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The Cincinnati Quilt Project

Click on a section of the quilt below to read about the
person who helped stitch it. 

1. CHOOSE A PATTERN


You’ll find hundreds of quilt block designs online or in books at your local crafts store. These designs will guide you through the material requirements and steps of fabrication for that specific block.

Choose a pattern that you like both on its own and repeated multiple times over the top of a quilt. You will be making many of each block in order to cover the surface of the quilt.



2. SELECT FABRIC


Buy the appropriate amount of fabric for your quilt based on the information in your pattern. You will want multiple colors that compliment each other.

It is preferable to overbuy than to underbuy. You can always use the scraps for a later project.











3. GATHER TOOLS


Make sure that you have all the tools you will need for your project. The pattern you’ve selected may give you a list, but here are some common tools:
  • scissors
  • rotary cutter
  • cutting mat
  • acrylic quilter’s ruler
  • pins & cushion
  • thread (of your color choice)
  • bobbin (if you are using a machine)
  • needles
  • iron & ironing board







4. WASH FABRIC


Before you do anything, you will want to wash all of your fabric. This is a very important step. You want to make sure that any excess dye leaks out of your fabric before the multiple different colors are touching. This will also ensure that the fabric weave is loose and pliable for your use.

You will notice that your fabric has two very different sides. One is darker and richer, holding more color. This is known as the ‘right side’. The opposite side is much lighter, with less of the print or pattern of your fabric showing. You will be able to more easily see the weave of your fabric on this side. This is known as the ‘wrong side’







5. CUT PIECES ACCORDING TO YOUR PATTERN


You will want to start by ironing and squaring up your fabric. Make sure the fabric is smooth and flat, and then establish a square corner using your cutting mat, rotary cutter, and acrylic quilter’s ruler. Do this on the fold if you have one. Squaring your fabric will make sure that all of your cut out pieces are even and that the weave of your fabric goes across the pieces evenly.

Cut out the pieces according to your pattern using your cutting mat, rotary cutter, and acrylic quilter’s ruler.







6. SEW YOUR PIECES AT 1/4”


You can now begin sewing your pieces according to your pattern, maintaining a quarter inch distance from the edges of your fabric. This is called a seam allowance. You will make straight stitches, without any backstitching.

Whenever you sew, you always want to do it with ‘right sides together’. This means that the richer, more colorful sides are facing each other and you see only the ‘wrong sides’ where the weave of your fabric is more visible. This means that when you finish your seams, all of the brighter pieces of fabric will be facing up.








7. IRON SEAMS TOWARDS DARK


Once you have finished a seam you will want to iron it open. Always iron your seams open before sewing multiple seamed pieces together to make sure that your quilt lays flat and smooth.

When you iron, the rule of thumb is to push your seam over to the darker piece of fabric. This is so that the bulky seam doesn’t shine through the lighter fabric. This rule may change if you have a particularly bulky pattern, but the pattern will tell you if that is appropriate.




8. PIECE TOGETHER YOUR BLOCKS


Once you have made once complete block according to your pattern you will keep making them until you have enough to make a quilt top. You may want to add rows and columns of fabric known as ‘sashing’ between your blocks. You may even follow a second pattern to create a complex border of fabric between your blocks.




9. FINISH SEWING TOGETHER YOUR TOP


When all of your blocks are stitched together you will want to add a border around them until your top is the full size of a standard quilt or comforter. Use a complimentary color of fabric to complete your border.




10. LAYER TOGETHER YOUR TOP, BATTING, AND BOTTOM


A quilt is made up of a top, bottom, and intermediate layer. The intermediate layer is called ‘batting’. This batting gives the quilt its weight, and you will have many options for the weight and thickness of this layer. Purchase the weight and thickness of batting that is appropriate for your planned use of the quilt. If you want to hang it on a wall you may go with something lighter. If you plan on using this quilt for warmth you may go with something heavier. Either way, the batting gives your quilt the structural integrity it needs.

Lay these three layers together and pin them going from the middle out. Make sure that your batting and back layers overhang your top.







11. QUILT YOUR LAYERS TOGETHER


You will now do the actual ‘quilting’ part of this project. Quilting is the technical term for when you sew together your three layers. Some people choose to do this by hand on a quilt rack or hoop. Others will quilt on their standard sewing machine, or on a larger machine called a ‘long arm’ meant specifically for this purpose. Whether you do it yourself or you pay a professional quilter to do it, this is what makes your layers of fabric into a quilt.

You may do this stitching in simple straight lines, in meandering curves, or in intricate patterns. Look up popular quilting lines to see what other quilters have done in the past.





12. BIND YOUR QUILT


Now that your three layers are connected you are ready to finish the edges. Binding your quilt is the last step. After this you can iron your binding and start using the quilt!