How to Sew Bed Quilts
Sewing bed quilts is a great hobby if you are creative and love to sew. A quilt is something to be treasured, especially when it is handmade. You can choose to piece a quilt by machine and machine quilt it, or you can piece it by machine and hand quilt it, or you can sew it by hand and quilt it by hand.
1. Choose a pattern. Browse through books, magazines and quilting websites. The pattern instructions will provide the measurements for your quilt squares and the amount of fabric needed for the size of the quilt.
2. Shop for fabrics. Decide on the colors for your bed quilt and purchase your fabrics. Start with a main fabric that has all the colors you want. Choose your secondary fabrics by pulling colors from the main fabric. The preferred fabric for quilts is 100% cotton, as it is easy to press and quilt. Pick also a matching fabric for the quilt backing, either in a pattern or a solid color. You can buy fabric by the yard, or in fat quarters.
3. Purchase quilt batting in the size of your quilt.
4. Lay out your different fabrics and pick the fabrics to use for the different squares. Remember that the main fabric will be the focus of your quilt.
5. Take out your quilting ruler, rotary cutter and quilting board. The ruler will be used to cut quilt squares according to the measurements specified in the pattern instructions. Cut the squares on the quilting board with your rotary cutter. The quilting board also has ruler measurements to guide you in cutting your squares.
6. Sew your squares together with a sewing machine, or by hand. Make sure that all your corners meet together. This is the top layer of your quilt.
7. Cut the backing or bottom layer of your quilt. An easy option is to cut a whole piece of fabric in the size of your quilt.
8. Cut the quilt batting to fit your quilt. Place the batting between your top layer of quilt squares and your whole bottom layer.
9. Stitch loosely by hand the three layers. You can now quilt by machine or by hand the three layers in the design of your choice.
10. Trim the edges of your quilt. Follow the quilt pattern instructions to finish the edges of your quilt.