Patchwork
Sewing pieces of fabric together into a bigger design.
What it is
Sewing pieces of fabric together into a larger design, usually from repeating geometric shapes.
Who it suits
Anyone who loves colour and pattern. Accuracy matters more than speed.
What you need
A rotary cutter, mat and ruler, a 1/4 inch foot, cotton fabric, pins and an iron.
A first project
A four-patch baby quilt top from charm squares.
The patchwork guides
Beginner's guide
What you need
Techniques and stitches
How to rotary cut safely and accurately
Square up the fabric, then cut strips and squares with a ruler.
How to sew an accurate 1/4 inch seam
Test your seam with three strips, then adjust.
How to press patchwork seams
Set the seam, then press to one side or open. Nest seams so corners meet.
How to make half-square triangles (two at a time)
The building block of hundreds of quilt designs.
First project
Mistakes and fixes
Next steps
Related Learn guides
- Chain piecing (Quilting)
- Half-square triangles (HSTs) (Quilting)
- How to bind a quilt by machine (Quilting)
- Sewing an accurate quarter-inch seam (Quilting)
- Making and basting a quilt sandwich (Quilting)
Sources
All checked 1 November 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.
