Hello! I have come a long way in my quilting hobby. Quite a few years ago, I bought a used sewing machine, determined to learn to quilt. After taking classes, joining a quilt guild and learning from so many online, I finally actually consider myself a “QUILTER”! So I decided it was time to update my “how to” quilting tutorials.
You’ll find the following quilting tutorials on my website under Quilting Tips:
- Quilt Supplies
- Piecing a Quilt Top
- Quilting a Quilt Top
- Making & Attaching Binding to a Quilt
- Adding a Sleeve and Label to your Quilt
Would you like to learn the basics of quilting? I think the best way for me to walk someone through the steps to make a quilt is to give you a simple example. Let’s make this cute table runner! You can download a free copy of my “In Love with Fall” table runner here.
First up – quilt supplies. Our great grandmothers used what they had on hand – fabric, needle, thread, scissors and maybe some paper shapes. They traced the shapes onto the fabric, cut the fabric, and sewed the tiny pieces of fabric together with needle and thread – making the most beautiful quilt tops! A thin sheet or blanket might have been used for the backing and batting, making a quilt sandwich. It then went onto a quilt hoop. With tiny quilt stitches, the quilt sandwich lovingly became a quilt to keep her family warm.
Today’s quilter rarely uses scissors to cut fabric, but instead uses a rotary cutter and quilting rulers, making for quicker, easier and more accurate fabric pieces. Most quilt piecing is now done by sewing machine. And although many of today’s modern quilters enjoy finishing the quilt with hand quilting, many opt to either quilt it on a domestic sewing machine or long-arm quilting machine. Do take a look at my suggested Quilt Supplies, but don’t go overboard, spending lots of money on fancy tools and supplies. Start simple!
So let’s make a table runner! You can find a printable pattern for my “In Love With Fall” table runner here.
Start by picking your fabric. You’ll need the following:
- A – 1/4 yard or 1 fat quarter (FQ) for leaf 1
- B – 1/4 yard or 1 fat quarter (FQ) for leaf 2
- C – 1/4 yard or 1 fat quarter (FQ) for leaf 3
- D – 1/3 yard or 1 fat quarter (FQ) for the leaf backgrounds
- E – 1/8 yard for the inside border
- F – 1/4 yard for the outside border
- G – 1/3 yard for the binding
- H – 3/4 yard for the backing (or 46″ x 22″)
- I – 46″ x 22″ batting
Choices are endless! You might want to use a traditional fall color palette, or you might want to choose very modern, colorful fabrics. For this tutorial, I am using Ruby Star Society “SPECKLED” fabric and a bit of Ruby Star Society “WARP & WEFT HEIRLOOM fabric. These and many other great Ruby Star Society fabrics are available from the Pindrop Shop, which is the cutest yarn and fabric shop in Uhrichsville, Ohio (you can also purchase online). The owner also has a wide variety of her goods in her ETSY shop – Pindrop_Shop. Aren’t these fabrics fun! They were created by Ruby Star Society designers Rashida Coleman Hale and Alexia Marcelle Abegg. For the leaf blocks, I will be using the purple, orange and lime. The inner border will be the dark teal, and the outer border will be the fun orange stripe. Binding it all up will be the purple again. For the leaf background fabric and the quilt back, I will be using Kona white. And I am using an 80/20 cotton/poly batting.
Let’s get started! In this tutorial, we’ll talk about the following:
- Preparing your fabric
- Cutting the fabric pieces
- Stitching the fabric pieces together to make a “quilt block”
- “Pressing” versus “Ironing”
- Stitching the quilt blocks together to make a “quilt top”
Follow along as we “piece” our quilt top by clicking here.
Now that our table runner top is finished, it is time to quilt it. This next tutorial will show you how to:
- Determine the size needed for your quilt back and batting
- Pin or baste your quilt top, batting and backing – making a “quilt sandwich”
- Create a plan for your quilt design
- Choose the correct needle, thread and machine setting
- Quilt the “quilt sandwich”
Follow along as we “quilt” our quilt top by clicking here.
We are ready to add the “quilt binding”. There are numerous ways to bind a quilt. I am going to share my favorite method. As you progress in your quilting hobby, you’ll most likely settle on a favorite method also. This tutorial will show how to:
- Determine the length of binding needed
- Create binding strips
- Make a quilt label
- Attach the binding to the front of the quilt
- Attach the binding to the back of the quilt
Follow along as we attach the binding to our quilt top by clicking here.
Don’t forget – download a free copy of my “In Love With Fall” table runner pattern here.
Thanks for stopping by!