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Beginner Friendly Patterns

Punch Needle Kit - Unicorn

Punch Needle Kit - Unicorn

$4.99
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Shabby Fabrics has a wealth of resources and tips for the new quilter. Create your very first quilt with the help of beginner quilt patterns. These patterns are simple, yet beautiful, and will enable you to complete your very first quilt. Give it as a gift or treasure it as a family heirloom. There is a full range of beginner friendly patterns available. Choose florals, classic patterns, holiday quilts, and other options that will make accomplishing your first or second quilt a manageable and achievable goal.

Frequently Asked Questions About Beginner Friendly Patterns

What are the different types of quilting patterns and designs?

There are many different types of quilting patterns and designs, including traditional patterns like the Log Cabin, Nine-Patch, and Double Wedding Ring, English Paper Piecing, applique, piecing as well as modern patterns and designs.

Do I need a pattern to make a quilt?
While a pattern isn’t strictly required to make a beautiful quilt, we highly recommend using a pattern to beginning quilters who are still mastering the skills they need to tackle the specific details and troubleshooting of creating a quilt without a pattern.
Even with a pattern, quilt-making is a personal reflection of the quilter’s style and can be easily customized or embellished.
What are quilt notions?

Quilting notions are the tools and supplies you use to create a quilt.  These can include rotary cutters, rulers, mats, pins, marking tools, marking pens and other basic sewing items.

What materials do I need to get started with quilting?

To get started with quilting, you will need fabric, a rotary cutter, a cutting mat, quilting rulers, quilting pins, a sewing machine, and thread.

How do you start quilting as a beginner?

The best project to begin with to learn how to quilt is a quilt block. There are many ways to use a quilt block in a project when you're finished; You can make a pillow, wall hanging, or make more to stitch together into a larger quilt. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination! We recommend using a pattern to start but there are lots of ways for you to add your own personal touches. Be sure to check out our Learn to Quilt video series to follow along with Jen as she walks you through making your very first quilt with helpful tutorials, tips, and tricks!

How big is a yard of fabric?
A yard measures 36” x WOF (width of fabric) which is between 43”-45”.
What is the difference between a quarter yard and a fat quarter?

A quarter yard is cut perpendicular to the selvege, all the way across the fabric. It measures approximately 9" x 43".

A fat quarter is a half yard (measuring approximately 18" x 43") cut in half resulting in a wider, shorter rectangle measuring approximately 18" x 21".

What does WOF stand for?

Width of Fabric. The width of fabric is the entire length from selvege to selvege. Most fabric widths are between 42" and 45".

How do I measure and cut fabric for quilting?

To measure and cut fabric for quilting, you should use quilting rulers and a rotary cutter. It is important to ensure that your fabric is square and that your cuts are accurate. Our preferred brand of rulers is Creative Grids. 

How do I assemble a quilt top?

To assemble a quilt top, you will need to sew together the quilt blocks or squares. This can be done using a sewing machine or by hand.

How do I quilt the layers of a quilt together?

To quilt the layers of a quilt together, you will need to sew through the top, batting, and backing of the quilt. This can be done using a sewing machine or by hand.

How do I bind a quilt?

To bind a quilt, you will need to sew a strip of fabric around the edges of the quilt. This can be done by machine or by hand. The most common width of strips are 2-1/4" or 2-1/2" strips. 

What is quilt “piecing”?
Piecing is the word used to describe the method that quilters use to assemble separate pieces of fabric into quilt block designs. These blocks are stitched together by hand or with a sewing machine.
What is a pieced quilt?
A pieced quilt, or patchwork quilt is one that is made up of pieced quilt blocks and isn’t made using any other technique.
What is the first step in quilting?
Choose your supplies.
This generally starts with a pattern so that you can see how much fabric is required, and what the finished design will look like, so you can choose the fabric colors you want to be reflected in the quilt. Using a pattern will also help organize which quilting notions will be most helpful to you.
Once you have all of your materials and supplies, then it’s time to start measuring, cutting, and sewing!
What is the difference between ironing and pressing?
Ironing is a lateral movement to flatten fabric. This is the type of movement you use when ironing wrinkles out of clothing.
When “setting a seam” to be pressed, use your hands to flatten a seam and press gently with the iron, making sure that the seam lays flat without any additional folds. Moving the iron laterally could cause folds in the seams or other irregularities that could affect measurements.
What is the difference between interfacing and stabilizer?
In short: interfacing is meant to be added to a project in a permanent fashion where stabilizer is often meant to be removed from the finished project or else loses its stiff quality over time to blend with the other fabrics and become undetectable.
These products can be used interchangeably, but in order to understand the way they hold up over time, it’s important to understand their differences.
Interfacing is a type of fabric, typically sold by the yard, meant to become part of a project, reinforcing and adding body and durability to purses, shirt collars, or buttonholes. Stabilizer is also typically sold by the yard, but is used to temporarily support fabric being actively sewn as in embroidery or when working with delicate fabrics. After the project is complete, it’s torn, ironed, or washed away, depending on the type of stabilizer used, leaving just those delicate fabrics or stitching behind.
What is a “scant ¼” seam”?
A seam allowance that is just barely under ¼”
What is a selvage?
Also spelled “selvedge”, a selvage is the edge of a piece of fabric. There are two selvages, one at either side of the fabric. The measurement between selvages is the WOF or width of fabric.
Selvages tend to be more densely woven and include information from the manufacturer about that particular fabric including dye colors used, sku number, and often name of the designer, manufacturer, and collection.
Traditionally, selvages were trimmed from the main body of the fabric and thrown away. Contemporary quilters, however, have invented all sorts of interesting projects that are perfect for using up these scraps, eliminating waste and making use of the tiny motifs often printed on them!
What is a Quilt Block?
A quilt block is the main part of a quilt being a square of fabrics sewn together in a design and combined with other blocks that make up a quilt.
A block may be made up of smaller square shapes, or more intricate designs like a Dresden Plate, Log Cabin, Sawtooth Star, or one of hundreds of other quilt block patterns that have been developed over the history of quilting.
How many types of quilt blocks are there?
There are hundreds of quilt block patterns, each with its own name! There are a few block patterns that are more traditional and commonly used which we define for you on the Shabby Fabrics website. Some of those blocks are: Sawtooth Star, Ohio Star, Log Cabin, and Four-Patch. Hopefully these definitions get you started and help build your quilting vocabulary.
What is a Log Cabin?
A Log Cabin is a type of quilt block built from the center out to the edges using first a square and then fabric strips layered around one another. The finished block resembles the placement of the hewn logs of a rustic cabin.
This block is often used with contrasting shades to create spectacular depth in quilt designs and can be made to look 3-dimensional.
What are Flying Geese?
A Flying Geese/Goose unit is a rectangular block made up of three triangles and used to create a quilt block. The point of the larger center triangle is referred to as the “delta” and is used to describe the unit’s direction when rotating these units to create a pattern.
What is a Sawtooth Star?
A Sawtooth Star is a pattern often used in making individual quilt blocks. It consists of a square section in the center, and 8 points all around it. The points are made up of rectangular Flying Geese units.
What is an Ohio Star?
An Ohio Star is a type of quilt block that features a square shape at its center with 8 triangles around it. There are 2 triangles turned with points toward one another at the top, bottom, left, and right sides. Each pairing resembles an hourglass and the completed design is used in traditionally styled quilts.
What is a Card Trick?
A Card Trick is a type of quilt block pattern that uses half square triangles and quarter square triangles to create an illusion of overlapping squares.
What is a Spool Block?
A Spool Block is a type of quilt block made up of four smaller squares, each pieced together in the shape of a spool of thread.
What is a Dresden Plate?
A Dresden Plate is a type of quilt block that features a circular pattern made up of wedge-shaped fabric strips, often made with coordinating or contrasting colors. At the center of the block is a small circle and the edges are often scalloped or pointed, resulting in a wreath- or wheel-like look.
What is quilt binding?
The binding of a quilt is made up of the small strips of fabric that are sewn all the way around the edges, unifying the top, batting, and backing of a quilt.
What is a Rail Fence?
A Rail Fence is a type of quilt block made up of straight fabric strips arranged in a pinwheel-like shape.
What is a 4-Patch?
A Four-Patch is a square made up of four small fabric squares sewn together, usually in an alternating color pattern for a checkerboard effect.
Four-Patch units are used to build larger blocks or are simply sewn together to create a more traditional patchwork look.
What is a 4-Patch Chain?
A 4-Patch Chain is a type of quilt block where small blocks of 4 squares are sewn with large, complementing squares in an alternating pattern to make a quilt block that has smaller squares in the corners, and larger squares at the center and sides.