Quilting: a beginner's guide
Quilting stitches three layers together: the top, the wadding and the backing. Here is how a quilt comes together.
Quilting joins at least three layers (the quilt top, the batting or wadding, and the backing) with stitches that pass through them all, making a padded surface.
- The quilt top can be one fabric (wholecloth) or patchwork pieced from many.
- The order of work: make the top, layer the 'sandwich', baste it, quilt it, then bind the edges.
- You can quilt by hand, on a home sewing machine, or on a longarm machine.
- The Quilters' Guild of the British Isles, founded in 1979, looks after a collection of British quilts, including the 1718 Silk Patchwork Coverlet.
- A small project such as a cushion or baby quilt teaches every stage.
Bobbin's tip
Make a small 'practice sandwich' from scraps to try stitches before the real thing.
Make a small 'practice sandwich' from scraps to try stitches before the real thing.
Watch
Your First Quilt - Beginner Tutorial, Part 1 (19:01)
By Melanie Ham · Open on YouTube
Chosen from its title and channel: a 19-minute video from Melanie Ham on the same topic as this guide. Embedded from YouTube with credit; we don't host it. It only loads when you press play.
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All checked 1 November 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.