Quilting for Beginners

Quilting is the art of sewing two or more layers of fabric material together to create a quilt. A typical quilt is made up of three fabric layers - quilt top, batting (middle floss layer for insulation) and baking fabric layer. The type and design of quilts reflect the tradition and culture of a country. Most notable quilts are Amish quilt, log cabin, wedding ring pattern, Hawaiian quilt, nine patch and Bangladeshi quilt.

Quilting is either carried out by hand using a needle and thread or with the help of quilting machines. While quilting, the thread passes through all the fabric layers, which is again brought up. This sewing process is repeated all over the fabric, so as to secure the quilt layers. Usually, straight stitches are made by passing at regular intervals, which altogether form a design pattern. This repeated stitching or sewing is the same for both handmade and machine made quilts.

Quilting for Beginners

If you have a passion for quilting, then you can make a quilt successfully by following the basic beginner's tips. There are no special tools for quilting by hand. For sewing a quilt by hand, you require a quilting thread, quilting needle, embroidery floss, sewing needle for embroidery floss, quilt fabrics, scissor, thimble, large safety pins and tape. Pre-washing of the quilt fabrics will prevent shrinkage afterwards. Since you are a beginner, use a thin batting layer for easy stitching.

Before you start making stitches, first decide on the design pattern. You can draw the designs on a note book, make changes until you get the desired quilt design pattern. Trace the design on the fabric that will be the top layer. The next step is to check for color combinations by using varied colored threads in order to create a decorative pattern. In fact, the stitching shapes like square, rectangle, triangle, diamond and circle are created into art form only with the help of appropriate color combinations.

After making the necessary arrangements, you can actually start making quilt. First, lay the backing fabric layer on a table with its face out and secure it with tape. Place the batting floss layer on top of the backing fabric. Put the top quilt fabric over the two layers and smoothen from the center to the periphery. To secure all these three layers, carefully tape the top layer after proper alignment. Eventually, safety pin the layers together at regular intervals (4-5 inch apart).

Start stitching from the center of the quilt by passing the needle down to the backing fabric and then bringing up to the top fabric. Make sure you tie the end of the thread or embroidery floss into a knot. For extra strength, you can make the stitches close to one another. Continue sewing to cover the whole quilt by following the outlines and designs you have already made on the top fabric.

For finishing, remove the safety pins and trim the edges of the fabric in straight lines. Cut the binding strips into 3 inch width and length slightly longer than the quilt side that you will be sewing. Fold the binding strips from the two sides (lengthwise), iron and cover the edges of the quilt. Safety pin the binding strips with the quit and start sewing. Repeat the process of sewing the binding strips on all four sides of the quilt. Trim the excess threads and materials and iron the quilt.

After you accomplish making the first quilt, you will really feel satisfied with your efforts. Create various design patterns to suit the decoration of the bedding. You can also make attractive baby quilts with exclusive designs. Other than using it for bed covering, you can also hang the quilt on the walls for decoration. It can be a unique gift for your near and dear ones. If you want to learn quilting from a trainer, there are several quilting institutes that provide a training at the professional level. Next time, when you go on a quilt show, examine the designs that you adore the most and try making on your own.