The patchwork style bedspread will find its place in almost any interior. Such a product is quite simple to make on your own at home, and if you wish, you can even use clothes and textiles that are already out of use.
Where to begin?
Before creating a quilt using the patchwork technique, it is necessary to carry out simple preparatory work, mainly aimed at determining the appearance of the product. For patchwork, the right color selection is extremely important. If the shades do not harmoniously combine, or, on the contrary, strongly contrast, then the eyes will quickly get tired. In addition, it is unlikely that such a product will successfully fit into the interior of the room. In the work, you should adhere to the rules for combining tones, and beginner craftswomen generally limit themselves to three colors.
Before starting the preparatory work a sketch of the bedspread should be prepared, and after cutting, “test” it on the floor without stitching the elements. Initially, small ornaments in bright colors should be avoided, since the sight of such a canvas in the eyes will begin to ripple. Preference should be given to large and solid images. It should also be added that experts recommend experimenting by combining different colors, and not by creating a composition of small details. A beautiful coating is obtained if fabrics of different shades of the same color are used, for which black and white colors are added to the contrast.
It is important that the individual blocks do not visually merge with each other, otherwise the main “highlight” of the patchwork will be lost.
It will be most correct to turn to the color wheel, not forgetting the palette of the room in which the product will be placed. The use of patterned fabric is common in patchwork, but it is important not to forget that the smaller the dimensions of individual shreds, the smaller the selected ornament should be. In addition, the patterns on the blocks will have to be harmoniously combined with each other.
Sizing
I must say that the individual elements of the plaid can be combined with each other as necessary, or else making up a certain pattern or color sequence. For this, before starting work, a diagram or sketch is developed. Separate pieces in accordance with the visual instruction are first assembled into blocks, and then into a single piece of fabric, which is then sewn together with a lining.
The calculation of the material is carried out based on the size of the bed or sofa - that is, the place where the resulting cover is to be used.
Orientation to a double adult seat is considered traditional - 1.8 by 2.2 meters. Beginners are recommended to work with patchwork squares, the sides of which are 23 centimeters.
Fabric and tool preparation
Sewing a patchwork bedspread is best made of natural dense fabrics, for example, linen, jacquard or tapestry. For filling, it is customary to use such modern materials as thin sintepon, sintepuh or non-woven, which will not create excess volume. In order to cut a large number of parts of a similar size, paper or plastic templates are useful. By the way, the more scraps will be prepared, the better. For cutting it is quite possible to use scissors, the length of the blades of which is from 18 to 25 centimeters. The tool should be used high quality, made of steel and coated with nickel or chrome.
However, it is more correct to purchase a special roller knife that copes with the most dense material, does not wrinkle or crumple fabric. The diameter of a round blade is best chosen equal to 45 millimeters. Work with such a torch cannot be carried out without a special rubber rug with marking. It is better to choose models with sides of 60 by 45 centimeters or 60 by 50 centimeters. Used needles should have a small eye and have good sharpening. The thickness of the threads is selected depending on the density of the fabric material. Well, if their shade matches the one that is most often found on shreds. The thimble will protect your fingers during operation.
Step-by-step manufacturing
To create do-it-yourself bedspreads from patchwork-style flaps, it is customary to use simple assembly schemes. It is easiest to sew such a light blanket of squares, which, after cutting, are combined among themselves in a free order. However, it is possible to make this textile product beautifully also from rags of different shapes and dimensions. An obligatory component of patchwork style rugs is the presence of stitches, connecting, as a rule, three layers: lining, insulation and decorative patchwork. This element can be either curly or simple. The quilting is carried out by hand stitching, sewing looped or “goat”. In recent years, the most often chosen figured stitch along the contour, performed on a sewing machine.
Sewing a patchwork bedspread on a bed will be beautiful and easy if you follow the instructions of the master class step by step. The first thing, as already mentioned, is the planning of the size and appearance of the product. Next, tissue fragments of a small size for the front side and a single piece of fabric that creates a lining are selected. Filler for bedspreads is optional, its use depends on the interests of the master. It is recommended to soak the selected materials before work in hot water for about 10 minutes, then rinse, dry and iron.
At the next stage, the components of the bedspread are cut. This should be done in the direction of the shared thread to avoid skewing of the fabric. If the product is made up of squares, then the corresponding grid is drawn on the fabric with a special marker.
It is important to observe allowances at the seams approximately one and a half centimeters wide.
You can cut the fabric with scissors and a special roller. To cut triangles or rhombs it is convenient to use stencils that are applied to the surface of the fabric, and then outlined with a marker. A special patchwork ruler eliminates the need to label material.
The cut parts are assembled in blocks manually or using a sewing machine. Elements should be arranged in pairs, departing from the edge of 0.75 centimeters. It is more convenient to combine the squares into strips across the width of the product, and then stitch them together, using pins for convenience. Triangles are usually connected in pairs, forming rhombuses, or squares. When the patches have different sizes, small parts are first sewn together, and then large ones.
When all the shreds are sewn together, they need to be ironed from the wrong side. The stock of the seam must be parted with the nose of the iron in different directions, and when using fabrics of different densities - in the direction of thinner. Gently arrange the edges with a lining, which will be bent to the front side and fixed with a seam around the perimeter. It is best to use a plain and contrasting slanting trim.
Work with the wrong side of the bedspread can occur in a slightly different way. In this case, the lining of the required size is laid out “face” down on a horizontal surface, a heater is placed on top of it, which, in turn, is covered with a patchwork cloth looking “face” up. The coverlet is fixed with pins at the corners of the squares of each row. Next, the plaid is quilted up and down on a special device, and the lines should either be laid in the seams connecting the individual figures, or go parallel to them. Then, removing the pins, you can stitch the coating along the contour.
Recommendations
When planning to do patchwork, it’s worthwhile to first learn about the existing methods for stitching individual pieces. For example, classic, it’s an English patchwork obtained when a product is assembled from pieces of the same shape and size. And it can be not only squares, but also triangles, rectangles, hexagons or rhombuses.
Crazy style It requires the use of randomly stitched rags of different colors, dimensions and shapes. The seams of the bedspreads will additionally have to be decorated with lace and ribbons, and the fragments themselves - with beads and beads.
To create a style item japanese patchwork it will be necessary to preliminary develop a sketch so that either floral or geometric patterns form on the surface. This technique requires the use of silk shreds and sashiko stitches. A bedspread in the style of a knitted patchwork can be sewn from knitted shreds and knitted elements. It is customary to create a product only from equal squares or rectangles, from triangles combined into stripes or “star” blocks, as well as hexagons that create honeycombs. Often used strip method involves assembling rectangles of different sizes in a spiral, steps, parallel or zigzags.
In order for the patchwork veil to serve for many years, it should be properly looked after.
For washing, use products that do not contain such aggressive components as chlorine. If the stitch was carried out manually, then it should be washed manually. For other products, machine wash is suitable, but always in a delicate mode. It is important that the temperature does not exceed 40 degrees, and the extraction was carried out at minimum speeds.To preserve the patchwork layer, it is possible to make a roll of a blanket from the bedspread so that the front side looks inward. Pre-patchwork things are not soaked. It is better to dry the cover on a horizontal surface or in a vertical position, but with a patchwork layer outward. Ironing is strictly prohibited.
Watch the patchwork quilting master class in the video.
