Patchwork Quilts

[Bestwishes23]

Hi Mumsnet crafters,

I'm after some advice/inspiration. I usually crochet but I'm looking for a new hobby to try out.

I've always wanted to try make a patchwork quilt, but I don't have much experience in sewing and I don't own a sewing machine, which most of the tutorials use.

Is it possible to hand sew the pieces together? I was thinking of getting a fat quarters pack and practicing the running stitch. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance! 🌸

I’ve just started a hexagon quilt and it’s been much faster than I thought. I wanted to have a hand sewing project that I could do in front of the TV as well as using up lots of scrap pieces of Liberty tana lawn

Im using 1.5 inch hexagons (that’s the measurement of one side). I bought the papers pre cut, glue basted them and I’m just sewing them together in pairs. I didn’t even cut the fabric into hexagons, just using squares.

So OP it’s entirely doable for you as a beginner. You don’t have to do the whole quilt in paper pieces. You could eg make hexagon flowers then sew them onto a larger backing.

You could make a non paper pieced quilt as well but it might get a bit boring.

A good place to start might be to buy a kit.

I find hand quilting really therapeutic. You need a proper quilting needle - they're quite short - and 'rock' the needle through the fabric to do 2 or 3 stitches at once.

I attended a class where it was hand sewing only, no machines. I made 3 quilts, so it is achievable and I found hand sewing very relaxing.
Check on youtube/flosstube for beginners.

You can!
I would say buy charm packs and just stitch together until you have a top, it will take a while though! Then when you sandwich it and add a back you can hand quilt it.

OP there’s a YouTuber called She Sews Seams and she has a great short tutorial on EPP hexagons. About one month ago.

I've hand sewn all the quilts I've made and it's been totally fine. For me it feels like such an accomplishment sewing them myself rather than using a machine.

I really want to find a hand sewing class, they all seem to be machine based

How long does it take roughly?

DW has been quilting for over 25 years. Does it all by hand. A sewing machine is not necessary at all.

Each quilt took me approx 6 months, 2 hours each week in class and a few hours at home in between times.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1572675931/minky-quilt-panel-hidden-pictures-eye?gaorder=mostrelevant&gasearchtype=all&gaviewtype=gallery&gasearchquery=quilt+panels&ref=scgallery-1-9&cns=1&ret=1&plkey=4604500e6d99819b6a5f59adad65deaa45330228%3A1572675931

I’m not a seller, I just wanted to show you an example of a patch work quilt where the only sewing was lining up the squares and sewing everything together. So you’d see the squares, put some wadding in the middle and then a backing underneath that.

You could hand sew on top of each square using a template and a fabric pen if you wanted the traditional quilt patterns, or use some toy stuffing to pick out one aspect (so if you had a teddy bear design on a blue background, you could put stuffing underneath the bear, and then sew around the bear onto the wadding, so the bear would have a 3d effect).

Hand quilting is a long process, and it would definitely be quicker to do it by machine, but there’s something very calming and almost meditative about hand sewing. Get yourself in a comfy place, get your bits all around you and just relax completely. And now winter is coming, it’ll be nice to sew while something is over your lap.

Depends on whether it's standard squares or more complex. I just do it in front of the TV so I've never added it up but it is a long term project. I think I made my sons playmat (so smallish) in about two months of evening sewing. I had no real sewing experience before and I'm not saying they are amazingly sewn but the people I've gifted them to seem appreciative.

https://quiltingtutorials.com/tutorial/the-ultimate-quilt-binding-tutorial

I like this lady's tutorial for my hand binding.
Also I've never heard of English paper quilting, I just sew things together. I have used some patterns and done quite a complicated quilt but again just by hand sewing the pieces directly.

I’ve never seen one, but embroidery classes might be a good practice, teaching you all the different stitches, which you can then use to hand sew whatever you like.

I learnt at school in textiles. Our teacher had us hand sewing straight lines with contrasting fabric/thread colours so we could clearly see where we’d gone wrong. Each stitch had to be the same size, about a mm long, and God help you if it wasn’t straight! We weren’t allowed to touch the machines until we’d cracked it. It’s like touch typing. Just practice over and over until it’s second nature.

Invest in a sewing machine if you would like a quick result. Look at it as a time saving tool, and it will pay for itself over and over again. If you start with ENglish paper piecing (EPP) start small, like a table mat or a pincushion so you don't get disheartened. You'll need a pincushion so might as make one!

Whilst there are masses of online resources, you might want to join an evening class or a local quilt group to pick up the basic techniques. You can find local groups via the Quilters Guild and we quilters are a friendly and welcoming bunch! www.quiltersguild.org.uk/regions/all-regions

Some basics to help with accuracy:
Quilters work in inches rather than metric (although fabric is sold in metres).
Standard seam allowance is 1/4"
Equipment - a cutting mat, rotary cutter, quilting rulers as well as scissors, needles, thread, pins, and an unpicker!

Oh and you absolutely can join pieces with running stitch. Look up Millefiori Quilts by Willyne Hammerstein and prepare to be inspired. There are lots of Facebook groups devoted to patchwork and quilting.

Thank you for the link. Absolutely, I love when my crochet blankets become big enough to cover my lap as I go!

That's interesting! I have started teaching myself a few embroidery stitches and yes i just used some scrap fabric to test on.

I am not very good at remembering that practice is the key to most things

I have always hand sewn my quilts as I don’t have a sewing machine. It’s a good idea to start now so that you will have a lovely warm quilt to snuggle on your knees when you come to quilt. Just make sure you put in lots of big stitches in a bright coloured thread to hold it all together before you start the actual quilting - this way the layers won’t move .

I wouldn't do English paper piecing as a starter quilt unless you are already good at fiddly hand sewing. A simple patchwork square pattern would be much easier to hand sew. Agree with others that making a small lap quilt initially is very sensible, and may actually get much more use in the winter - cosy for on the sofa watching telly. Library books & groups would be great for this, and you may find a craft studio or a new friend where you could use a machine to do the actual quilting bit.

You can do it all by hand it will be time consuming but is very satisfying. I've not done a quilt by hand but did do a cushion cover. I really enjoyed hand quilting that.

I hand sewed a quilt for my sister’s wedding present forty-odd years ago - I remember it took me ages, but not much more than that! I can’t remember what I used for the backing fabric - could you use a sheet, do you think, so you wouldn’t have to have seams in the back…?

I love seeing quilts, whether hand sewn or machined. The patterns and colours are just beautiful and they really are heirlooms to be treasured and handed down. Hope you enjoy making yours OP.

I’ve made several quilts ( including a king size bed one from panne velvet). I prefer to hand sew, I like to do it in an armchair , often whilst ‘watching’ TV . It’s much more relaxing than machining which is noisy and you are fixed in one position.

i started with the paper, but I soon gave up, such a fiddle and as long as you have a reasonably good eye and don’t let things get too creased, is perfectly okay without. I didn’t quilt the whole thing on the bedcover, just caught it down in quite a few places to hold the lining and wadding and top together, it lasted for thirty years including being washed occasionally . Thé top fabric wore out as it wasn’t very robust to start with ( thin dress fabric). I wish I had kept it now, I would have hand embroidered or appliquéd over the bare bits!

The only sort I would machine would be log cabin as it is straight ( and a bit dull) small pointed pieces are easier to hand sew in my experience.

The first quilt I made, over 30 years ago, was a log cabin, done entirely by hand using strips of fabric. I think I used a sheet for backing and a mattress topper for batting. It is totally possible to do by hand but does take a time. I always find paper piecing really fiddly, having to get the paper out of the finished piece. I've since progressed to quilt as you go on the machine (doing the blocks all together with top, batting and back, then sashing together) and can now get a quilt out in a couple of days. Both valid ways of producing an end product, I enjoyed the hand sewing and am thinking of doing another by that method. Good luck - it is addictive...and expensive!