How To Sew Quilt Blocks Together

Quilting is an enjoyable, and highly functional, hobby that many people enjoy. Quilts are beautiful art pieces that make excellent gifts, so knowing how to sew a quilt is an incredibly useful skill to have. 

Unfortunately, many beginners find making their first quilt to be a daunting task. From the outside, the process of sewing quilt blocks together, and creating your own quilt seems like a big challenge. While quilting takes time, patience, and willingness to learn, it is not as difficult as you may think. 

In this post, we break down the basics of how to sew a quilt. 

Quilting Tools

Before starting your quilt, make sure you have all of the necessities including:

• Clear rulers
• Pins
• iron/ironing board
• Batting
• Seam ripper
• Rotary cutter and mat
• Sharp scissors
• Bias tape maker
• Clear nylon thread 
• White cotton threat 
• 100% cotton fabric 

Get everything you need for quilting from the top online store, runawayquilting.com. 

Create Your Squares

The first step for how to make a basic 9X9 square quilt is to create the squares. Cut the fabric in equal squares, we recommend 4 ½” X  4 ½”. Take your squares and lay them out in 9 rows of 9 squares. Choose contrast fabric to give your quilt dimension. 

Stack the squares in each row from left to right on top of each other. Make sure to label the rows by number and then label where each row goes. 

Sewing Quilt Squares Together

Next, you must start sewing the squares together. Start by taking the top square, square 1, laying it face up. Put square 2 on top of square one and pin the sides together. Sew the squares together with a ¼” seam allowance, and make sure your seam allowance is consistent.  Open up that pair of squares and pin square 3 facing square team. Sew with a ¼” seam and repeat for the next 5 squares and then the rest of the rows. 

Press Fabric 

It’s important to press your fabric to ensure your quilt turns out. Press the seams to one side, and alternate directions for even and odd rows. To do this, you will put two rows facing each other and press the seams. Pin at the seams to line up the square points. 

Sewing Quilt Blocks Together 

The next step for how to sew a quilt together is sewing quilt blocks together. Carefully line up the rows and sew them together. Press the pieced part of the quilt. Keep your consistent seam allowance and continue to practice. It’s okay if your points aren’t perfect especially if it’s one of your first quilts. 

Batting

Trim the batting using shears. Cut the batting at least 2” larger than your quilt top and focus on straight cuts. 

Backing

Sew the quilt backing using a rotary cutter and rulers. Cut the backing to size, ensuring the fabric is 2” larger than the quilt top. 

Assemble and Connect the Quilt

Pin together all layers of the quilt, including the top, batting, and backing. Secure with a quilt adhesive. Quilt in your preferred pattern to secure all of the layers. 

Binding

Cut and sew your binding strips. Cut seven 2 ½” wide strips and sew them together. All the strips should be able to go around the entire perimeter of your quilt. Place two strips perpendicular to each other with the right sides facing each other and sew across the diagonal. Trim the excess by ¼”.   Press the binding strips in half and then sew the binding to the quilt by aligning the raw edge of the binding and quilt. 

To sew around the corners, sew in a straight line until ¼” away from the end. Pivot the quilt and stitch at a 45-degree angle to your seam, then remove the quilt from the machine and fold over the binding. Start sewing again from the top of the new edge. Join the binding ends by creating a folded edge and sewing the ends together. 

Finish The Quilt

Now, it’s time to finish the quilt. Cut batting to ½” and trim the top. Fold the binding over and sew by hand to the backside of the quilt. 

There you have it! The basics of how to sew a quilt and how to sew quilt blocks together. The process is not as complicated as it seems, especially when you go slow and be patient. Having the right tools and materials makes the job even easier. Get all of your quilting necessities from Canada’s top online quilting store runawayquilting.com.