All about Quilting
58 Beginner’s Guide to Quilting
instructions on the pack before you start.
If you do choose this method, always work
in a well ventilated area and protect
surfaces with scrap paper or a sheet. Lay
out the backing fabric with the wadding
on top, then turn back half of the
wadding^6. Shake the adhesive well and,
spray the turned-back wadding lightly
from a distance of about 10in. Fold the
wadding back over the backing fabric and
smooth in place. Repeat with the other
half of the wadding^7. Now repeat this
method to add the quilt top to the
wadding. Afterwards, it’s best to wash
the finished quilt to remove any glue.SECURING YOUR QUILT
Option 1: Quilting
Once you’ve assembled your layers
together, the next stage is to secure them
in place permanently. There are two
main methods you can use for this.
The most commonly used method is
‘quilting’. When quilters talk about
quilting, they’re referring to the actual
stage of the process where you stitch the
three layers together, either by hand or
machine, working in straight lines or
more decorative stitches. For more
detailed instructions on the differentmethods of quilting, see our in-depth
guide on page 66.Option 2: Tying^8 9
The second method that some quilters
prefer is ‘tying’ a quilt. With this option,
no quilting at all is done, but instead, the
wadding is held in place with individually
tied knots, made by hand or machine.
This method creates a puffier quilt.
Quilts can be tied simply with strong
cotton or linen thread, alternatively there
are more decorative options, such as a
variegated perle cotton, which looks great
if you prefer to leave the knotted thread
ends longer for a decorative effect. Tying
a quilt is a useful when sewing with
thicker fabrics, such as denim – turn to
page 142 for our guide to quilting with
other fabrics.
If you’re tying your quilt, use pins or
safety pins to mark where you want the
ties to be. Usually it’s easier to position
the ties in the middle of units or blocks,
to avoid going through too many thick
seams. How close you place the ties
together depends on the thickness of the
wadding you’re using but about 4-6in
apart is fine. Next, take some thread and
a sturdy needle, and start from the backof the quilt. Leaving a long tail of thread,
make a stitch through all the layers, once
or twice depending on the strength of
your thread. Remove the needle and tie
the ends securely together at the back of
the quilt. Trim away any thread ends or
leave them long for a decorative effect. If
you’d like your thread ends to show on the
front of the quilt, or want to tie the ends
in a little bow, then start the stitch from
the front. To tie your quilt using a sewing
machine, simply sew on the spot several
times and then trim the thread ends close
to the back of the quilt.
To finish, add binding!
So you’ve made a quilt sandwich, securedSpray glue on the other
half of the waddingSpray glue on the other
half of the wadding1
NEWBIE
Square-upBEGINNER
2 Take a tumbleIMPROVER
3 Getting clever
Turn to page 60 to piece
a stylish quilt top from
patchwork squares,
then sandwich and bind
it all together to make
this ‘Square Root’ quilt!Fiona Calvert’s ‘Scrappy
Tumbles’ quilt will test
out new skills! You’ll find
it in Love Patchwork &
Quilting, issue 1.
bit.ly/1gmNQGnOnce you’ve mastered
the basics, try creating
bespoke designs like
these sewing-themed
blocks by Cloud 9
Fabrics, on page 127.Itching to get making your first quilt? Here’s our
STARTER QUILTS pick of three great quilts for beginners...Three to try!
HOW TO PIN A QUILT (^5) HOW TO GLUE LAYERS 6 7
When quilters talk
about ‘quilting’, we
mean the bit when you
sew the three layers
together, either by hand
or machine, working in
straight lines or more
decorative stitches.
Backing fabric
(wrong side)
Fold the wadding in
half, then spray glue
the top half.