Creative patchwork: beautiful and easy for beginners

You have to work hard to start making crafts. Getting started is never easy. Patchwork also needs to be learned. Not everything turns out right away: the hands do not obey, the eye fails. For this, there is the experience of the masters. Having mastered video lessons, photo materials and a master class with their tips and secrets, you can safely bring to life any idea – from making a simple potholder to a new sofa upholstery.

Patchwork for beginners

Patchwork is very popular today – needlework, in which a single piece is assembled from colored patches of fabric with a conceived pattern according to the principle of a mosaic. The result of such a fascinating process can be a recognizable image of some objects, geometric ornaments or bizarre patterns. Ideas for patchwork can be taken from photo and video lessons, as well as master classes.

Initially, the shreds were sewn because of the economy of material, and the patchwork had very specific tasks. Now the patchwork technique is a desire to create beauty, enjoying this magical action. Quilted bedspreads, decorative panels, blankets and pillows, kitchen pot holders, updated furniture, clothes are pleasing to the eye.

To understand the basics of the patchwork technique, you need to get acquainted with its main types at master classes and videos

The basics patchwork sewing:

Accuracy and accuracy. The patchwork technique is not a complicated technology, but it is not always easy to implement an idea, as in MK. The guarantee of success in patchwork is precision and accuracy. The patterns of the potholders or blankets must be precise and very neatly stitched. The fabric requires preliminary processing (decating). It must be soaked or washed, dried and ironed, sorted by color.
Work with iron. A patchwork iron is an important tool. In the course of work, the seams must be ironed; when decorating fabrics, they must also be ironed. Ready-made potholders or bags are steamed from the front side and always in one direction. The seams must also be smoothed in one direction. Then they will not crumble and will be durable. The seam allowances are smoothed from the inside out so that no marks remain on the front side. In complex blocks, where seams of different directions meet, the allowances of each next row are ironed in a different direction. On the front side, iron at the intersection of the seams. If the strips are too long, they should be placed vertically on the ironing board, not horizontally – they will not wrinkle or stretch. Too dense fabric is moistened and steamed. The fabric is ironed on a fractional iron in a temperature regime corresponding to the type of fabric.
Secrets sewing. Inaccurately stitched fragments of a future potholder or napkin, uneven seams, even a slight mismatch in size will destroy patchwork for beginners. Therefore, the flaps must be sewn in very accurately. Beginner craftswomen will be helped by templates in the form of a frame, which are made on graph paper with a seam line printed on the fabric. Before starting an ambitious project, it is recommended to sew a sample block. It will help you check the accuracy of cutting, adjust the work of the sewing machine. It is easy to see all errors on the sample – this will save both time and effort.

It is much more difficult to correct mistakes on the finished canvas.

In general, the patchwork technique should be taken seriously, pondering all the color combinations, even for tacking – after all, like sloppy work, they can ruin a thing and discourage the desire to master such a fascinating handicraft.

Master class: block of squares (video)

Where to start patchwork sewing

To begin with, they collect all the scraps of fabrics, sort them by texture and color, and begin to create a scheme. You can also vice versa: come up with a pattern or find it on MK, photos and videos, and then cut the blanks from the purchased fabrics.

Of all the abundance of scraps of fabric stored at home, it is important to choose the right combination for the future product.

The second step is to sketch a potholder, pillow or napkin. It is better for novice needlewomen to use ready-made schemes from magazines or MK from the Internet.

The process of joining shreds into a whole canvas:

Sewing parts of tacks or blankets;
Connection of blocks into one whole;
Sewing on the lining

In addition to sewing, there is also a knitted patchwork, where the patches are connected with a crochet and a contrasting thread..

In addition to threads, fabrics and machines, the patchwork technique is used:

Roller cutter or scissors;
Pins, needles;
Sewing machine;
Pencil or chalk;
Cardboard or soft plastic;
Crochet hook.

In handicraft stores you can find patchwork kits – with patterns, MK.

Patchwork templates can be found in the kit or made by yourself Patchwork kit includes fabrics, tools, templates and block diagrams

Patchwork: patterns, patterns

Schemes and templates can be made independently or you can take ready-made patterns from the Internet, books or magazines. Templates are cut along the contour of the part, taking into account the seam allowances. The material for the manufacture can be cardboard, thick paper, plastic. For accuracy, you can stick graph paper on cardboard, and then cut out a figure of the intended size. When making curved blanks on the outer contour of the template, it is necessary to make longitudinal cuts-notches – it is convenient to mark seams along them when joining the flaps.

Photo and video lessons on patchwork sewing offer schemes, templates and MK

Cutting rules

The most convenient templates are frames. The inner part must correspond to the dimensions of the finished fragment, the outer takes into account the seam allowances. The width of such a frame is the size of the allowances. When making a pattern, the frame must be circled twice, and cut only along the outer contour. The inner contour will show the seam line. The pattern is transferred to the fabric with chalk or soap, any pen leaves traces on the front side. Cutting is done only along the shared thread, so that subsequently the sewn parts do not stretch and warp. The flaps are cut with ordinary scissors or a special cutter. The roller knife makes the process much easier by cutting long strips that are easy to cut into smaller pieces. A cutter is indispensable when templates are bent.

Pattern selection

V technique patchwork exists 3 of the kindproducts:

Canvas, sewn from shreds, where the parts gather seam into seam. The shape of the patches can be regular, geometric (traditional sewing) or arbitrary (crazy patchwork). Watch video tutorials.
Quilted products (quilting) are sewn from a whole canvas, the pattern on which is created using stitches.
Application – pieces of other fabrics are beautifully applied to the base, sewn on and quilted.

“Frame” – the simplest and most convenient pattern for cutting

Patchwork technique for beginners

A pattern can be created on the basis of a single repeating figure, for which paper templates are cut out for each part and a patch is attached to it. The seam allowance is folded over the edge and re-swept. This is a traditional English technique..

The block technique is more modern: pieces of fabric of a triangular or square shape are sewn into blocks, forming a geometric pattern. A simple block can be composed of a small number of large parts. This kind of work takes less time and effort. It is often used by video tutorials and MK.

The patchwork technique of stripes is also known. It differs from the previous version in that the fragments are collected in strips, then they are combined into a canvas. The block technique is convenient because the flaps are sutured immediately on a typewriter.

In a crazy patchwork, the patches are sewn on according to the type of applique: individual patches of arbitrary shape are beautifully applied to the canvas and sewn on. Potholders, bedspreads, covers come out in two layers.

Patchwork: video tutorials for beginners

Patchwork: a master class for beginners

Handmade items, in particular, beautiful and comfortable pillows, create a special comfort in the interior. Let’s try to sew on MK a decorative pillowcase with a volumetric Rose applique. For work, you can take any flaps, the main thing is that they are successfully combined in color. Don’t forget to prepare the fabric – wash, iron.

Master class “Pillow with applique”

Step by step instruction.

It is convenient to start with the preparation of squares. Their number and size determine the size of the pillow..
Then a circle must be cut out of the fabric. In the middle, put a piece of fabric and some kind of filler for volume (cotton wool, synthetic winterizer). Secure in a circle with a machine seam. The middle is ready.
Fold the squares of flaps diagonally, as in the photo, sew around the middle workpiece in a circle – 3-5 pieces.
For the next round, you need to prepare large squares of the corresponding color. Continue to the end of the intended flower size.
Sewn petals should be trimmed in a circle.
Finished roses are beautifully distributed on a pillowcase and fixed on the product with a zig-zag seam, with a wide dense stitching. The rosette looks like a volumetric applique.
If desired, the bouquet can be supplemented with leaves cut from patches of a suitable color. Look at the photo of the master class step by step. The blanket in MK is made using the “crazy patchwork” technique (you can watch the video tutorials), and it consists of 30×30 cm squares. For a single blanket you need 24 blanks, for a double blanket – 36. Let’s say the pattern will consist of 4 types of fabric.

The complexity of the ornament depends on the experience and skills of patchwork.

Master class “Patchwork for beginners – a blanket”

Tools and materials:

1 m of fabric of each color (width 220 cm) – 6 or 9 squares 45×45 cm;
For the lining – 170 cm or 220 cm (the stock from the bottom goes away after the quilt is quilted);
Sintepon of the same size;

A blanket or bedspread can be sewn from simple squares or complex blanks

MK step-by-step instructions:

Cut into squares and stack, alternating colors.
Cut this puff cake diagonally or randomly. Convenient to cut with a roller knife.
Take the part from above and put it down under the stack of the same elements. In the cut pile on top there will be 1 piece of the 1st color and 1-a – the 2nd.
Sew on the machine all the squares along the cut line.
On the ironing board, gently smooth the seams to one side or flatten.
Fold the blanks in a neat stack in the same order – on top of the squares of the 1st and 2nd tones.
Using a ruler and a knife, cut the entire stack again along any line (you can cross the first seam).
Place one of the upper fragments down under the stack. Sew and smooth, remembering to fold in order – now it is better to combine at the seams.
The operation is repeated to the last detail. The optimal number of seams is 6-10 horizontally and vertically.
After ironing the seams, you need to trim the squares to get a figure with a side of 32 cm.
You can assemble the blanket in different ways: first assemble the front part, then – quilt with padding polyester and lining. It’s hard on a typewriter. Or quilting each square separately, cutting the padding polyester and lining.
Gather the quilted squares together, trim and close the seams with narrow tape or strips of fabric. It is convenient to assemble according to the scheme: tapes of 4-6 squares, then sew the strips.
Along the edge, the blanket must also be trimmed with a piping made of plain fabric or from pieces of rags, as in the photo MK.

Congratulations on the new thing!

Quilt technique (video)

Having learned the elementary concepts of this kind of needlework as patchwork and having mastered the simplest skills of drawing up “puzzles” from fabric into a single whole, you can create creative household items or interior decor from different patches.