While new quilts are all good and well, it is always good to pay homage to the past and remember the traditional way quilts were made. One of the cornerstones of original quilting is the patchwork quilt.

This was a very popular quilt amongst the working class, especially when money was tight. It was in the years of the great depression, that this quilt experienced an explosion in popularity. With so many out of work, it was a great way of saving money and keeping warm at night.

So here’s a few guidelines for how to make a patchwork quilt:

Material

The ideal material for these quilts are scraps – after all, that’s what makes up a patchwork quilt. It doesn’t have to be specifically quilting scraps either. A true patchwork quilt was made up materials sourced from all sorts of places. It was common to get materials such as old clothes, curtains and unused table-cloths – anything really – as long as it was nice on the skin and held in the warmth, it was up for grabs.

It’s for this reason that you should try your best to avoid buying new material. Using and recycling old material will keep it more authentic and holds tight the spirit of a patchwork quilt.

Pattern

There is no requirement for patterns. The most commonly used pattern was a simple square pattern. This was used more commonly just because it’s such an easy pattern to sew.

It’s not uncommon to see hexagonal patterns either. It just requires a little more thinking to plan out the pattern and to make sure that similar colours are not placed too close together.

Don’t be afraid to get creative with your patterns either, the colours don’t have to complement each other perfectly. In fact, it’s probably better that they don’t, after all, this is the charm of a patchwork quilt.

So if you follow these guidelines, you’ll see how easy and fun it can be making a patchwork quilt – not to mention how cheap an inexpensive they are as well!

Good luck and happy quilting!