Easy Quilting 101

A quilting pattern shows you how to make a quilt.  It sounds obvious, doesn’t it, but many beginners are unsure what a quilt pattern does.  Basically it shows you the design, preferably in full color, and how to make it.

Quilts can be made in three main ways. The most popular is patchwork, constructed by piecing patches of cloth together into blocks. The blocks are then sewn together to form the quilt top. The top, batting (bulk of the quilt) and backing are then pinned together and sewn to form the finished quilt. The pattern gives details of how to construct the quilt top, though the actual quilting is generally not part of the pattern unless there are requirements specific to the pattern. 

A second type of quilt pattern is embroidery, where the pattern is sewn into the quilt top, and a third is appliqué where pieces of cloth are sewn to the quilt top in specific patterns.  In each case the actual quilting and sewing processes are basically the same.

Some patterns are traditional and many are hundreds of years old.  They are given names such as Lover’s Know, Crown of Thorns and Garden of Eden.  The last two are examples of Biblical patterns, and others commemorate specific historical events, such as the Underground Railroad that remembers those that escaped slavery by traveling north around the time of the Civil War. 

This use of quilting to commemorate events lives on in the quilters of today.  Quilt blocks are used to commemorate specific events important in history and in family history.

So how do you, as a budding quilter, get your hands on a proper quilt pattern and how do you use it.  They are as common in quilt shops as knitting patterns are in knitting shops. Many knitting shops also stock quilt patterns, and there are a large number of sources on the internet. You don’t have to look hard.  They are simple to use, and will generally show you an example of the finished quilt, and details of each block. 

The pattern will give you a cutting chart, which gives details of how much fabric of each type and color is required, in what direction the grain should be running and how many and in what sizes each piece should be cut.  You are then given details of how to sew together the various parts that make up a block.  A block is simply a larger, generally square or rectangular, part of the quilt top that is repeated several times to make up the whole top.

Once you have made the required number of blocks, they are sewn together as the pattern shows, then the whole quilt put together.  There is generally a bit more detail that this, such as details of the hems and fringes, if any, but that is basically what a quilting pattern gives you.