# 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

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### What is patchwork?

* Books with inspiring quilts; brief historical overview
* Tradition in America; Amish heritage
* Basic fabric knowledge: Which fabrics are suitable for patchwork?

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### 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

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### 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

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### 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

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### 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

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### 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](https://fablab.tu-ilmenau.de/#!/projects/mathematical-sewing-penrose-triangle)