Patchwork and Quilting Wiki
A collection of templates, project and tips on patchwork and quilting.
Course content of Patchwork 101
Patchwork 101 – Patchwork for Beginners
Materials needed:
- Fine cotton or woven fabric in at least two different colors
- A total of approximately 60 cm x 60 cm of fabric
- Individual fabric pieces must not be smaller than 12 cm x 12 cm
Preparation:
- Rotary cutter, ruler, cutting mat (inch ruler; bring your own rotary cutter as well)
- Set up 4 sewing machines
- Ironing board and iron
What is patchwork?
- Books with inspiring quilts; brief historical overview
- Tradition in America; Amish heritage
- Basic fabric knowledge: Which fabrics are suitable for patchwork?
Inch vs. cm and the role of seam allowance
- Sewing fabric pieces together: What size will the finished piece be?
- Inch or cm: both are possible, but difficult to handle in parallel
The course project: A panel of 4 x 4 fabric squares
- Finished size: 40 x 40 cm or 16” x 16” (16” = 40.64 cm)
- Finished squares: 10 x 10 cm → cut fabric squares at 11.5 cm with a 0.75 cm seam allowance
- Finished squares: 4” x 4” → cut fabric squares at 4.5” with a 1/4” seam allowance
Cutting with a rotary cutter and ruler
- Demonstration: hand position
- When should you change the blade?
- ALWAYS lock the rotary cutter
- Participants cut their fabric pieces
Assembling fabric pieces with the sewing machine
- Sew using the width of the presser foot as a guide; understand the sewing machine markings
- Participants lay out their fabrics and sew the squares together row by row
Tips for sewing intersecting seams
Strategy 1: Press seam allowances to one side, alternating directions (“nesting”); secure with sewing clips. The feed dogs are underneath.
Strategy 2: Press seam allowances open and secure with pins.
Participants press their fabric rows according to their chosen method and sew the rows together.
Sewing the Penrose triangle with Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP)
- Pattern and project desription: Penrose triangle