The Do’s and Don’ts of Quilting (According to Someone Who Doesn’t Always Do Them)
Updated: Aug 20
The Do’s and Don’ts of Quilting (According to Someone Who Doesn’t Always Do Them)
There are a lot of rules in quilting.
Some are actual rules. Some are very good suggestions. Some have been passed down through generations of quilters with the seriousness usually reserved for family heirlooms. And some…well, some are more like strongly worded opinions.
If you spend enough time around quilters, you will eventually hear that you must do something a certain way.
Press this way.
Cut this way.
Never do that.
Always do this.
And whatever you do, apparently, do not use your rotary cutter without first making sure your ruler is perfectly aligned, your fabric is perfectly square, your cutting mat is perfectly clean and your life is generally in order.
I’m exaggerating.
Mostly.
The truth is, there are plenty of things I have learned over the years that make quilting easier, more accurate and considerably less frustrating. There are techniques that are worth learning and habits that will save you time, fabric and the occasional colourful vocabulary.
But I also believe quilting is supposed to be fun.
So here are a few quilting do’s and don’ts — with the very important disclaimer that I reserve the right to occasionally ignore my own advice.
Because apparently, I quilt like I live: somewhere between organized and “well, let’s see what happens.”
DO: Press Your Seams
Yes. Press your seams.
It makes a difference.
Good pressing can help your blocks lay flatter, your seams match better and your finished quilt look considerably more polished.
And if you are making a quilt with lots of little pieces, pressing properly can be the difference between a beautiful quilt and something that looks like it spent three days fighting with a lawnmower.
There is a reason experienced quilters are always talking about pressing.
DON'T: Become a Pressing Perfectionist
At the same time, I have seen quilters become so concerned about whether a seam should be pressed open, to the dark side, to the light side, toward the moon or in the direction of the nearest quilt shop that I worry they are no longer enjoying themselves.
There are reasons for different pressing methods. Absolutely.
But if your quilt is flat, your seams are behaving and you are happy with the result, congratulations.
You are allowed to move on.
And if you accidentally pressed something the “wrong” way?
Nobody is coming to your house to confiscate your iron.
Probably.
DO: Measure Twice and Cut Once
This is one of those pieces of advice that is genuinely worth following.
Quilting involves a lot of cutting, and fabric is surprisingly unforgiving when you discover that your 4½" strip is actually 4¼".
Ask me how I know.
Actually, don't.
Measure carefully. Keep your ruler straight. Make sure your fabric is flat. Pay attention to the instructions.
It will save you frustration.
DON'T: Assume Every Measurement Is Sacred
There are times when I look at a pattern and think, “Surely this block would be just as lovely if I made it slightly bigger.”
And sometimes I do.
This is where quilting becomes a little less mathematical and a little more creative.
If you understand what you are doing, changing a measurement isn't automatically a quilting crime.
Of course, if you are making a quilt where every block needs to fit together precisely, there are consequences to randomly changing measurements halfway through.
But if you know how the pieces work together?
Go ahead.
Just don't blame me when you end up with 47 leftover triangles and no idea what happened.
DO: Buy Good Quality Fabric
Good quality quilting cotton is worth the money.
It cuts better, sews better, presses better and generally behaves itself better.
And when you have spent hours making something, it seems rather silly to save a few dollars on fabric only to have it fade, stretch or fall apart after three washes.
DON'T: Think Expensive Fabric Makes You a Better Quilter
It doesn't.
A $22-a-yard fabric will not magically improve your piecing skills.
It will simply be a very expensive witness to your crooked seam.
Beautiful fabric is wonderful. But there are also inexpensive fabrics that make gorgeous quilts.
Use what you love.
Use what fits your budget.
And if you have a piece of fabric in your stash that you've been saving for “the perfect quilt” for eight years, perhaps today is the day you actually cut into it.
Yes, I'm talking to you.
DO: Make a Quilt You Actually Like
This might be my favourite quilting rule.
Make what you like.
Not what everyone else is making.
Not what happens to be trending on Instagram.
Not what the quilt shop owner says is the colour of the year.
If you love traditional quilts, make traditional quilts.
If you love modern quilts, make modern quilts.
If you want to put pink, orange, purple and lime green together because it makes you ridiculously happy, then for goodness sake, do it.
You are the one who has to look at the quilt.
DON'T: Worry Too Much About What Other Quilters Think
There will always be someone who doesn't like your fabric choices.
Someone who thinks your borders are too wide.
Someone who thinks you should have used a different background.
Someone who thinks your binding should have been navy instead of purple.
And someone who will very kindly explain that they would never do it that way.
That's okay.
They can make their quilt.
You can make yours.
Quilting is one of the few hobbies where we spend enormous amounts of time creating something specifically for ourselves or someone we love, and then immediately worry about whether someone else approves.
Stop doing that.
Unless, of course, you are making the quilt for someone who has specifically requested a certain colour.
In that case, perhaps listen to them.
DO: Read the Pattern Before You Start
This is boring advice.
It is also excellent advice.
Read through the pattern before cutting.
Look at the finished size. Check the fabric requirements. Look at the cutting instructions. Make sure you understand how the blocks go together.
It is much easier to discover that you don't understand Step 7 before you have cut 400 pieces of fabric.
DON'T: Pretend You Read the Pattern
You know what I'm talking about.
You glance at the picture.
You think, “Oh, I get it.”
You start cutting.
Then somewhere around Step 4, you discover there was a very important sentence in the introduction that you definitely did not read.
Now you're sitting at your sewing machine surrounded by fabric pieces, trying to reconstruct the designer's thought process like you're solving a quilting-related murder mystery.
Read the pattern.
Please.
I say this as both a quilter and a pattern designer.
DO: Learn How to Make Half-Square Triangles
You will use them.
You will use them again.
Then you will discover another quilt you absolutely must make, and guess what?
More half-square triangles.
Learn the technique. Practice it. Figure out how to get them the size you need.
They are one of those basic quilting skills that will serve you over and over again.
DON'T: Believe You Have to Make Them Perfect Every Time
This is where I'm going to say something that may upset the quilting police:
Your points do not have to be perfect.
There.
I said it.
Of course, it's wonderful when your points match perfectly.
It is incredibly satisfying.
But if one point is slightly off and nobody will notice unless they get within six inches of your quilt and begin inspecting it with the intensity of a forensic scientist, I think you're probably okay.
Quilts are made by humans.
Not machines.
At least mine are.
DO: Have a Good Seam Ripper
You are going to need one.
Accept this now.
Somewhere along the way, you will sew two pieces together that should not be together.
You will sew something upside down.
You will forget to add a piece.
You will discover that the block you were admiring for the last five minutes is actually backwards.
The seam ripper will become your friend.
DON'T: Throw It Across the Room
This is not technically a quilting rule.
It's more of a safety recommendation.
If you must throw something, throw a scrap of fabric.
Preferably something you don't particularly like.
DO: Break the Rules Occasionally
This may be the most important one.
Learn the rules.
Understand the techniques.
Know why something is recommended.
And then, once you understand the basics, don't be afraid to experiment.
Maybe you want to change the border.
Maybe you want to make the quilt bigger.
Maybe you want to use a completely different colour scheme.
Maybe you don't want to press your seams in the direction the pattern suggests.
Maybe you want to make the quilt in batiks when the sample was made in traditional cottons.
That's okay.
DON'T: Assume There Is Only One “Right” Way to Quilt
There are a lot of very knowledgeable quilters out there.
Listen to them.
Learn from them.
Try their techniques.
But remember that quilting has been around for a very long time, and somehow we have managed to create thousands of beautiful quilts without everyone agreeing on exactly how everything should be done.
If there is one thing I've learned, it's that there are very few quilting rules that cannot be bent, adjusted, ignored or occasionally completely misunderstood.
And sometimes those “mistakes” turn into the best part of the quilt.
So... Are There Rules or Aren't There?
Yes.
And no.
There are good techniques that make quilting easier. There are things that will improve your accuracy. There are methods that will save you fabric and frustration.
But quilting isn't an Olympic sport.
There isn't a panel of judges hiding behind your sewing machine waiting to deduct points because your seams aren't all pressed in the same direction.
At least I hope not.
The whole point of quilting, as far as I'm concerned, is to make something you love.
Learn the techniques. Follow the instructions when they matter. Try new things. Make mistakes. Fix some of them. Ignore others.
And if you find a way of doing something that works beautifully for you?
Keep doing it.
Because at the end of the day, the best quilting rule is probably the simplest one:
Make the quilt.
The rest is just fabric, thread, a little bit of math and an entirely unreasonable amount of time spent choosing which fabric goes next to which other fabric.
And honestly?
That's half the fun.
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