Quilting for beginners has never been this easy.
One of our most popular videos on YouTube is the Easiest Quilt Ever tutorial. It has over half a million views at this point with over 24,000 likes. It’s a super easy quilt so perfect for a beginner. There’s no binding and it’s so simple that you could easily make this in a day. No wonder it’s popular.
With this in mind, we decided to put together version 2 of the quilt. This one is just as easy but has a variation in the design and how it is pieced together. Quilting for beginners has never been this easy.
Watch the video below or scroll down for the step-by-step written instructions
Let’s get started.
What you need
- 5 strips measuring 6½” x 40″
If you are making your quilt the same as I have done you will need:
- Fabric 1: ½ yard – 2 strips
- Fabric 2: ½ yard – 2 strips
- Fabric 3″: ¼ Yard – 1 strip
Batting: 30″ x 40″
Backing: 1 yard
TOOLS USED IN THIS VIDEO
You can check the latest prices at Amazon by clicking on the links below:
- Creative Grids Ruler 8½” x 24½”
- Olfa 24″ x 36″ double sided healing mat
- Olfa 60mm rotary cutter
- Gutermann Sew All thread
- Warm Company Batting
Finished Quilt Size
The finished quilt size is 30″ x 40″.
Method
- Cut your strips 6½” x wof (width of fabric) and trim to 40″ in length.
- Lay out the strips how you want them to look.
- Take the first strip and lay it, right sides together, on top of the second strip.
- Sew the strips together with a ¼” seam.
- Press the seam towards the darker fabric of the two.
- Take the 4th and 5th strips and lay them right sides together
- Sew the strips together with a ¼” seam.
- Press the seam towards the darker fabric of the two.
- Now lay the centre strip over the first two strips, right sides together.
- Sew the strips together with a ¼” seam.
- And repeat the process so that all the strips are now sewn together.
- Check that you have pressed all the seams towards the darker fabric.
- Lay your batting on a table or a clean floor.
- Lay the quilt top on top of the batting, making sure the quilt top has the right side facing up.
- Smooth the quilt top and the batting out.
- Fold the quilt top back to about the half way point.
- Spray the backing liberally with 505 adhesive spray (or alternative quilting spray)
- Lay the quilt top back down over the sprayed batting
- Smooth down the quilt top making sure to remove all creases.
- Repeat the process with the other half of the quilt top.
We use 505 spray. We have tried other adhesive sprays but we have found that this one works the best for us. We also use it when we are working with machine embroidery.
- Cut the batting around the quilt top.
- Lay the backing piece of fabric on the table or floor with the right side facing up.
- Lay the quilt top and batting sandwich on top of the backing fabric, right side facing down.
- Cut the backing fabric around the quilt top.
Alternatively, you can, measure your quilt top piece and cut your backing and batting the same size, but we find the method we are using here works just fine for baby quilts.
- Smooth the three layers and pin them together using quilting pins.
- Sew the layers together with a ¼” seam. If you have a walking foot for your machine, now is the time to use it.
- Leave an opening of about 6″-8″ at one end. This is where you will turn the quilt through to the right side. One way to help you remember to leave and opening is to make a chalk roller or Fixion pen mark on either side of the where you want the opening to start and finish. NOTE: Don’t use a ballpoint pen.
- Turn the quilt through and just make a quick check around the seam line that all your layers have been caught in the seam line.
- Now pull the each of the corners out from inside of the quilt and cut across them, taking care not to cut the stitching.
- Also trim a little from either side of the corner to remove some of the bulk.
- Cutting the corners allows for pointier corners.
- Use a wooden skewer or similar item to push out the corners.
- If you use your scissors, be very careful as you don’t want to poke them through the corner and break the stitching.
- Give your quilt a press taking care to press in the seam allowance on the opening.
- If you find the batting is a little thick at the opening, trim it back about an eighth of an inch to reduce the bulk.
- Topstitch around the quilt approx an eighth of an inch from the edge.
- This will give the quilt a nicely finished edge and close the opening that we had to turn the quilt through.
- Now it’s time to quilt. Because of how we have constructed the quilt, keep it simple, too much quilting will draw the quilt in and may result in puckering.
- I started with the middle stripe and drew a line 2″ inches from the seam line. Continue drawing the line right down the length of the quilt.
- I used erasable chalk. (DO NOT USE a ballpoint. Make sure you use erasable chalk or a Frixion pen. Just remember that if you live in a very cold climate the Frixion pen mark may show on your quilt.)
- Then I continued to draw lines 2″ apart, across the whole quilt.
- Now sew down the full length of of the lines that you have drawn making sure to do a tie off or back stitch at the beginning and end of each row.
- Also alternate how you sew the rows. Don’t sew them all in the same direction. When you get to the end of a row, turn the quilt and sew back the other way for the next row of quilting. This will help to stop the quilt from warping.
- You can see in another quilt we made how the quilting looks when stitched.
- And here is the final result.
Elsa Loubser says
Thanks. Awsome instructional video.
Alanda says
Thank you Elsa!
Sonya Hughes says
On the “Easiest Quilt” video you have on YouTube (different material than this one), I am trying to figure out what kind of sewing foot you are using at the end. It doesn’t look like a typical walking foot. Can you tell us what it is, please? Thank you,
Sonya
Alanda says
It’s just a walking foot from a Janome 7700 Horizon sewing machine.
Vicky says
I like the video but I’m curious how I could do this same pattern as a blanket for older children or even a adult quilt.
Alanda says
You would just need to add more strips to make it wider. To make the quilt longer, you would probably need to just sew two strips together depending on how big you want your quilt to be.
Luci Randall says
Your tutorials are always well done, easy to understand/follow.
Thanks,
Luci
Alanda Craft says
Thank you Luci. We do appreciate your lovely comment.
Rita Smith says
One tip to make your easiest ever even easier! Use fleece for backing and you won’t even need batting! Spray the two layers together (and fleece isn’t slippery so the layers really join well!) I have made so many small quilts using fleece backing and they are so cuddly. Also, instead of stitch in ditch, do your stitches 1/2 away from sewing lines, it’s more forgiving (sitd sometimes wobbles out of the ditch and doesn’t look as neat) I am a self-taught quilter and I specialize in the fastest, easiest, and most beautiful lap quilts ever!
Alanda Craft says
Nice tips Rita. Thanks so much for sharing!
Sandi Jenkins says
How wide and long should I make a queen size quilt to use
as a comforter/bedspread? This will be my first attempt at making a quilt. But if I’m being honest I’m a little nervous and scared. Your video and written instructions give me the feeling that I can do it. .I’ve got to my material.
Thank you very much.
Sandi
Alanda Craft says
You can make this as long or as wide as you like. So you just need to determine the size you actually want to make. Quilts come in all sizes so it is really a personal thing. You can measure a quilt you already have at home or you can Google ‘quilt sizes’ to get an idea.
HOWEVER, can I suggest that if this is your first quilt that you start with a baby-sized quilt to get some practice. So just follow the tutorial first and then once you’ve successfully made a small one, you will feel more confident to tackle a larger quilt.
Alexis Palmer says
Love your tutorial, is it possible to have a downloadable copy of it please.
Alanda Craft says
Thank you for your lovely comment Alexis. You will find a download button at the bottom of the post.
Mary Gerweck says
I do my quilts basically the same with batting w/cotton back,flannel or fleece without batting. Then on my cutting mate fold in half line corners up then take a glass pie plate upside down with my rotary cutter and round the corners off they lay so much nicer no uneven square corners. Same for table runners. Even if I do binding round corners still come out so much nicer.
Alanda Craft says
Thank you very much for this helpful tip Mary 😊. This will be helpful for those who have problems with getting nice mitered corners. I haven’t done rounded corners on my quilts in the past, but I will give have to give it a go.
We do have an easy binding tutorial for those who struggle with binding and here is the link https://www.alandacraft.com/2015/09/16/how-to-machine-bind-a-quilt/.