A quilt looks complicated, but it is built from the simplest sewing there is: straight lines. If you can sew a straight seam on a machine, you can make a quilt.
This guide covers what a quilt is made of, the tools that make it easier, and a first project designed to succeed: a baby quilt made of squares, cut from seven fat quarters.
The three layers
The top
The decorated side, made by sewing pieces of fabric together. This joining is called patchwork or piecing.
The batting
Also called wadding: the soft, warm middle layer that gives a quilt its body. It comes in cotton, cotton blends and polyester.
The backing
A plain or printed fabric for the underside, cut a little bigger than the top.
The binding
A narrow strip folded over the raw edges to finish them, like the frame on a picture.
Quilting is the stitching that holds the three layers together, and it can be as simple as straight lines across the quilt.
The tools worth buying
You can quilt with scissors and a tape measure, but three tools make it faster and far more accurate. Together they cut many layers of fabric dead straight.
| Tool | Why | From |
|---|---|---|
| Rotary cutter | Cuts straight lines through several layers at once | KES 2,200 |
| Self-healing cutting mat | Protects the table and the blade; essential with a rotary cutter | KES 4,500 |
| Omnigrid quilting ruler | A clear ruler to guide the cutter and measure squares | KES 5,900 |
| Clover Wonder Clips or flat flower pins | Hold layers together without distortion | KES 1,800 |
| Quilting machine needles | Slip through layers and seams without skipping | KES 1,150 |
| DMC quilting thread | Strong cotton thread for piecing and quilting | KES 460 |
| Clover quilting pencil | Marks quilting lines that wash out | KES 850 |
Read more in our guides to the rotary cutter and Wonder Clips.
About your sewing machine
Any machine that sews a good straight stitch will piece a quilt. For the quilting itself, the layers can creep unless the top is fed as evenly as the bottom. A walking foot does this, and some machines, such as the bernette b77, have dual feed built in.
Choosing fabric
A fat quarter bundle is the easiest start: a set of prints from one collection, already chosen to go together. Add a Kona solid if you want calm areas between the prints. Our guide to choosing fabrics that go together explains how to build your own mix.
Enough for a first baby quilt
Fat quarter bundles
From KES 5,000
Coordinated sets from 9 to 30 fat quarters. The 9-piece Build Bang Boom bundle has more than enough for the baby quilt below; the 12-piece Florista gives you spares for a matching cushion.
See a bundleChoosing batting
| Batting | What it is like | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Stitch It 80/20, 300 cm wide | 80% cotton, 20% polyester, medium loft. The easiest all-rounder for a first quilt. | KES 5,000/m |
| Bosal Katahdin cotton, 244 cm wide | 100% cotton, flat and traditional, pre-shrunk | KES 6,000/m |
| Vilene Super Soft 80/20, 246 cm wide | Lightweight, for lighter quilts and warmer nights | KES 5,400/m |
Your first quilt: a squares baby quilt
Finished size about 91 x 122 cm (36 x 48 inches): 9 squares across and 12 down. Quilters work in inches, and our Omnigrid ruler is marked in inches, so the measurements below are in both.
| You need | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fat quarters for the top | 7 (each gives 16 squares; you need 108) |
| Backing | 1.5 m of quilting cotton |
| Batting | 1 m of any of our battings, cut to about 100 x 130 cm |
| Binding | 0.5 m |
1. Cut the squares
Press the fabric, then cut 4½ inch (11.4 cm) squares with the rotary cutter and ruler. Each fat quarter gives 16.
2. Plan the layout
Lay the squares out on the floor, 9 across and 12 down, and move them until no two of the same print touch. Take a photo so you remember the order.
3. Sew the rows
Join the squares in each row with a ¼ inch (0.6 cm) seam. An accurate seam is the secret: every square finishes at exactly 4 inches.
4. Press and join
Press the seams in each row in alternate directions, so they nest together neatly, then sew the rows to each other.
5. Make the sandwich
Lay the backing right side down and smooth it flat, then the batting, then the top right side up. Pin through all three layers every hand's width.
6. Quilt
Lengthen your stitch to about 3 mm and sew straight lines along the seams, or diagonally across the squares. Start in the middle and work outwards.
7. Bind
Trim the edges straight. Cut 2½ inch strips across the binding fabric, join them, fold in half, and sew round the edge, then fold over and stitch down.
8. Wash
The first wash softens the quilt and gives it that crinkled, cosy look. Our quilt care guide shows how.
Where next
Ready for a bigger quilt? Our quilt size guide for Kenyan beds has the fabric and batting amounts.
Want a pattern? Robert Kaufman's free beginner quilt patterns include two made entirely from Kona solids.
Not sure about prewashing? Read should you prewash quilting cotton.
Start your first quilt
Choose your fabrics with us at our shop at Muthaiga Mini Market, or send us your plan on WhatsApp.
Shop quilting fabricOr message us on 0798 316 860
Prices correct at the time of writing.
