Knight - Quilting simplified: fresh designs and easy instructions for beginners

Choly Knight is from Orlando, Florida, and is the author of Sew Kawaii!, Sew Baby, Sewing Stylish Handbags & Totes, Sew Me! Sewing Basics, Sew Me! Sewing Home Dcor, Bling It Up!, Awesome Duct Tape Projects, and Craft Projects for Minecraft and Pixel Art Fans. She has been crafting for as long as she can remember, and has drawn, painted, sculpted, and stitched everything in sight. She began sewing clothing in 1997 and has yet to put her sewing machine away. After studying studio art and earning a BA in English, she now enjoys trying to find numerous different ways to combine her passions for writing, fine art, and craft art. She created all of the designs, projects, and patterns that appear in this book. She focuses on handcrafted clothing, accessories, and other creations inspired by Japanese art, anime, and style, and specializes in cosplay (costume play) hats and hoodies. You can find out more about her and her work on her website: www.cholyknight.com.

Learn about the tools

Understand fabric cuts, selection, and anatomy

Choose your palette

Prepare your fabric

Understand quilt anatomy

Basic piecing

Foundation piecing

Fusible web appliqu

Freezer paper appliqu

Planning your quilt back

Making the quilt sandwich

Quilt tying

Machine quilting

Quilt-as-you-go quilting

Binding

My first quilt was made primarily out of necessity, but I never imagined how addicted I would become. I started sewing by making my own clothes and accessories, and anyone who sews will tell you how quick and easy it is to amass a huge stash of fabric scraps after only a few projects. I had squirreled away an unmanageable trove of material beneath my bed, and I tried every trick up my sleeve to get rid of it: gift purses for friends, matching hats for all my outfits, and every other trinket made from fabric you can imagine.

But I was ignoring the elephant in the roomquilts. I learned from sewing books that a quilt is the quintessential scrap-busting project, used for that very purpose from the onset of sewing history. But I was convinced that quilting was way beyond my abilityit seemed like an art only practiced by skilled masters who could sew precise /" (6mm) seams without even looking and used an arsenal of templates, rulers, and guides for even the most basic projects. I felt I couldnt even think about quilting until I was a veteran sewer. Meanwhile, my closets were quickly filling with scraps and I was drowning in fabric.

I decided I had to sew myself out of the fabric pile I had created. I didnt have many of the fancy templates and tools that dedicated quilters do, but I studied to find shortcuts, tricks, and techniques that allowed me to make the quilt I wanted without so many hard and fast rules.

Even though my first quilt was unusual, to say the leastmade from an eclectic mix of satins, denim, and cotton with more than a handful of wonky seams and frayed edgesI was surprised by how much I loved the process. I found it breathtaking watching a tiny swatch of fabric slowly grow into a massive quilt top through all that piecing. And I loved how quilting turned a random pile of fabric into an intricate collage with so much depth and texture. I was immediately hooked.

I loved how quilting turned a random pile of fabric into an intricate collage with so much depth and texture.

I hope that when you start to see the quilting possibilities ahead of you, youll become hooked, too. Creating a full quilt will likely be one of the biggest sewing endeavors you tackle, taking weeks or even months, but I think youll find its worth it for the immense payoff you receive. Not only will your quilt be a unique handmade item that will last for years, but its also something like a time capsule. Quilts are a beautiful way of showcasing a collection of favorite fabrics and motifs that you fell in love with at that particular time.

Because taking the plunge into quilting can be intimidating, in this book Ill teach you everything I know about making the process as easy as possible. Youll find uncommon and underrated techniques that make quilting approachable and foolproof. Once youre comfortable, use the techniques to dive into making your first quilt project!

Whether youre fresh-faced and ready to try patchwork for the first time or completely comfortable with quilting and need some modern inspiration, Im sure youll find something new to learn from this book!