards before stretching it and attaching the "C" clamps to the corners. Rather than pinning the quilt to the shorter side boards, you may want to use fabric strips wrapped around the board and pinned to the sides of the quilt to stretch it.

1. If using frame stands, place the 2 long sides of the frame into the stands several feet apart with the fabric loops up. If not using frame stands, lay the boards on the floor.

2. Attach the top edge of the quilt back to the fabric loops on one of the frame boards with pins. It is best to find the center of the quilt side and the center of the board and begin there, working out from the center placing pins every 2 to 3 inches.

3. Attach the bottom edge of the quilt back to the fabric loops on the other frame board as described in step #2.

4. lay out the frame boards for the sides in place with the fabric loops down. Stretch the end boards apart of that the backing lays out flat. Attach the "C" clamps to the corners holding the side boards on top of the corners of the end boards. This way the fabric loops are sandwiched between the boards

5. Pin the sides of the quilt to the fabric loops on the side boards placing the pins 2-3 inches apart.

6. Lay out the batting smoothly on top of the backing.

7. Lay out the top on top of the batting.

8. Baste the quilt around the edges and diagonally from corner to corner. If the quilt frame will not be moved, it is probably not necessary to baste any more than that. However, if the quilt will be moved or bumped around a lot, you may elect to baste further to assure that nothing will shift around as it is being moved.

9. As you complete quilting every couple of feet of the quilt, you will need to unpin and roll the quilt on the frame boards and then reattach the corners with the "C" clamps.

Binding and Finishing

There are several ways in which you can bind the edges of your quilt.

You can buy quilt binding at the fabric store.

You can make your own binding by cutting strips of fabric and using a bias tape maker and your iron to fold the strips into binding.

You can simply cut strips of fabric about 3 inches wide and sew them together in a long strip that will go all the way around the quilt. Sew the edge to the back of the quilt with right sides together. Fold over the strip to the front of the quilt and fold under the edge and sew down with a hem or tack stitch. Corners can be mitered using this method. Remember to trim the edges of your quilt if necessary before applying the binding.

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