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Learn to Quilt
26
items I've been quilting since I was a teenager and love to help others learn to enjoy the art.
Sections
5
Tutorials
Tools & Notions
Fabric
Patterns
Quilt Shop Bucket List
Tutorials
Learning to quilt is easier when you have someone to show you the way. Watch these tutorials to learn the basics and beyond.
This YouTube playlist walks you through making your first quilt.
Learn To Quilt Beginner Series
Fat Quarter Shop always has great tutorials. This is another series of tutorials that will walk you through making your first quilt.
The Ultimate Beginner Quilt Series
Angela Walters is an excellent teacher. Foundation paper piecing is one quilting technique that most quilters will try at least once.
Paper piecing made simple | Quilting Tutorial with Angela Walters for Craftsy
Cutting straight may sound simple, but the precision needed for quilting makes it important to get right.
✂️ HOW TO CUT STRAIGHT - QUILTING SKILLS TUTORIAL
Tools & Notions
While you could make a quilt by hand with scissors, a straight edge, and a hand sewing needle, it will take you a LONG time. These tools will make quilting easier and more fun.
When it comes to cutting mats, the bigger the better for your main cutting mat.
Quilters Select Poppie Cotton 22" x 34" Pink Mat
If you're going to go to quilt retreats or sew days, a cutting mat this size or smaller is great to have.
Quilters Select 12" x 18" Dual Side Cutting Mat
For precision in cutting your fabric, and to save hands, a rotary cutter should be your goto.
Famoré 45mm Rotary Cutter
This is another great option for a rotary cutter. It fits the hand well to give you a good grip.
Fiskars 45mm Rotary Fabric Cutter with Grip
Your blades are going to get dull the more you cut. So you'll need to replace them. These titanium blades are super sharp and stay sharp longer.
Titanium Coated 45mm Rotary Cutter Blades
Didn't all our mother's have a pair of these?
FSK94517397 - Original Stainless Steel Scissors
You'll need a long ruler to guide your rotary cutter. A good length is 24" because that's long enough to reach all the way across the width of fabric folded in half.
OmniEdge Ruler 5" x 24"
These small scissors are great to keep at your sewing machine to snip threads and the dog ears off of half square triangles. Keep one at the machine, one in your travel kit, and another for when you inevitably lose one of the other two.
Asdirne 5” Detail Scissors, 3 Pcs, Blue/Black
Fabric
You can't make a quilt without fabric. Here are some of my favorite staple fabrics.
Stonehenge makes a great background fabric. There's just enough of a variation in this fabric to add interest.
Beige Stonehenge Desert Sand Basics Fabric (43/44 Per Yard)
The Moda Grunge fabrics also make wonderful background fabrics!
Black Grunge Basics Black Dress 44"/45" Per Yard
I keep a 10 yard bolt of solid black and a 10 yard bolt of solid white on hand for backgrounds on most of my quilts.
Amish Black Buy 10 Yards Get 1 Yard Free
This is a lovely fabric from the Grunge line that makes a dynamic background for your quilt.
Moda Fabrics - Grunge Basics - BasicGrey - Vanilla - Yardage
Feeling adventurous? Want to expand your fabric collection? Check out these mystery packs from Keepsake Quilting.
Mystery Packs
3 yard cuts of 108" wide backing fabric for when you don't feel like piecing your backing.
108" 3-yard Back Pack
Liberty Fabric is a favorite of quilters. Quality fabric!
Designer Cotton Quilting Fabrics | Cotton for Quilting | Liberty USA
Patterns
You can wing it when it comes to making a quilt, and I often do. But most of the time, you'll want a pattern. Here are some great ones. Some of these I've made myself, and some are on my bucket list.
This is one of my goto patterns for scraps. For whatever reason, I tend to end up with a lot of 2" squares when I cut up my scraps, and this pattern uses up a lot of 2" squares.
Scrap Jar Stars
This one is on my bucket list. I love the look of the Legit Kits patterns, but they are intimidating.
Big Hummer Pattern
A playlist of fast and easy patterns with video tutorials. I've made some of these.
Fast & Easy StashBuster Quilts
Quilt Shop Bucket List
These are great sites to shop online,
but for quilters they're also a bucket list destination to visit
Large selection of fabric, patterns, tools, and notions. Also check out the tutorials on YouTube! It's also a bucket list destination. 17 quilt shops (and counting) in 1 small town in Missouri.
Missouri Star Quilt Company
This is another bucket list destination. HUGE selection of fabrics at great prices. I do buy from them online, but have never visited in person.
Hancock's of Paducah
The location in Indiana is actually pretty close to me. My cousin and I intend to meet up there sometime in the future for some shopping.
Zinck's Fabric
There are actually 2 quilt shops in this building and even more down the road! Shipshewana is deep in Indiana Amish country. The whole town is a tourist destination. Just don't plan your visit for Sunday. They're closed.
Yoder's Department Store - Shipshewana, Indiana