Sort of how to: Patchwork for beginners

[letyourlifesing]

I wrote this out for a friend who I'm gonna help get started with patchwork and I thought it was worth sharing for anyone else who might be looking for good beginner patterns. I didn't bother with strip quilts or quilts just made of regular squares etc.

Coin quilt
http://www.modabakeshop.com/2009/02/stacked-coins-baby-quilt.html
Comes together v easily. Fabric choice is important. I'm halfway through making one at the moment.

String quilt.
http://www.filminthefridge.com/2009/04/24/a-colorful-string-quilt/
This one looks WAY more complicated than it is. I've made a quilt top with this pattern and I love it.

Zig zag quilt
http://beesquarefabrics.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-make-zig-zag-quilt-without.html
Very simple basic block repeated, needs a bit of thought when it comes to use of colour and assembling the quilt top.

Single Irish Chain
http://www.purlbee.com/sherbert-irish-chain-quilt/
Simple, traditional and effective. I made one for my sister two years ago (see pic). Lots of patterns are based on this block design.

Half square triangles
See http://www.thatgirlthatquilt.com/2011/03/have-stitchin-weekend.html for method.
See http://patchandi.blogspot.com/2009/10/half-square-triangles.html for possible layouts
As you can see from the second link, half square triangles are a very versatile basic unit.

Improv quilt (waverunner)
http://waverunnerquiltalong.blogspot.com/
This quilt can be v simple and effective and quite creative to make. Fabric choice is v important and you need to be fairly confident about making design choices.

Log Cabin
http://www.redpepperquilts.com/2011/03/log-cabin-block-swap-quilt.html
Another classic. A bit more time consuming to piece. This one comes alive depending on how you use colour and how you arrange the finished blocks.

Modern sampler
http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2011/03/mod-sampler-redux.html
This is the first proper quilt I made. The instructions online are very clear and thorough and helpful.

[Tookie]

I love sewing clothes, but I just don't don't don't have the patience to cut out the millions of tiny pieces (even when it's only a hundred not so tiny pieces) for a full sized quilt. I did make a twin-sized t-shirt quilt with giant (~10 in) squares and tied it instead of quilting it and even that nearly drove me mad.

It's really disappointing, because I absolutely LOVE the finished products. I guess I just need to make more friends who quilt, and sew them clothes in exchange.

[letyourlifesing]

It does take patience but not as much as you might think if you use a sewing machine and have a labour saving pattern. For example, you could make a coin quilt by cutting out loads of tiny squares. Alternatively you could sew half a dozen long strips together, then cut across to make sections of 6 squares already joined together.