New to quilting? Do some pattern instructions feel beyond you? Do you not get the results you’re expecting, but you’re not quite sure why?
These videos cover the little details that make huge differences in your enjoyment of quilting, but aren’t always explained in patterns.
Each video has it’s own detailed blog post if you want to dive deeper – but sometimes all you need is just to see something in action.
Looking for a complete course to make your first quilt?
From choosing your tools, picking your fabric, and using a rotary cutter for the first time to a finished project and the confidence to tackily your next project, Fabric to Finished will guide you safely.
The Essential Videos to get you through that pattern!
Tools you’ll need
Quilting is a little different than other kinds of sewing because of the precision needed to make all those pieces fit together easily. These videos help you pick those tools.
Beginner quilting tools – what you actually need
Instead of buying everything in the quilting aisle, this breaks down the few tools you actually need to make your first quilt successfully.
See my full post – Quilt Tools For Beginners for a written breakdown and downloadable list.
The presser feet you need to quilt
Sometimes it sounds like you need every extra foot under the sun to make anything with your machine. Here’s a bare basics of the presser feet used in quilting, and WHY you need them.
See my full post about presser feet for quilting – Sewing machine feet needed to make a quilt
How to pick a pattern that won’t discourage you
If you set out to run a marathon without even having mastered running around the block you’re not likely to run again. The same holds true with quilting. Quilts come in all sizes and complexities. Here’s how to pick a pattern that will allow you to enjoy your new hobby.
Picking the best pattern for a great experience
This includes a free download of a beginner tablerunner pattern – How to pick a beginner quilt pattern
Choosing fabric
Hitting the fabric store to pick fabric for your first quilt can be overwhelming – all those wonderful colors and patterns. How do you know what will go together? Here are some ideas to help.
Simple ways to pick fabric for a quilt
Picking fabric for quilt without getting lost
What is a fat quarter
There are lots of precuts out there, but the most commonly misunderstood one is the fat quarter. This is where fat quarters come from:
Cutting the fabric
If you want the pieces you cut to sew together easily and nicely, the first step is to cut precisely.
Rotary cutting safety tips
Rotary cutters are rolling razor blades. Don’t become a horror story!
See the full post here – Rotary Cutting for Beginner Quilters – Confident Creating
Keep your ruler from slipping to make accurate cuts
Sure, when your ruler slips and you get an inaccurate cut, that’s frustrating. But here’s what really matters – every time your ruler slips, you’re at risk for cutting yourself. That’s why learning these techniques isn’t just about better cuts; it’s about safer cutting.
See the post at How to Keep your Quilting Ruler from Slipping (3 Simple Techniques)
How to cut straight strips
You know that sinking feeling when you unfold your freshly cut strips and they look like a big W or V instead of nice straight lines? Those kinked strips aren’t caused by a broken rotary cutter or warped ruler…it’s all in the fold!
See the full post here – How to cut straight strips for quilting
How to read and follow cutting instructions with no stress
You’re a brand new quilter and you’ve bought all the fabric for your quilt just as the pattern tells you, and now you’ve opened up the rest of your pattern to find a cutting chart that looks a little like math?
It can seem a little overwhelming. Understanding what those directions actually mean changes everything.
Check out the full post here – Peaceful Cutting
When to cut your border fabric
Patterns often tell you how long to cut your borders as part of the cutting instructions. This is why you should wait until you’ve pieced the rest of your quilt – THEN cut your borders to the actual size of YOUR quilt.
Check out the post for more here – What causes wavy borders
Sewing
Take those nice precise pieces and sew them together with exact seams.
How to sew a quarter inch seam
You’ve probably heard that sewing an accurate quarter inch seam is essential in quilting. How do you make sure you’re sewing the right seam?
Read the post here – How to sew an accurate 1/4 inch seam
Make precise HSTs without the lines
Half square triangles are a very common block in quilting. This is how to make them without drawing a bunch of lines.
Read my full post about half square triangles, including a free download to calculate the size squares to start with!
Finishing a top into a quilt
After you finish a pattern all you have is a quilt top – a single layer of pieces of fabric sewn together into a pattern. To make it a quilt you need to layer it with batting and a backing and sew through all those layers to hold it together.
These are the steps you will need to follow to take a finished top to a finished quilt. See my complete post How to finish your quilt for the complete top to quilt process.
First step to finishing your quilt – layer and baste
Why use a walking foot to quilt
Basics of straight line machine quilting
Quilt binding for beginners
Looking for a complete course to make your first quilt?
From choosing your tools, picking your fabric, and using a rotary cutter for the first time to a finished project and the confidence to tackily your next project, Fabric to Finished will guide you safely.
Enjoy your quilt!
I’d love to see your finished quilt :). I always answer my emails and am here to answer any further questions you may have. What you ask will only help me help others learn to quilt better.
Happy sewing 🙂