Beginner's Guide To Quilting - UK (2020-04)

out easily after you’ve stitched along
them? Check the marks don’t brush off or
fade easily. And take care – some marks
are fixed by the heat of an iron! Here are
a couple of basic methods...

Tracing a design
With light-coloured quilt tops you can
trace your design directly on top before
you add the wadding and backing. First
draw the design at its correct finished
size on to some paper in a dark pen or
pencil. Place or tape this against a light
source (for small projects, you can use a
window, while for larger ones it’s best to
use a light box), then place or tape your
quilt top over it. Trace the pattern on to
the fabric using a light pencil or erasable
pen. If you’re tracing part of the pattern
in stages, reposition the pattern and
fabric again and again until you’ve
marked the whole quilt top.

Marking with templates
Another option is to make pattern
templates from clear plastic or thin card.
Templates are often provided with
quilting projects in books, or raid your
kitchen for household items that make
handy shape templates – drinking
glasses, cookie cutters and plates work
well! Place the template on to the fabric
and mark lightly around the outline with
a marker. If you’re repeating a shape,
make sure you line it up correctly each
time. Templates are especially handy if
your design includes circles or curves.

Using plastic stencils
You can buy plastic stencils in all shapes
and sizes that are useful for marking
quilting patterns. Once you’ve chosen
your stencil, make sure it fits into the
space you want to mark. Fix the quilt top
on a firm surface, place the stencil in
position and use a marker to draw along

Beginner’s Guide to Quilting 67

GRID OR CROSSHATCH QUILTING ECHO QUILTING

the cut-out lines on the stencil. If you

need to repeat the pattern for a border,

take care to line up your pattern as you

move the stencil – most stencils have

little marks to guide you.

AND FINALLY...

So you’ve finished your quilting, what

next? Remove any tacking or safety pins

and hide any pesky thread ends by tying

them off and burying them in the

wadding. If your thread ends are at the

sides of the quilt you can leave them, as

your binding will tidy them up. Press

your work on both sides and trim the

edges of all three layers so they’re even

with the quilt top all the way around.

Check your quilt is right-angled, then

you’re ready for the final stage – binding!

See page 63 for our step-by-step guide to

binding a quilt.

Decorative quilting

is where a quilt

springs to life, adding

surface texture and

embellishment

(^45)
KALEIDOSCOPE QUILT
BY HOLLY DE GROOT
1 Some waddings need to be
quilted every 3in or so, while others
may only need 10in – check before
you begin. Polyester, silk and wool
waddings are easier to hand quilt
than cotton.
2 Keep the design balanced – look
at the back of the quilt to quickly
check if you’ve missed any areas.
3 When machine stitching, use a
quilting guide to keep your lines
equal distances apart.
4 Choose a thread that matches or
complements all the fabrics used.
5 When quilting in the ditch and the
seams have been pressed to one
side, machine quilt slightly to the
other side so there is only one layer
of fabric to stitch through.
5 top tips!
©
Love Patchwork & Quilting
, issue 3,
bit.ly//1gmNQGn
.