Creating A Wedding Quilt: Easy Steps For Beginners

Wedding quilts are often a couple's first family heirloom, symbolising the life they will share together. They are usually given as gifts to the newlyweds, but can also be made to commemorate an anniversary or engagement. Wedding quilts can be made using simple quilt blocks or quilted applique, or they can feature more complex, traditional patterns such as the double wedding ring quilt. There are many different patterns available, and they can be personalised to the couple.

Choosing a pattern: Double Wedding Ring, Bridal Garden, Modern Wedding Ring

When it comes to choosing a pattern for an easy wedding quilt, there are several options to consider: Double Wedding Ring, Bridal Garden, or Modern Wedding Ring. Each pattern offers a unique design and level of complexity, so it is important to choose the one that best suits your skills and preferences.

The Double Wedding Ring pattern is a traditional and elegant choice for a wedding quilt. It is composed of 20 wedding rings arranged in a classic quilt pattern. This pattern is often seen as a symbol of the devotion between the married couple, as well as the devotion of the quilter to the recipients. While it is a beautiful pattern, it is not recommended for beginners as it requires advanced skills and a variety of fabrics. The quilt typically measures 69½” x 84¾” when finished and can be a wonderful family heirloom.

The Bridal Garden quilt pattern, on the other hand, offers a bright and friendly design with floral fabrics across the quilt top. It is built around simple pieced blocks, with a touch of quilting applique, such as green flower stems and leaves, adding a unique touch. This pattern is made up of 42 trellis quilt blocks, resulting in a large and stunning quilt.

If you're looking for a more contemporary option, the Modern Wedding Ring quilt pattern is a great choice. This pattern features a bright and cheery colour palette and is simple to put together. It is composed of 41 frame blocks and 40 snowball blocks, with easy customisation through different quilting fabrics. The Modern Wedding Ring pattern utilises easy strip-piecing and fast stitch-and-flip triangles, making it a quick and enjoyable project.

Lastly, consider the level of difficulty and the time you have available to complete the project. The Double Wedding Ring pattern is the most complex and time-consuming of the three, while the Bridal Garden and Modern Wedding Ring patterns offer a good balance between simplicity and customisation. Choose the pattern that aligns with your skills, the amount of time you want to dedicate, and the overall aesthetic you wish to achieve.

Selecting fabrics: scraps, quilting fabric, cotton, fat quarters

When selecting fabrics for an easy wedding quilt, there are a few options to consider: scraps, quilting fabric, cotton, and fat quarters.

Scraps are a great way to add variety and interest to your quilt. You can use leftover pieces from previous projects or purchase scrap bundles from fabric stores. This is a cost-effective way to add texture and colour to your quilt without committing to large quantities of fabric.

Quilting fabric specifically designed for quilting is readily available and offers a wide range of colours, patterns, and themes. These fabrics are often made from cotton or cotton blends, which are breathable and soft, making them ideal for bedding. When choosing quilting fabric, consider pre-cut collections or kits that offer a variety of coordinating fabrics in different prints and colours. This can save time and ensure your quilt has a cohesive look.

Cotton is a popular choice for quilting due to its durability, breathability, and ease of care. It is important to pre-wash cotton fabric to prevent shrinkage and colour bleeding. Cotton quilting fabric is widely available and comes in various solid colours, prints, and patterns.

Fat quarters are another convenient option for quilting. They are pre-cut fabric pieces typically measuring 18" x 21" or 18" x 22". Fat quarters provide a good amount of fabric for quilting projects and are often sold in bundles, offering a coordinated selection of fabrics from a specific designer or collection. This takes the guesswork out of fabric selection and ensures your quilt has a cohesive look.

When selecting fabrics for your easy wedding quilt, consider the colour scheme, scale of prints, and the overall aesthetic you wish to achieve. Don't be afraid to mix and match different fabrics to create a unique and personalised quilt.

Cutting and piecing: strip piecing, paper piecing, applique

Strip piecing is a quilting technique that can be used to create a wedding quilt quickly and accurately. It involves sewing together long strips of fabric side by side to make a 'strip set', and then cutting across the strip set to create smaller units. This method is a great time-saver and can be used to create a variety of quilt blocks. When strip piecing, it is important to use a consistent seam allowance, typically a scant 1/4", to ensure that the sub-cut units come out the right size. It is also important to square up the fabric edges before cutting strips to avoid ending up with uneven strips and ultimately, inaccurate quilt blocks.

Paper piecing is another technique that can be used in quilt-making. It involves sewing fabric onto a paper foundation, which serves as a guide for accurate piecing. Paper piecing allows quilters to create complex designs with precise points and sharp angles.

Applique is a technique where fabric shapes are layered and stitched onto a background fabric to create a design. This can be done by hand or by machine. Applique can be used to add decorative elements to a quilt, such as the floral applique details on the Bridal Garden quilt pattern or the stylized tree and lovebirds on the L'Amore E'Bello Panel Quilt.

Quilting: stitch-and-flip, embroidery

Wedding quilts are often a couple's first family heirloom, and they make for a thoughtful and meaningful gift. One way to make a wedding quilt is to use the stitch-and-flip quilting technique, which is a way to make complex shapes with very few individual pieces. This method is also known as the 'folder corner technique', 'snowballing a corner' or 'flip and sew'.

The stitch-and-flip method is used to clip corners in quilt block units or quilt blocks themselves. It involves using a square to replace a corner of a unit that goes into a quilt block. You stitch the square to a corner and cut 1/4 inch away from along the seam. When you flip what remains of the square, you get a triangle, or a new corner. This technique is commonly used to make traditional flying geese, snowball quilt blocks and the points of stars for lots of star blocks.

• Cut two squares from Fabric B (the background fabric). On the wrong side of each square, draw a diagonal line from one corner to another. Place the squares with their diagonal lines facing opposite directions.
• With the right sides together, place one square in each corner of the rectangle (Fabric A) and pin in place.
• Sew along the drawn line or a thread or two away from it to attach the squares to the rectangle. Sewing a thread or two away from the line accounts for the fold in the fabric when the triangle is flipped.
• Before cutting any fabric, flip the top half of the square to see if it will cover the corner of the rectangle. If not, remove the seam and sew again.
• Place the 1/4 inch line of a ruler along the seam line and use a rotary cutter to cut along the ruler and remove the bottom part of the triangle (corner). Repeat for the second corner.
• Flip both corners right side up to reveal the new corners (triangles). Press seams towards triangles. Give a final press with an iron and an alternative starch solution, if desired.

The stitch-and-flip quilting technique can be used to make abstract or more realistic blocks in modern quilting. It is a versatile and easy-to-master method with endless possibilities.

Finishing: binding, backing, personalising

Finishing: Binding, Backing, and Personalising

Now that you've assembled your quilt, it's time to finish it! This process involves binding and backing the quilt, as well as adding any personal touches.

Backing

First, you'll need to choose the right backing fabric for your quilt. The backing fabric should complement the front of your quilt and be made from quilting weight fabric. If you're a beginner, a busy printed fabric can be a good choice as it will hide any quilting mistakes. When measuring the amount of fabric needed, ensure there is at least 4" of backing fabric extending beyond each edge of the quilt top. You can purchase backing fabric by the yard or look for pre-cut pieces of extra-wide backing fabric, usually available in 2 or 3-yard pieces.

Binding

Binding is the fabric that covers the raw edges of your quilt, giving it a finished look. To bind your quilt, you will need to cut straight binding strips, typically 2.5 inches wide, and fold them in half. When sewing the binding, leave a tail of about 10 inches at the start and ensure you have enough length to cover the edges of your quilt. Mark the approximate point where the two ends of the binding will meet, leaving enough space to work with. Sew the binding all the way around, stopping a few inches before you reach the joining point, and trim off the excess. To join the two ends of the binding, open out the binding strips and line up the centre crease with the joining point. Cut the binding strips to the correct length, then sew them together. Finally, fold the binding back in half, smooth it out, and sew the gap closed. For a detailed guide on binding, check out So Sew Easy's tutorial.

Personalising

Adding a quilt label is a great way to personalise your wedding quilt and make it an extra special gift. A label can include information such as the name of the quilt, who made it, when and why it was made, and any care instructions. You can create your own label by embroidering or writing on a piece of fabric, or use pre-made labels that you can write on and attach to your quilt. If you're embroidering a label, you'll need to design the label, choose your fabric and thread, prepare your embroidery hoop, and then stitch out your design. Finally, trim the label, press the edges, and attach it to the back of your quilt by hand or machine stitching.

Frequently asked questions