Learning to do patchwork
Guess what I did on Saturday afternoon, while the rain poured down outside and hubby took the girls to the library? A couple of my friends came over, with a mission – to learn how to do patchwork. Luckily for me and my friend Jane, Megan not only knows how to do patchwork and quilting, she even used to teach it! My first effort is this square, a Churn Dash block.
Megan is a brilliant teacher. She showed us examples of the quilts she had made, and we talked a lot about the use of colour and shade, as well as pattern and proportion. She taught us how to use the rotary cutter and ruler properly, how to piece correctly, and the importance of accuracy in both cutting and piecing. I did this second block the next day, and I can tell that it isn’t as accurate.
Although I’ve managed to get points and seams to meet, I’ve taken too large a seam allowance when sewing the rectangular pieces together. It will be interesting to see if I can accomodate it when I eventually piece together a quilt.
My plan at the moment is to continue making more of these blocks whenever I have the inclination. The light fabric is just calico, since that was what I had on hand as a plain (my stash is chockablock full of prints with hardly any plains) and I’ll just use scrap prints. Practice will hopefully eventually make perfect, and then Megan can give us a lesson on sashing, binding, then quilting! I can already see how people become addicted.
While I had Megan’s handy 6 inch square ruler, I cut out some 4 inch squares from small amounts of Liberty prints that I had in my stash to add to the ones that Ravenhill sent me.
Any suggestions to how to incorporate these into a quilt would be gratefully received – what blocks might be good? How could I best arrange them? What fabrics and/or colours should I combine them with?
Thanks again Megan – you’re not only a brilliant friend, you’re also a superb and patient teacher! And a funny little side note – my Mum is currently learning how to do patchwork too, but she is paying someone in a lovely patchwork shop to teach her. Whereas I have Megan – my own personal tutor!
Your friend Megan sounds lovely. Good luck with the patchwork.
I don’t do patchwork (yet), so can’t give you any advice on that, but I definitely wouldn’t mind having a personal tutor like Megan for my sewing! How lucky you are! 🙂
I’m just learning to quilt a bit too. It looks like you’re off to a great start! You are very lucky to have your own personal teacher! Have fun quilting!
be aware… patchwork and quilting ARE addictive! lol
Wonderfull job on your first blocks, congrats and welcome to the la la land of patching and quilting…
hugs from the Netherlands
Winda aka Dutch Quilter
I am a beginner quilter too! I’ve learned a lot from QNNTV.com
The best tool I have for quilting is a 1/4″ presserfoot for the sewing machine. It really made a difference for me. And use a Sharp needle instead of a universal needle helps too with seam allowance accuracy. I do have an idea for a patchwork pattern for you. I will have to find it and send you on a link. happy quilting!
Hi lara, yes it was a lovely afternoon. Thanks for arranging it, and a big thankyou to fabulous Megan. I am truly inspired to continue. Now the pressure really is on for me to get a new sewing machine. Only 2 weeks until my b’day, and my husband has had plently of hints. Quilting has always been something I have wanted to try – I love to do things that take time, and can be done slowly (and when I can). I am very fortunate to be able to count Lara as a friend. Thanks again Lara and Megan.
I’m thinking as much as you like sewing you just might turn into a quilting addict 🙂
If your presser foot doesn’t meausre 1/4″ exactly then lower the needle down onto a ruler and place a peice of masking tape over 1/4″ from the needle so you have this tape as a reference when you piece. It helps when you’re sewing your 1/4″ seams to sew a scant 1/4″ that way when you press the seam it comes out to the 1/4″.
When you press, press the seam first before you open the pieced seam. Press the dark seams away from light so they won’t shown under the lighter material when quilted.
When you choose your fabrics for quilting keep in mind that most quilters work with 100% cotton fabrics as those are the easiest to work and quilt with.
There are a ton of patterns on the Internet, aside from books, you could get lost so have fun.
Karen
I haven’t made a quilt for years! Your lovely fabrics all laid out are quite inspiring! Best wishes on your quilt-making and I look forward to the finished product.
From a non- quilters point of view (I plan to start soonish), I think you have done a great job. I love the colours & patterns of all the little squares you have cut out. Have fun & good luck with it all!
Those are lovely! I only caught the patchwork bug a year ago after going to Cambridgeshire to see Lucy M. Boston’s house. She wrote all the Green Knowe books for children based on the house. http://www.greenknowe.co.uk/ What I didn’t know was that she was a keen hand patchworker too. Her quilts were amazing. There’s a book “The Patchworks of Lucy Boston” showing them. It inspired me to have a go and before I knew it I started looking at the world in a different way- what colours looked good together for example on buildings, nature, etc.
There are a lot of free patterns: http://www.clothworkstextiles.com/patterns.asp
Welcome to the wonderful addictive world of patchwork. I’m still such a newbie myself -there is always something more to learn.
I am also new to this art… not really having any formal classes before the first quilt was a challenge. The first 3 quilts have been zipped up on a machine this process has become much easier now that I am on Quilt number 4 all by hand this time.
I hope that you are able to enjoy the creative and I feel meditative process of sewing – hand stitching is most certainly meditative to me at least. Not sure which part I like the most… the combination and collecting fabric is a very different process to others such as binding.. have to say by that time I am getting itchy to finish and start another one…
How long has this been for me.. August last year… it can bite…
oh you are on a steep and slippery slope my girl!
be warned – quilting is JUST as addictive as knitting
…and happy birthday btw [ was skimming the birthdays tab on ravelry and spotted you ]
cheers from castlemaine
Those are beautiful pieces of fabric! What I would do with them is put them with black fabric in a simple square patch quilt. The black would really make them stand out.
J’aime beaucoup ce que vous faites. Ce fut un plaisir que de feuilleter votre blog.
Hi I am disabled, and spend most of my time on
a relax chair knitting for my first grandchild due in July. Or at the sewing machine. I then have two different projects going at a time. This year I decided instead of doing the same thing like knitting etc. I would take up a different hobby, so I want to learn how to do patchwork but on a sewing machine. (my hands are to shaky for sewing now) can anyone give me a web site that would be good to look at that would take me through step by step. All the books I have seen are a) too expensive, or b) they do not mail to Spain !!! Thank you and happy crafting.
Frances/Francisca