Quilties

How to make Quilties

Posted by lenna young andrews

About

What are Quilties?
Quilties are small fabric quilts. They are often called fabric pages. Quilties are sometimes more 'mixed-media' than traditional quilts, but not always.

What size are Quilties?
You'll find when researching this, quilties can be created in a variety of sizes. I've created quilties from 5x5 up to 8x8 (inches) with lots of variations in-between! I've created 5x7 fabric pages for a swap I participated in and heard of quilties that were 8 ½ x 11 and even 12x12 inches- wow! Whatever size works for you is fine, I'd say. Find a size that you feel comfortable working with to start. Or, create the size that is required for the swap you are participating in or the size that is appropriate for the fabric book you are dreaming of making. In the quiltie swaps that I host we've been making smaller quilties, sized 5x5 or 6x6. Truthfully this is a small space to work with, but this smaller size makes the quilties easier to do and you can have lots of fun creating them! Plus, a smaller size is very do-able for making multiple fabric pages for a swap.

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You Will Need (4 things)

  • Fabric
  • Fusible Web
  • Embellishment(s)
  • Sewing Machine

Steps (5 steps, 60 minutes)

  1. 1

    TO MAKE YOUR QUILTIES
    - start with the fabric!

    First, select the fabrics you'd like to work with and use a ruler to mark the size.

    Make a small cut in the fabric at 5” or whatever size you have chosen to work with depending upon the desired dimensions of the quiltie. Once I've made the cut mark I'll usually rip the fabric, but you can cut the fabric with scissors if you prefer. Rip or cut out one square for the front of your quiltie and one square for the back. Note: the front & back pieces can both be created from the same fabric -or chose different fabrics. For any of the swaps I host your quilties can be all the same design, OR all different. The front and the back of the quiltie equals one page. If there is a page requirement for the swap (4/4), then the front & the back pieces put together = 1 page or quiltie.

  2. 2

    Next step- Gather your embellishments:


    Lay the front and backs of your quilties out in front of you.
    Collect any fabric quotes, paper/fabric images, ink jet transfers you've done, transparencies you've made or purchased, fabric trims & lace, charms or any art bits that you've gathered up for your quiltie.

    I like to collect anything that might relate to my theme or perhaps the colors I'm planning on using, and I'll place these items on the table near my fabric pieces. Play with the placement of these things on both the front & the back of your quiltie to see what looks good! This process gets me ready to sew, glue or attach things to my fabric. If I don't sew or glue, I can use mini brads or eyelets; especially good for attaching transparencies. Lace, trim, and images (both fabric and paper images), quotes and charms can be glued on or sewn on with a sewing machine or by hand. With a sewing machine you can employ a simple straight stitch or a zigzag stitch to attach items. Or try a fancy decorative stitch; some of these are perfect! For gluing items on, I always choose clear-drying Tacky glue.

  3. 3

    An Important Tip!

    Work on just one side of your fabric page/quiltie at a time.

    The knots from sewing charms and buttons and other art bits on by hand can be hidden on the wrong side of the fabric when you work this way. Punching holes in the fabric and using mini brads is a great way to attach transparencies, and you can hide the "wrong" side of this if you start working on just the front or the back fabric. You can sew transparencies onto your quiltie and hide the stitches as well. Quotes printed onto fabric are small often glued on with Tacky glue. If you have embroidery thread, it can be fun to use this to embellish your pages. Refresh your memory or learn some basic stitches on-line! Beads can also be sewn on to your quiltie by hand. I found this very relaxing to do! Another idea: You can use fusible webbing instead of glue to attach quotes, contrasting fabrics, or images. Just follow the manufacturer’s directions. Fusible webbing can be found in sewing stores or on-line at Joann Fabric & Crafts.

  4. 4

    Putting it all together:

    Once your images, trims and embellishments are securely attached to both the front and back of your pages, it’s time to put your quiltie together!

    You'll want some sort of batting or interfacing in-between the front and back pages. Interfacing can be used instead of batting if you wish, or in combination with batting. It's thinner than batting but stabilizes the fabric page. My favorite and most used batting is 'Warm & Natural' soft cotton quilt batting because it’s flat, yet it gives body to the quiltie. Occasionally I do use the fluffier polyester batting, if I want a 'puffier pillow' look. Quilt batting can be found at your local sewing store or on-line at JoAnn Fabrics & Crafts. Cut your batting or interfacing out a little bit smaller than your fabric squares. You can add the batting right away to one or both sides of your quiltie, while you are working on it, so you have something to sew through.

    Putting your Quiltie together "Lenna style"
    Place the batting or the interfacing in the middle of your front and back pieces with the RIGHT sides of your quiltie facing OUT -- then sew up the sides any way you like!

    The edges do not have to be finished with binding or even turned under, unless you like that look and want to do it. I often enjoy leaving raw edges and simply stitch around the raw edge about 1/4" in from the edge. You can sew your quilties by hand, by machine, or you could even fuse or glue your pages together! Use just enough glue, not too much, when working on your quilties to prevent the glue from seeping through and staining your fabric. Often times when I stitch my quilties the fabric edge is not turned under. This is OK! You can turn the edges under by ironing first if you prefer a neater look. Many artists like to cut one piece of their fabric squares a little bigger than the other and then fold the extra fabric over the smaller piece. Whip stitch around the fabric border in place and you are all set.

    Remember, this is your fabric quiltie and it's really your choice how you finish it!

  5. 5

    When your quiltie is all sewn together you can add ribbon as I did above, trim or any other little embellishments that you like. Make sure to sign your quiltie with a permanent pen or attach a tag. If you are in a swap, attach a tag with the title of your quiltie, your name, address/email, and the name of the swap/hostess and date! When you have made or collected a number of fabric pages, you can make them into a book if you like.