Quilters. Any top tips?

[Thumbcat]

I've only made clothes before but now want to make DS a patchwork quilt for his bed. I've had a look online and it seems quite straightforward, but if anyone has any tips I'd love to hear them. My only concern is sewing all the layers together with the wading, which looks like it could be quite bulky and awkward. Will a standard sewing machine needle cope? Should I change to a new, sharp one?

this is a good video I have watched a few times, looks relatively straightforwad, I am looking to get started on quilting too

The tricky bit is sewing the three layers together!

Make sure the wadding and the backing are bigger than the quilt top as the quilting process will make the material "shrink".

Pin or baste the three layers well together. This is to prevent the layers shifting. However many pins you've put in you'll probably need more!

I use a walking foot when I quilt but I wouldn't get one unless you're going to do more quilting. This foot prevents the top layer from slipping as you quilt.

New quilting needle is a must. Sew slowly as you quilt - the needle has to go up and down through three layers, so give it chance to form the stitches properly.

I've quilted double bed sized quilts on a domestic machine without too much cursing!

Most important rule - enjoy the process.

Can recommend tutorials by Rose Smith on Ludlow Quilts website. Very good for beginners.

I use big safety pins to hold the layers together I find them easier as they're less likely to come out of the layers but youll need lots

And yes to a new sharp needle and going slowly

I prefer 505 spray for basting instead of pins. So much easier.

Yes to sharp needle, walking foot and bigger batting and backing than the quilt front. I also find a quarter inch foot really helping in getting accurate seams when piecing the patchwork top..

Thanks for all the advice. I'll watch the videos and investigate quilting needles. I'm looking forward to getting started on it.

New quilt, new needle is a must. They last about 8 hours approximately so they should be changed regularly. Schmetz are the best.

It is best to get quilters basting/safety pins which have a bend in them. You will need a lot. They shouldn't be more than 4" apart and should not have room to move around. Fill them up! Start in the middle and work you way out to the edge, when you are pinning to avoid wrinkles.

Keep the quiltingsimple to begin with. Don't quilt in the ditch on your first attempt though. It looks simple in theory but it should be invisble and it is very hard to do well.

What pattern are you thinking of? Plenty of ideas on Pinterest although you could end up looking instead of doing.

Have fun!

DO you have a quilting shop nearby? Pop in and have a word with them. You'll get invaluable information about fabric, types of patchwork, best thread to use etc. If there's a quilting group near you, that is another great way to learn and to meet other quilters.

Make sure you have enough of your chosen fabrics.
measure twice and cut once.
Invest in a good cutting board, rotary cutter and patchwork rulers. They are worth their weight in gold, as are sharp scissors that are only used for fabric.
Keep your machine clean and well-oiled and test the tension each teim on scrap material.
Choose the right type of batting for your quilt - natural/manmade/bamboo etc.

I was thinking of just regular squares rather than a fancy pattern. I've done stitch in the ditch on clothes so may attempt that. If I don't, then where do I stitch so that it still looks good?

I've a feeling this quilt may be a one off so I'll attempt to get by with the sewing equipment I already have. Definitely time to change the needle though.

Most important thing is to make sure your squares are totally square!
Cut them 1/4 inch bigger all around and then use a 1/4 inch foot on your sewing machine to get a perfectly measured seam without actually having to do any further sewing.
Pair up the cut squares and then you can sew one set after another through your sewing machine, no stopping and starting, just keep going and then cut the threads in between each one. It doesn't matter that you haven't finished the threads at the beginning and end of each seam, as you are going to be sewing over the 1st quarter inch when you sew the other seams. You can just pin the squares together and have them sitting in a pile beside your machine to run through.
Once you've sewn each square to a partner, press the seams to one side and then start to sew the paired squares together as before.

this "production line" method really cuts down the time. Investing in a rotary cutter, board and ruler saves an unbelievable amount of time too.

For an easy but very effective pattern, take a look at "disappearing 9 patch". Also think about maybe including some sashing between your groups of squares (Sashing is solid bands of material that "frame" the pacthwork squares and can really make a huge difference to the quilt)

Where and how you quilt is up to you. And easy way is to quilt diagonal lines and then do the same in a different direction.
If you use sashing, then you could quilt a pattern in each square and leave the sashing blank, or vice versa.
Quilting designs can be totally different to the patchwork, so if your quilt top is squares, you could quilt circles or fans.

Can I just chip in to say it's worth getting proper quilt wadding, it's actually not as bulky as you think. I like the Hobbs 80% cotton one.

If you don't have a walking foot I'd get the iron on one, it will help prevent the layers moving while you quilt them together.

There are hundreds of fabulous video tutorials on www.missouristarquiltco.com.

I completely love them and even my 5 year old asks if Jenny has made any more quilting shows.

I made a quilt using all of dds old baby clothes (couldn't bare to throw them away,charity shop them, etc but they were just sitting in the attic). My top tips are

If the fabric is stretchy then iron on some interfacing.

Use some scraps of fabric just to do some practice squares before you truly start making the real ones

When sewing the strips of fabric together make sure any seams are sewn facing outwards (like open butterfly wings)

Invest in a rotary cutter and cutting mat

Trim off all the excess bits of thread and fabric as you sew rather than leaving it till your quilt top is complete

I felt really unconfident about sewing all the layer together so I went to dunelm mill where they sell wadding which is already attached to the backing fabric. I then sewed the upside down quilt top (pin it in a million places!) To the fabric side of my quilt backing leaving a little gap so that I could then turn the whole thing inside out (or actually the right way round). I then stitched the ditch. It means that you don't need to do any binding/edging on the quilt.