Kids Can Quilt!
Quilting is a great way to introduce kids to sewing! They can pick their fabrics and create something they'll use for years to come. When quilting you use math, art (color theory and design), and of course, sewing! It’s also a great way to bond and draw closer together, not to mention the sense of accomplishment kids will feel when they snuggle up under a quilt they made.
We've divided the series into 5 different lessons or days and included a bonus lesson. Don't feel like you have to do them all in a week, take as long as you need in between steps before moving on. Completing one lesson a week is a great goal and gives kids enough time to get comfortable sewing and not feel rushed.
Day 1: Fabric
On Day one, we will focus on fabric and different color schemes you can use when picking which fabrics to use. For this project, we will use 9 different fabrics, each about the size of a fat quarter. If you want to use your stash and scraps, you can mix in more fabrics in smaller pieces. Each piece will need to be at least 5″. You can also use charm packs if you prefer. This is a great option for smaller kids that you don’t want to have to worry about using a rotary cutter with. If using charm packs, you’l need 108 – 5″ squares.
Day 2: Cutting out our fabric
We will talk about tools, safety, and tips to keep things nice and square.
Day 3: Sewing the blocks
For this quilt, we are making a disappearing 9 patch. On Day 3, we will start by sewing all of our squares into blocks. We’ll also talk about a 1/4″ seam and how to iron the blocks.
Day 4: Cutting them up again
On Thursday we get crazy and cut our blocks up again so that we can mix and match and rearrange. We will share tips on how to visualize the final quilt so you can mix things around till it looks just right.
Day 5: Sewing the blocks together, again
On Day 5 we will finish everything up and by the end, your quilt top will be finished.
This is a really fun and easy project and the perfect opportunity to get kids involved! With the extra time at home, they should easily be able to completely finish their quilt in a couple weeks.
Bonus Lesson: Quilting Ideas
A quilt top isn’t much good if you can’t use it! We’ll include a few ideas to help kids finish their quilts.