If you are new to quilting, have never made a patchwork quilt before or are just plain curious, I’d like to tell you about the wonderful world of patchwork quilts.

These kinds of quilts are really something different. Where a normal quilt is mainly made up of one main colour or has a mural or stitching pattern on it, a patchwork quilt is made up of different bits of materials, or patches, hence the name.

These quilts were originally made in poorer times when people could not afford to buy large sections of new cloth for their blankets. People would collect up the odds and ends of material and any spare cloth they had lying around.

This basically looked like a jig saw puzzle with each material being a different shape and size. To make the best use of this, the material would then be cut into small squares or patches and then worked together into a quilt hence, a patchwork quilt.

I get asked a lot ‘are there any rules to making one of these quilts?’

The easy answer is no. The longer answer is, as long as you use two or more different sources of materials for you patches, you don’t really need to follow any guidelines. They don’t even have to be squares, I have seen some triangle and hexagon patterns as well!

Why do people make these?

There is the impression that only the elderly make quilts. Let me be the first to say that is very untrue. Quilters usually make these quilts for something a little bit different. They are also a relatively easy pattern to work with and with the right combination of materials, really add a bit of charm to an otherwise drab room.

So if you are thinking of making a patchwork quilt – give it a go, its easy and a great place to start for new quilters.