Seven Top Tips for Starting Your Patchwork Project
I am delighted to be heading to Neptune Chichester in the Autumn for two new workshop dates where I’ll share quilting and appliqué ideas for fabric samples and smaller scraps.
In the first workshop, we will focus on boro embroidery and patchwork techniques, layering up different fabric samples and stitching them to create beautifully textured surfaces.
In the second workshop, we’ll work on a special festive patchwork project, using various appliqué techniques to create a unique Christmas stocking.
If you’d like to join the workshop, then tickets can be booked here, and to whet the appetite, I’ve listed my seven top tips for getting started on your patchwork journey.
1. Choosing a suitable fabric for your project
When deciding what fabric to work with, try not to get hung up on buying the ‘perfect’ fabric; what have you got lying around, old clothes? Old tea towels? Once you have been through your fabrics, try grouping them into colour stories; this will give you a clear idea of what you have and what fabrics will work well together.
2. Navigating the knotty world of thread
Choosing the right thread for your quilt project is, if anything, more complex than the fabric choice! There are lots of ways to appliqué and quilt cloth and lots of threads to do the job. If you’re working on a machine, try a top stitching thread to add extra definition to your appliqué; it is slightly thicker than standard machine thread, so it is perfect for making an impact. If you’re heading down the hand embroidery route, I’d recommend starting with some 6-strand embroidery floss, which is widely available and allows you to play with the thickness of your lines while splitting the thread into strands. Sashiko embroidery thread is the next level up (in price) and beautiful to work with once you feel confident in your stitching and ready for a more robust embroidery line.
3. How to start your quilt project
Once you have your fabric and thread sorted, it might feel slightly intimidating to start a project from scratch, very much a blank piece of paper effect! I’d suggest building confidence by repairing some clothes with a patch and going from there. The clothes have an existing structure, so you can work with any geometries within them to build design confidence. The great joy of any hand appliqué is that it is straightforward to remove if you change your mind or want to start again. It is a very low-stress project; you can always take it back a few steps.
Yellow and grey appliqué sample from patchwork workshop
4. Should I use an embroidery hoop?
Embroidery hoops create tension on cloth and allow for a tight and even stitch. I stitch without a hoop and will enable the fabric to wrinkle and pucker to create texture, as that puckered texture suits my style. Like all techniques, you may need to try both to find what you like. If you decide to head down the fee hand route, just keep it relatively flat and pressing it so your cloth doesn't shrink too much in the quilting process.
5. But what about wadding? I hear you cry
Another completely subjective (and divisive subject). I am a massive fan of lofty wadding; it gives incredible texture to large-scale quilts and allows me to explore changing the thread tension across a quilt.
However, we won't need any wadding for the techniques I will be teaching at Neptune Chichester and am focusing on in this blog. Thewon'tesses and techniques in this post are commonly seen in Japanese Boro and Indian Kantha quilting, where you layer fabrics up to create depth and texture with the stitch and fabric remnants.
Once you have mastered this technique, it will be time to move on to more traditional piecework quilting, opening up a new world of wadding possibilities!
6. The tools of the trade
All those bits and pieces you never knew you needed until it’s too late. Here’s a list. Here's a list. Help you out!
Sharp fabric scissors - essential for chopping up your chosen cloth
Small snips - small embroidery scissors for trimming threads
Needles - if you’re new to threading, treat yourself and get a larger eye hole. It will make your life 100 times more manageable and ensure you don’t lose the will trying to thread up a needle again
Marking - I’ve kept this vague because it's a personal preference. You can use tailor chalk, but I prefer a pen that disappears when ironing - ideal for marking out stitch lines and growing in confidence.
Embroidery hoop - maybe yes, maybe no. The ball is in your court.
Iron & board - Your work will ALWAYS look better after being pressed; even the wonkiest of samples can be fixed with a good iron and lots of steam.
7. go for it!
You might not feel ready, but there is no wrong way to start a patchwork project, and if you’re this far down, then I'd bet you’re probably ready to get started, if you would like more inspiration you can check out the other blogs we’ve written, from jackets to quilts there is a project for everyone.
But if you would like a little boost to get you started, you can join me at Neptune Chichester this Autumn, where all the fabrics, threads and ideas will be supplied, ready to set you on your quilting journey.