how to make a quilt?

Question

i want to make a quilt that looks something like rachel ashwell's shabby chic..

ANY tips, advice, how to's, fabrics, techniques...would be really valuable to me! thanks!

Answer 1

Several websites give step by step instructions. (There is so much detailed information about making a quilt to give you here.)

Go to www.about.com and work your way to the step-by-step quilt instructions page.

also,
www.wikihow.com/Make-a-quilt

Ok, now for the tips--of course a lot of this depends on whether you are going to machine sew or hand sew.

Since you are new to quilting, you will find that 100% cotton fabric will be easier to work with than polyester or a cotton/poly blend. (Polyester fabric tends to pucker.)

Be sure that your thread content matches your material content that you are using. (If you are using cotton fabric, then choose a good mercanized cotton thread to sew with.)

You will probably want to prewash all of your fabric. (Old school thought says that this is a must. Newer school of thinking says you can get by without doing this as long as the content is the same in everything that you are using--they say everything should shrink at the same rate.) Better be safe and preshrink.

Use a 1/4" seam allowance. (Now if you happen to sew denim into a quilt, use 1/2" to 3/4" seam allowance--that stuff unravels like crazy.)

Press with a steam iron all fabric before cutting.

Press all seams. (A good iron saves a lot of time and headaches later on.)

Purchase a rotary cutter and a self healing mat. You can cut multiple layers of fabric quickly. (Great time/labor saver) Get the best mat you can afford at the time.

Get a pair of fabric scissors, only use them for sewing!

If you plan to machine quilt, determine whether your feed dogs will lower, if not you will have to tape over them for the quilting process. (So your layers won't get eaten into the machine)

Also, if you plan to machine quilt, make sure that you have the appropriate feet for quilting. (For example, if you want to stipple, you'll need a free motion quilting foot.)

Don't expect perfection instantly. Learn how to disguise mistakes. For example, if after you have got done quilting, you discover a pucker or two that you didn't catch when they happened--just put a couple of carefully placed appliques over it to hide it.

Have fun.

Answer 2

I looked up Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic bedding and found several different quilts, so I'm not sure exactly which one you're talking about. However, the fabric choice is essential for this look, and is similar in all of the quilts. If you have a local quilt store (not Jo-Anns or Hancocks or Hobby Lobby - a "real" quilt shop), they probably carry the fabric you want. Moda's Three Sisters put out several lines of fabric that are very much like the romantic florals in the shabby chic quilts. The current line is called Sanctuary (the first link is a color card), but you can also look for Faded Memories, which is still fairly recent. Even if they don't have the Moda (which is unlikely - it's hugely popular), they may have other lines that have a similar style. If you don't have a local quilt store, go online - my favorite online fabric store is Hancocks of Paducah (second link). You can search for quilting fabric by brand and designer, or by theme (in this case, floral). The fabric runs anywhere from $3 per yard up to $12 per yard. It's sold in half yard increments, so the price listed is the price per half yard. You can also get patterns and notions there. If you don't want to pay that much for fabric, go to your local fabric and craft store (JoAnn's, Hancocks, WalMart, etc). You might be able to find what you need, although it generally won't be as good qualty.

As far as the pattern goes, stick with something simple. One of the quilts I saw in Rachel Ashwell's line was just 4" strips of fabric sewn together. It was gorgeous because of the fabric choices, and still very simple. If you want to do something more complicated, try combining squares of cotton fabrics with squares of chenille (you can get it at most fabric/craft stores). Just cut a bunch of larger squares (say, 10 1/2") of all of your fabrics, then lay them out on the floor until you find a pattern you like. Sew them together using 1/4" seams. It's casual (shabby chic isn't about being fussy, so casual is good), and it looks gorgeous.

If you've never quilted before, I recommend you get a book geared toward beginners. My favorite is "Start Quilting with Alex Anderson." It's inexpensive, teaches the basics of cutting, fabric selection, and piecing, and provides six blocks that show you almost all of the techniques needed to quilt. A little hint - take it to your local Staples, Office Max, etc. and have them cut the binding off and put a spiral binding on it. This way you can lay the book flat, or open to a single page. The Rail Fence block would be another excellent choice for a shabby chic quilt.

For the quilting, you can use a thin cotton batting and layer your top, batting and backing fabric. With the striped quilt, just sew in the same direction as your stripes, end to end, every inch or two apart. They don't even have to be perfectly straight. For the squares, try sewing in both directions about 1" from your block edges. How close you have to sew depends on the batting you choose, so check that before you buy the batting. You could also eliminate the batting layer and use a flannel fabric for the back, then tie the quilt (actually, without the batting it would be called a coverlet). Use cotton pearl thread (kind of like embroidery floss - thicker than thread, but lighter than yarn) and stitch through both layers, then tie a square knot (left over right, then right over left). Trim the ties to about 1/2".

Answer 3

It would be hard to tell you in a posting. But here is some advice.

Get a rolling fabric cutter and matt. It makes cutting the material so easy.

Always wash you fabric before cutting it and sewing it. This will stop shrinkage and pulling on the threads after being washed.

I personally perfer 100% cotton material as opposed to a polyester cotton mix. It is much softer to the touch, and on the skin.

Get a book on begining quilting either from the bookstore or library.

Make sure you have a large place to lay the quilt out for you put the batten on and for when you back it. This is always the hardest for me.

Good Luck

Answer 4

Hm...best suggestion is to get a book. There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of quilt books, so look over a bunch til you find one that appeals to you that has all the basics in it.
Start by doing some pillows that will coordinate with your quilt, you'll learn some necessary skills and make some inevitable mistakes on something besides your big project.

Always remember that in sewing precision and accuracy in every step is the best guarantee of a quality finished product.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

If you want that old time, washed a hundred times, look. Don't wash the fabric first. The shrinkage will create that wrinkly look that makes it look old. Also, use muted colors so that it looks shabby...