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- Jan 5, 2018
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To someone who doesn't quilt, looking at our finished quilts and the patterns and tools we use must look pretty complicated. The truth is that those of us who have been quilting for decades had to learn these new techniques and supplies just like any newbie. Rotary cutters and cutting mats? Wow! Whoever invented those things is a genius! Strip piecing? I remember the hours it took to carefully trace templates and cut them out of cardboard, trace them onto fabric and then cut each piece separately. I still do use templates and hand piece some of the older patterns that I love but most patterns adapted very well to strip piecing.
I'm going to post a series of patterns and videos to help our newbie friends start turning out fab-you-lous quilts. By starting off with simple techniques, you will gain confidence and skill in a short time. There might be some tips that will help us oldies, too, because we're still learning as the booming quilt industry continues to grow.
The first pattern I'm going to talk about is the simplest one there is - the Rail Fence. All you do with this design is cut strips and sew straight seams. There's no stress as you choose your colors, cut your strips and become familiar with using your sewing machine to stitch them together. When you look at the pattern, notice how the blocks are arranged to create a distinctive rail fence design.
http://www.quilterscache.com/R/RailFenceBlock.html
I looked at over a dozen videos searching for one where you could actually see the cutting and stitching of these blocks. I wanted something basic for you but many of them were produced with a sales pitch for the fabric or tools they were using. I am very grateful for all the free resources these companies give us but I didn't think they were the best for teaching purposes. I finally found one that I liked and posted it for you here. As you look at her design wall, notice how her blocks are arranged and compare that to the design shown in the Quilters Cache pattern.
In the video she gives an excellent tip about stitching those strips together. When you're joining two strips together, you're probably chain sewing so the stitches are all sewn from one direction. When you join the two pairs together reverse them and start sewing from the other end so that your stitches are sewn in the opposite direction. That's because sometimes when you sew a lot of strips together and they're all sewn from the same direction, it can create a rippled effect. I've mainly noticed that happen on thinner fabrics.
If you noticed, the design in the pattern uses three strips in light, medium and dark but the pattern in the video uses four strips of coordinated colors. It's just a personal choice how many you use in your quilt. In this video tutorial, the block is made in red and white but you can make a two rail quilt like this one out of scraps using only darks and lights. The key is to have a lot of contrast so that your design is clear. This video shows some different ways to turn your blocks and create different designs.
I hope this is helpful to someone and makes you want to get started on a quilt of your own! I'll try to add a post every week with more beginner patterns and tips.
I'm going to post a series of patterns and videos to help our newbie friends start turning out fab-you-lous quilts. By starting off with simple techniques, you will gain confidence and skill in a short time. There might be some tips that will help us oldies, too, because we're still learning as the booming quilt industry continues to grow.
The first pattern I'm going to talk about is the simplest one there is - the Rail Fence. All you do with this design is cut strips and sew straight seams. There's no stress as you choose your colors, cut your strips and become familiar with using your sewing machine to stitch them together. When you look at the pattern, notice how the blocks are arranged to create a distinctive rail fence design.
http://www.quilterscache.com/R/RailFenceBlock.html
I looked at over a dozen videos searching for one where you could actually see the cutting and stitching of these blocks. I wanted something basic for you but many of them were produced with a sales pitch for the fabric or tools they were using. I am very grateful for all the free resources these companies give us but I didn't think they were the best for teaching purposes. I finally found one that I liked and posted it for you here. As you look at her design wall, notice how her blocks are arranged and compare that to the design shown in the Quilters Cache pattern.
In the video she gives an excellent tip about stitching those strips together. When you're joining two strips together, you're probably chain sewing so the stitches are all sewn from one direction. When you join the two pairs together reverse them and start sewing from the other end so that your stitches are sewn in the opposite direction. That's because sometimes when you sew a lot of strips together and they're all sewn from the same direction, it can create a rippled effect. I've mainly noticed that happen on thinner fabrics.
If you noticed, the design in the pattern uses three strips in light, medium and dark but the pattern in the video uses four strips of coordinated colors. It's just a personal choice how many you use in your quilt. In this video tutorial, the block is made in red and white but you can make a two rail quilt like this one out of scraps using only darks and lights. The key is to have a lot of contrast so that your design is clear. This video shows some different ways to turn your blocks and create different designs.
I hope this is helpful to someone and makes you want to get started on a quilt of your own! I'll try to add a post every week with more beginner patterns and tips.
I'm getting some things together on cutting accurately, how to sew a 1/4" seam and how to square up your blocks. I think those are the biggest uh-oh problems in quilting.
