Getting Ready To Quilt
If you want to make a charm quilt out of blocks or strips, here are yardage and measurement charts. They will give you good "ballpark" figures, but it is always wise to have a little extra fabric and double-check all measurements. The numbers in the first table are based on 45 inch-wide fabric and a 1/4 inch seam allowance on all patches, so (for example) the 3.5 inch square will make a 3 inch patch.
| Patches in Fabric: |
One Yard |
1/2 Yard |
1/4 Yard |
| 3.5 inch patch |
108 |
54 |
27 |
| 3.5 inch strip |
10 |
5 |
2 |
| 5.5 inch patch |
42 |
21 |
10 |
| 5.5 inch strip |
6 |
3 |
1 |
| 6.5 inch patch |
30 |
15 |
7 |
| 6.5 inch strip |
5 |
2 |
1 |
| Standard Sizes |
Inches
|
| pillow |
15 x 15 |
| crib or lap quilt |
45 x 60 |
| twin bed quilt |
60 x 90 |
| double bed quilt |
82 x 107 |
Preparing Fabric for Quilting
Fabric for quilts generally comes from one of three sources:
- Bought fabric,
- Fabric reclaimed from old clothes, and
- Jeans
Preparing Bought Fabric:
Some people like to use fabric just as it is from the store, but I strongly suggest that you prewash all your fabric... in fact, that you abuse it. When I prewash my quilting fabrics I use hot water with a cold rinse, dry it on the hottest dryer setting, and then iron it flat with a steam iron and a little spray starch. This treatment is very harsh, and it will ruin delicate fabrics. But if the cloth survives, you know it will be able to hold up to whatever happens to your quilt, without shinking or the colors running. I'd rather have the fabric shred before I spend hours sewing it into patchwork!
Preparing Old Clothes:
Old clothing has already had a chance to do whatever shrinking, fading, or other fraying the fabric will do, so you do not need to torture the fabric in the same manner. However, I suggest the following steps:
- Cut all the seams out of the clothes. It isn't usually worth the effort of unpicking seams; the fabric is already stressed from the sewing and wear, and in the case of jeans, the seams make a lump too thick for your needle to go through.
- Pick out darts, pleats, hems, and other non-seam stitching.
- Wash the pieces. This will get rid of any lint that has collected in pockets and hem allowances.
- Iron the fabric flat.
Preparing Jeans:
Denim quilts are fun and easy; most people can get a lot of old denim without too much trouble or expense. Jeans should be prepared for quilting in the same manner as other old clothing, but there are some special things to note if you are going to make a denim quilt:
- Avoid cutting a patch out of the knee area; it is often too stretched out of shape to lie flat in a quilt. This fabric can be used for a three-dimensional project instead, such as a ball or stuffed animal. (Denim teddy bears are particularly popular.)
- Denim quilts backed with flannel are very warm.
- Denim quilts, particularly when backed with another thick fabric like flannel, are VERY heavy!
- If you are going to sew the quilt on a machine, use a denim needle (available at most sewing stores). If you going to sew by hand, keep pliers nearby to help you pull the needle through the fabric.
A Note on Storing Fabric:
There are as many different ways to store fabric as there are quilters. I like to prepare and cut my fabric into standard sizes right away; then when I'm inspired to sew I can start right away.
I keep my scrap fabric in large, clear containers, marked:
- Light strips
- Dark strips
- Light squares
- Dark squares
- Denim
- Rectangles (see the TV GUIDE pattern)
- Odd shapes (for crazy quilts)
- Foundation squares (12 inch squares of otherwise unusable fabric, like stained cloth. These are used as "foundations" for crazy quilt blocks.)
Now that you've got your fabric all ready, on with the quilting!
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