Mom told me that the easiest quilt pattern to start with is a patchwork. EEEKKKK!!!! I thought, "Wouldn't it be easier to just take a great big piece of fabric, sew it together with something soft in the middle and be done with it?" Patchwork sounded so complicated! But I soon discovered that a basic patchwork is not complicated at all. In fact it was quite simple and before long I was even enjoying the process.

In this "How To", I will attempt to help you learn to make a patchwork wall hanging and hopefully you will discover the same joy of quilting that lead me to try even more daring quilting projects!

BASIC NECESSITIES: Rotary Cutter, Quilters cutting board, Straight edge & fabric! Can you believe that's all? I will discuss each of these items briefly and provide you with links where you can purchase them.

THE ROTARY CUTTER! Wow, that sounds like a complicated piece of equipment. Even sounds a bit expensive. But wait! It's really a very simple to use device that allows you to cut perfectly matched and sized squares. With a rotary cutter you can cut several squares at once, slicing that preparation done to nothing. On a ggod day, with no interruptions, I can easily turn out 100 perfectly sized squares in about 45 minutes. Listed below are a few places online where you can acquire a rotary cutter:

Quilters Boutique
Offers the standard 45mm rotary cutter
Craft Connection
Offers the standard 45mm rotary cutter
Virginia Quilter
Offers the Deluxe Ergonomical rotary cutter
Thimble Net
Offers the standard Firskars 45mm rotary cutter

Tips for using rotary cutters
Clotilde
Offers 45mm rotary cutter and 12" X 18" cutting mat. Great deal!

QUILTERS CUTTING BOARD! Exactly what it sounds. This, along with the rotary cutter and straight edge (I'll get to the straight edge), allow you to cut perfect squares. Below you will find some links to places online where you can purchase a cutting board rather inexpensively.

Craft Connection
Offers the 12" X 18" Olfa cutting mat
Quilters Boutique
Offers the Olfa 12" X 18" cutting mat
Sew & Quilt
Offers the Omnigrid gridded mat 12" X 18"
Clotilde
Offers 45mm rotary cutter and 12" X 18" cutting mat. Great deal!

STRAIGHT EDGE! The straight edge can be any ruler at least 18" in length. However, I recommend purchasing one made especially for quilting. A straight edge for quilting will give you more measurement options. A list of online resources for the straight edge is found below:

Quilters Boutique
Offers the 3 1/2" X 24" clear gridded ruler
Honey Fork Fabrics
Offers the Omnigrid 3.5" X 24" ruler

These items can also be found at places like Wal-Mart and most any fabric stores!

FABRIC! Here is where it gets fun. The only rule to remember with fabric is that it should be 100% cotton. Other than that, have fun with it. Choose color schemes, select fabric and be imaginative! All your squares to do not have to be the same print. You can select as many different prints as you like, trying to match them with your color schemes. Generally, quilts have a variety of dark, medium and light prints. You can decide to do the whole thing in the same three prints or you can choose a different print for each square. There is no limit to how many prints and solids you can have!

There are too many places online where you can purchase fabrics to mention here. Just simply search for "quilt fabric" and take your pick! You can also purchase fabric online on Ebay and other auction sites. Fabric can be also be purchased at fabric stores and stores such as Wal-Mart. One option you might think about is "fat quarters". These are selected fabrics cut into 18" X22" sections. Most fabric stores carry fat quarters, just for quilters! If you find a particular print you like, you can ask the clerk to cut it into 18"X22" sections. Fat quarters are much easier to work with than a larger full yard.

Once you've gathered your selected fabrics, they should all be prewashed and pressed before cutting. This ensures that your fabric will not shrink in a later washing and distort your finished quilt.

Okay, now you've gathered your tools, selected your fabric, prewashed it and pressed it. So, let's get cutting! For this simple wall hanging size project, we'll need about 36 4" squares. This will result in a wall hanging about 2' X 2'. It may sound complicated, but cutting your squares is really quite simple. Fold your fat quarter width in half and then again in half lengthwise. This gives you a sort of square to work with and also allows you to cut 4 squares at a time. Now, place your fabric on your cutting mat so that just the very edge hangs over the last grid line. Place your striagh edge down so that the top and bottom of your striaght edge lines up exactly with the 0" and 18" line marks on your mat. Press down firmly to keep fabric from slipping. Using your rotary cutter, cut the fabric along this line. This gives you a perfectly stright edge to work with. To repeat the process every four inches. This should result in several 4" strips.

Now, turn the strips, one at a time, lengthwise on your cutting mat, so that the straightedge you cut lines up perfectly with the bottom line of the cutting mat. Again placing the folded end slightly over the end line to endure a perfectly straight edge. Again, you want to cut the strip every four inches. There you go! Now you have several perfectly sized 4" squares! See how easy that was? Continue the process for each of your selected fabrics.

Alright, now you're surrounded by mounds of beautifully cut squares, what next? The best way to put your squares together is to decide on a pattern first. Lay your squares out 6 rows of 6 squares. You can lay them out in any design you want, but make sure you have 6 rows of 6 squares. Now that you have your squares laid out in the pattern you want, you need to sew them together. You can hand sew them, but if your just starting out, it is easier to machine sew them. Pick up your first row, in the order it is laid out. With right sides together sew the first two squares together. You should place your squares on your machine so that the edge of your machine foot is lined up with edge of your fabric. This gives you a 1/4" seam. Then, right sides together, add the next square, and so on, until all 6 are sewn together into a strip. You should press your seams towards the darker fabric and then set aside. Do the other 5 sets the same way. Now take your six strips, and sew them together lengthwise, right sides together. Look, you've just made your first patchwork!

The rest is the easiest part. Simply use a single piece of fabric for the backing of your wall hanging. Make sure it is prewashed and pressed. Lay is flat, right side down. Next, lay some low loft batting on top of your backing fabric, and cut to appropriate size. Finally place your patchwork on the top of this pile, right side up! Now it's ready to quilt and put together!

You can use pins to keep your layers together and to keep them from sliding around. The simplest method of quilting your patchwork is called "tying". To tie your quilt, simply use embroidery thread and a large needle. Thread the large needle with embroidery thread. Start at the top and push it through your all three layers of your wall hanging, leaving about a 2 inch tail at the top for tying. Cut the thread off, so that you have about a 2" tail both where the needle went in and where the needle came out. Now tie a knot! After the knot is tied, you can tie the remaining tails into bows for a pretty look or you can simply cut off the excess tails. Continue this process throughout your wall hanging, so that your layers are firmly together.

All that's left to do now is finishing the edges! You can now remove any pins you used. Simply double roll the edges of your quilt, to the under side, and hand the backing of your quilt to the the rolled edge. That's it! You're done! You have just mastered your first simple quilt!!! Once you are accustomed to the procedures, this project can easily be done, start to finish in less than 2 hours!

Now, if you feel you just can't cut the squares or if you just don't have the time, you can cheat! Precut quilt squares can be found on Ebay!
Examples:
30 4" Quilt Squares in Greens!
60 2" Quilt Squares in Greens!
200 2" Quilt Squares in Blues!
48 4" Quilt Squares in Blues
16 8" Quilt Squares! Sailboats & Lighthouses!