Simple Patch Quilt
This is a summer weight quilt (one of two) that I sewed for my baby while I was still pregnant. It made a fantastic swaddling blanket. A plain square block quilt is very easy to do and you do not need much sewing practice to make one. It could be a good beginner's sewing project. I cut the blocks from two old shirts. You can use a variety of colors and patterns like I did with the other quilt (not shown) but I find that a two-color quilt is much easier on the eyes and very elegant.
Choose the fabric that you will be using for your quilt. Be sure that it is washed and not wrinkled. It is a good idea to iron the cloth before cutting. If it is made from clothing, cut the pieces of the clothing apart so that all pieces lay open and flat without being on top of one another. Also, choose a piece of fabric for the back of your quilt. For one of my quilts, I used a pillow case which I cut open down one long side and one short end. For the above quilt, I used the back of an old blanket my husband wore out. If you are going to use batting inside the quilt, choose your batting. You can use a piece of an old thermal blanket or my personal favorite: an old towel.
Make the pattern for cutting your squares out of a piece of paperboard packaging such as a cereal or cracker box. You can make the squares as large as you want, but I prefer three inch squares. Measure a perfect square out onto the back of your paperboard with a pencil. Measure another perfect square around the first that is 1/2 inch larger all the way around. Cut out the large square and then cut the center square out of it. You should have a square border that is 1/2 inch all the way around like this.
Use this pattern for cutting all of your quilt blocks. Lay the pattern over a piece of the fabric you will be using to make the blocks. Be sure that the edge of the square runs fairly evenly along the weave of the fabric. Using a felt tip marker, trace around the outside of the square carefully. Then trace around the inside of the square. Draw all of your squares first, then cut them all out of the fabric. When you are cutting them out, always cut along the line of the largest outside square.
Begin sewing your quilt. You can use a machine or sew by hand. When sewing by hand, always double up the thread (pull the thread through the needle and tie the ends together in a knot so you are sewing with double thread). You will be using a running stitch.
Lay two quilt squares face to face. Begin at one corner and sew the two squares together along one side of the inside square you have drawn on the back of the pieces. When you come to the end of the side, make a good knot. Open the pieces and lay another square face-down over one of the squares you have just sewn so that they face each other. Sew along one side so that when you open the squares again, it has made an L shape. Lay a fourth square over one of these again so that you have a completed large square of four smaller squares.
Continue adding more squares going around in a spiral motion or in a back and forth motion. Never sew long strips of squares. They will not measure up properly when you go back to sew them all together later. Sew around a large block.
When the front of the quilt is finished, lay it face-to-face with the back piece of the quilt. If you are going to add some towel as batting to the quilt, lay an equal sized piece of towel over the top of the other two pieces. Once sewn and turned inside out, it will be on the inside of the quilt.
Pin the edges of the quilt layers together every two or three inches to hold them together straight. Use a running stitch all the way around the edge where the inner lines of the squares are drawn. Use doubled-up thread and be sure to make a good knot every two squares or so so that the thread cannot pull and bunch later on.
If you are adding batting, sew up all the sides of the quilt and leave one part open about four inches wide. Turn your quilt inside out through this hole, fold the seams in and sew the hole closed neatly.
If you are making a summer weight quilt with no batting, sew up only three sides of the quilt and leave the third short side open. Turn the quilt right-side-out and then fold the seams of the open side in and pin them every two inches. Use a running stitch about 1/16 of an inch from the edge all the way down the seam to sew the quilt together.
Choose the fabric that you will be using for your quilt. Be sure that it is washed and not wrinkled. It is a good idea to iron the cloth before cutting. If it is made from clothing, cut the pieces of the clothing apart so that all pieces lay open and flat without being on top of one another. Also, choose a piece of fabric for the back of your quilt. For one of my quilts, I used a pillow case which I cut open down one long side and one short end. For the above quilt, I used the back of an old blanket my husband wore out. If you are going to use batting inside the quilt, choose your batting. You can use a piece of an old thermal blanket or my personal favorite: an old towel.
Make the pattern for cutting your squares out of a piece of paperboard packaging such as a cereal or cracker box. You can make the squares as large as you want, but I prefer three inch squares. Measure a perfect square out onto the back of your paperboard with a pencil. Measure another perfect square around the first that is 1/2 inch larger all the way around. Cut out the large square and then cut the center square out of it. You should have a square border that is 1/2 inch all the way around like this.
Use this pattern for cutting all of your quilt blocks. Lay the pattern over a piece of the fabric you will be using to make the blocks. Be sure that the edge of the square runs fairly evenly along the weave of the fabric. Using a felt tip marker, trace around the outside of the square carefully. Then trace around the inside of the square. Draw all of your squares first, then cut them all out of the fabric. When you are cutting them out, always cut along the line of the largest outside square.
Begin sewing your quilt. You can use a machine or sew by hand. When sewing by hand, always double up the thread (pull the thread through the needle and tie the ends together in a knot so you are sewing with double thread). You will be using a running stitch.
Lay two quilt squares face to face. Begin at one corner and sew the two squares together along one side of the inside square you have drawn on the back of the pieces. When you come to the end of the side, make a good knot. Open the pieces and lay another square face-down over one of the squares you have just sewn so that they face each other. Sew along one side so that when you open the squares again, it has made an L shape. Lay a fourth square over one of these again so that you have a completed large square of four smaller squares.
Continue adding more squares going around in a spiral motion or in a back and forth motion. Never sew long strips of squares. They will not measure up properly when you go back to sew them all together later. Sew around a large block.
When the front of the quilt is finished, lay it face-to-face with the back piece of the quilt. If you are going to add some towel as batting to the quilt, lay an equal sized piece of towel over the top of the other two pieces. Once sewn and turned inside out, it will be on the inside of the quilt.
Pin the edges of the quilt layers together every two or three inches to hold them together straight. Use a running stitch all the way around the edge where the inner lines of the squares are drawn. Use doubled-up thread and be sure to make a good knot every two squares or so so that the thread cannot pull and bunch later on.
If you are adding batting, sew up all the sides of the quilt and leave one part open about four inches wide. Turn your quilt inside out through this hole, fold the seams in and sew the hole closed neatly.
If you are making a summer weight quilt with no batting, sew up only three sides of the quilt and leave the third short side open. Turn the quilt right-side-out and then fold the seams of the open side in and pin them every two inches. Use a running stitch about 1/16 of an inch from the edge all the way down the seam to sew the quilt together.