All about patchwork bedspreads

The patchwork technique is a beautiful, bright and artistically decorated home textile, and even a novice can sew it. Patchwork quilts can be the first truly high-quality thing in the house that you created yourself. In our article, we will dwell on the features of sewing such bedspreads.

The patchwork sewing technique came to us from England, in the exact translation this term means “sewing from shreds of fabric of different colors” and this translation reflects as much as possible all the features of this technique. For the first time, patchwork quilts were sewn from the remains of the canvas in order to save money, a little later the craftswomen realized how beautiful and original the finished products came out, and they began to make stylish products from pieces of fabric already specially.

Patchwork technology came to Russia at the end of the 19th century and since then has always been popular with our needlewomen - Many craftswomen prefer to decorate their homes in this style, creating truly homely and cozy things.

Experts say that patchwork is a rather complex process that requires maximum concentration of attention and very painstaking work. Despite all the complexity, even novice craftsmen can do patchwork. This is a very interesting thing, and the result is truly amazing, while the pleasure of the process of its creation is no less than the joy of the result.

Beginners in patchwork usually use large flap patterns - this allows you to make the plaid much faster. For experienced craftswomen, there are many other working schemes based on the formation of complicated prints from small figures. We pay attention to the fact that usually only the upper part of the plaid is sewn from pieces of fabric, for the lower one they usually use whole canvas - This not only simplifies the work many times, but also increases the wear resistance of the finished plaid. For fastening of cuts it is used edge seam.

There are several basic patchwork techniques.

A patchwork product is formed from many square pieces of the same or different size.

Here, special attention is paid to the color of the finished product.

Such a blanket is sewn from elongated rectangles, fixed to each other in turn.

In this case, a square is located in the central part of the pattern, and stripes are sewn along it in a spiral.

These blankets consist of triangles folded into simple or complex prints.

It is a multi-tier sewing technique.

As the name implies, blanks are sewn in a checkerboard pattern, usually light and dark fragments alternate.

This pattern consists of hexagons of the same size.

The most common fabric for making quilts is cotton. This material has many advantages in comparison with other canvases:

• the possibility of a bright combination of shades and prints;
• average density;
• the material does not roll in, so the edges of the flaps do not need to be further processed on the overlock;
• the fabric is light and tactilely pleasant;
• cotton practically does not crease and holds its shape well;
• easy to flash;
• the material does not shine as it is used;
• when washing does not shrink;
• cotton knitted fabrics are completely natural, so they do not cause allergic reactions in the user.

You can also use such options.

• Denim - A great option for patchwork technology, the canvas allows you to create quite creative products in a variety of shades of blue. Jeans look especially impressive when quilting a blanket and adding metallic elements of decor.

• Linen - it uses its softest and most subtle varieties. This material is not everyone likes, because it is quickly wrinkled. However, it can be used for patchwork, as the fabric is easy to iron and perfectly retains its shape in the finished blanket.

• Viscose - soft, pleasant to the touch and very pliable material. Often it has a weak stretch effect, for this reason it is often difficult to combine fragments of viscose and some other, not so elastic materials in one blanket. That is why one type of fabric is used for the patchwork - the finished viscose blanket is very effective and soft.

• Wool - This is a completely natural insulated material, which is optimal for the manufacture of large rugs and blankets. Felted wool fragments are often used for decoration.

• You can also use fragments of furniture fabric.

To a lesser extent, the following types of paintings are suitable: too elastic, stretching fabric:

• dense coat materials, neoprene and other fabrics with a rigid form;
• pleated canvas and corrugation;
• materials interspersed with metallized yarns;
• artificial or natural fur.

Many people prefer hand-made bedspreads. For beginners, it is usually advised to use the most primitive technique, based on fastening squares of the same size. They can be small or larger, it directly depends on how much time and master patience the master has.

Knitted patterns on the bed and patchwork sofas are very popular. This design is a bit like sewing, but in this case, individual fragments are taken, crocheted or knitted. Such products are especially popular for arranging Scandinavian-style living rooms and bedrooms. In this technique, you can sew ready-made cut fragments or knit a product with a solid viscous according to a special multi-colored pattern. For those who do not know how to sew and knit or do not have time for this, well-known European manufacturers, factories from China and Turkey offer ready-made products in the patchwork style.

Among the best manufacturers can distinguish such.

• Ivanovo - one of the most famous sewing centers in our country. Of course, he could not ignore such a popular direction of the textile industry - the range of blankets offered is truly amazing in its variety. The vast majority of models are presented in the form of a finished sample, and when ordering it is possible to sew blankets in any color scheme and any size depending on the wishes of the client.

• Marca marco milano - The Italian developer of blankets from individual flaps. The manufacturer offers original and colorful bedspreads, there are children's models.

• "Tango" - Special attention is paid to the imitation of patchwork technology from some manufacturers. For example, such products in a wide assortment are offered by the Chinese company Tango, visually it is very difficult to distinguish them from real patchwork products - this can only be done with a detailed examination.

Experienced craftswomen give some simple tips for beginners, they will allow them to facilitate the process of sewing patchwork quilts with their own hands. First, determine the correct size and make a pattern - all the features of further work directly depend on this.

Before work, be sure to soak the cloth for a quarter of an hour in hot water. In order to work with textiles it was easier, it is recommended to pre-starch and iron them thoroughly. When forming fragments of a given size, do not forget to leave small allowances for the seams. Prepare soft, purl textiles in advance. The following tools will be required to complete the work:

• needle;
• threads
• safety pins;
• chalk or pencil;
• ruler;
• sewing machine;
• directly template.

Sewing quilts in patchwork style involves several basic steps:

• sketching;
• selection of material;
• connection of patches;
• the formation of an already finished product.

Some novice masters pay insufficient attention to the very initial stage - sketch drawing. Nevertheless, this part of the process is one of the most responsible, since the general form of the bedspread directly depends on it. The drawing can be formed on paper in accordance with your own preferences or you can take a ready-made diagram from the Internet, you can also lay out a pattern on any horizontal surface.

It is not easy to select fragments of fabric so that they beautifully fit together, but it is extremely important, since the aesthetic appearance of the plaid will depend on this. In this case, one should proceed solely from one's own preferences. When creating two-color blankets, there is only one rule - dark and light shades.But with multi-color blankets, the situation is much more complicated, since colored pieces of fabric should not be sewn in a chaotic manner, but to form a specific pattern based on the developed patchwork pattern.

It is very important to adhere to the principle of combining shades, for beginners it is best to use the technique of three drawings and three colors - contrasting tones will make up the necessary dynamics if the base canvas is chosen not too bright color. When choosing a pattern, the following rules apply.

• Avoid too bright and small patterns, otherwise, eyes will begin to ripple from such a blanket in the room.
• To create complex drawings better experiment through shadesrather than through the small elements of the fabric.
• Give preference large drawings bright monophonic color, it is not necessary to collect a lot of small elements in the pattern.
• Before work be sure to lay the pattern on the floor and move a short distance, to make sure the correct colors are selected.

When connecting flaps of fabric, you must follow the step by step instructions.

• Two strips of equal size should be cut from textile blanks of different colors.
• They must be folded back to each other, sewn and ironed carefully.
• Next, from a textile of the third color, a strip should be cut whose dimensions correspond to the first two.
• All strips are folded with the front sides and stitched.
• In this way, a double-sided sleeve is formed, then squares of the desired size can be cut from it, then it remains only to determine the print and start sewing.
• If the pattern consists of triangles or hexagons, first they are connected in 4, then in 8 - so until the final completion of the whole composition.
• If the blanket is sewn from squares, the technology may be slightly different - square blanks are connected into separate strips, and after ironing all the seams, ready-made bedspreads are collected.

After the front part of the plaid is ready, it will be possible to proceed to the formation of the product itself. For this, a piece of warm matter is placed on a horizontal surface so that its front surface looks down. If you want to sew a warmed blanket, then inside out you need to lay a layer of padding polyester. The front side with a patchwork pattern is laid out on top, then the entire product is stitched around the perimeter. A fringing is formed from a strip of material of about 5-8 cm, if according to the working sketch the edging should be wider, then the canvases on it need to be taken a little more.

For a children's plaid, 4 types of textile fabric and fleece are required to form the wrong side. The easiest way to make a baby cover is from 48 flaps. To sew such a product, you need to cut the prepared material into square rags of equal size, adding a little on each side to allowances. Square flaps are sewn together in strips, after which they are laid out on the fleece, gently round the edges with scissors, and then sew. Surely your child will be happy to be covered with such a blanket.

Patchwork and patchwork style rugs are becoming more and more popular every year. If in the old days such a product was more likely a testament to a poor life and the need to save money, nowadays such a design can be found in the most fashionable interior design magazines. In many ways, this popularity was promoted by interest in the Scandinavian direction in the decor and style of the northern life of the hugg, for which the main element of any home is cozy details that create a feeling of comfort and security in the house.

We offer you a photo selection of the most interesting ideas of patchwork rugs. Children's bedspreads in patchwork technique look very cute and touching. You can use them from the very first days of a baby’s life, ending with the arrangement of a teenager’s bedroom - in any case, you can find tones, textures and prints that will delight children of all ages. In order for your child to like the blanket, it does not have to be too intricate, in this case the principle directly works, that the simpler - the more interesting. Compounds of large squares look very nice, especially if you can see your favorite cartoon characters, bears, squirrels, bunnies and hearts on them.

To learn how to sew a quilt and calculate the consumables, see the next video.