Patchwork quilt: What do I need?

[UntamedShrew]

I've acquired the top of a vintage patchwork quilt, so I need to buy some nice fabric for the underside and I guess some stuffing / wadding..? Anything else? Any tips or do I just sew it all together?

Thanks.

I've been doing quilting for a few years now and I have several tops I've not finished. I find the patchwork side quite easy and the quilting side daunting. If it is big and you're not used to handling this size of quilt under a machine you might consider employing someone to do the quilting. Especially if the quilt top is old and precious. A search for long arm quilting will pull up some names, it might work out expensive depending on the size of quilt. You need to decide.

If you want to do yourself then you need, wadding. You need to decide whether to use 100% cotton or a blend. I like the 100% cotton and it will shrink and add to the vintage look of the overall quilt. For the backing you need to buy either a piece of fabric which is wide enough to do the entire quilt or fabric that you cut and sew to size. If you do this then you need to cut 2 pieces about 8" longer than the quilt and then cut one of these in half width ways. Join these 2 pieces to each side of the other piece. This way you don't have a seam down the middle. Also, don't choose a plain fabric because if you're not used to quilting it will show all your mistakes. The rule for quilting is that if you put your hand spread out on the quilt you should be able to touch stitching in each direction. You will also need some binding which you can make yourself (there are instructions on the internet) this looks much nicer than the binding you buy as it will probably be the same as the backing fabric.

You will need to pin the layers together ensure there are no wrinkles in any of the layers, this gets harder the bigger the quilt.

I've done plenty of small quilts and I'm just starting to contemplate completing my bedsize quilts.

Good Luck and let me know how you get on.

Just wanted to add that you could hand quilt it too, although that might seem more daunting! For that you will find a hoop or frame helpful as it pulls the quilt 'sandwich' (the top, the wadding and the backing fabric) tightly together to make stitching easier.

If your local library has and quilting books, or can get something on an inter-library loan, I'd recommend that. My favourite, clear book, with good illustrations and instructions for both machine and hand quilting is this one. There are loads and loads of quilting tutorials out there on the internet too- try Purl Bee for starters.

Good luck!

Thank you all so much, this is really useful advice! I will get all the gear and a book and then decide if it is beyond me.. expect it is, but you've inspired me to maybe try and make a smaller project myself like a cushion to go with it from the scraps that came with it. Excited to see how it all turns out, anyway.

I also can't decide on whether to have a pattern in the quilting or just something simple like an X across each square. Any views on what turns out most successfully? The fabrics are quite plain so it could go either way I think.

Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

Just saw this and happened to have a price list for long arm quilting service in front of me, strangely enough (got it from a quilt show a couple of weeks ago). I am told this is reasonably priced but for a double quilt you are looking at £110 and £85 for a single. That is for quilting a simple pattern. It is more expensive for a complex pattern. It is a lot of money but it is also a lot of work and the machines are very expensive.

If you want to have a go at it yourself I would find a course first. A 10 week patchwork and quilting course should cover all aspects of making a quilt including the basting, quilting and binding. And it is good fun too!

Good luck.

There's a book called 'Quilting makes a Quilt' by Lee Cleland. I don't suggest you buy it but see if you can get a look at a copy. She takes a quilt and makes about 5 of them completely the same. She then quilts them differently and believe me. They look like different quilts. What you choose to quilt can 'make or break' it. Research the design well.

Enjoy doing the cushion. I think it's a good idea to start small. As I have done.. (5 years now... LOL).

A good book is the sampler quilt by Diane Leone. Not necessarily because of the blocks but because she gives very good description of all tools required and compares brands. I use her as my bible for quilt sizes for beds etc. She's also a hand quilter, so everything is by hand.

if you intend to quilt your patchwork, you will need a quilting or darning foot for your machine. (quilting foot for straight lines, darning formore intricate patterns) Quilting can be very difficult -ive been quilting for 5-6 years, and I have only recently prgressed to anything approaching fancy!

COnsider tie-ing(sp???) your quilt - get some lovely thick embroidery cotton, take a single small stitch through all layers of fabric, and tie a knot. snip the ends of the cotton c. 1cm long. Spaced 3-4 inches apart, this can be a great "first" quilt project, in that your lovely new tops can be used very quickly. QUilting is a labour of love and patience. Once you have quilted/tied, you will still need to bind....so even with a simple tie, you are looking at many hours of work.

I am a newbie quilter.

I made three lap size quilts for christmas presents. I tried to machine quilt one with large hearts and butterflies, using a darning foot but found it difficult with and without the feed dogs. I also dont have a big neckspace (not sure of the technical name) on my machine so found it hard to manipulate the quilt, especially the center.

For the others, I just "stitched in the ditch" using a walking foot & this was much easier to do. (although takes a bit of practice to sew straight even with tape or chalk markings to follow.

I would still like to make a large bed quilt but think that I would hand quilt it or bite the bullet and pay for it to be long arm quilted certainly wouldn't attempt machine quilting anything bigger than the ones that I have already done!