This is my favorite part! I love seeing all the cute animals and faces come to life!
Here are links to all the posts showing how to applique with fusible adhesive – my favorite method. It’s fast and easy and (with the right materials) it holds up beautifully to rough use and repeated washing.
I like to quilt my blocks before I add applique. It makes the process so easy and fun! Just zoom back and forth on the sewing machine and you’re done. 🙂
Some people prefer to applique first and then quilt around it – that’s fine too! The quilting lines CAN show through the applique pieces – especially if you’re appliqueing with a light-colored or solid fabric.
All of my applique quilts except Paper Dolls are built on a 10″ finished square block. The Dinosaurs quilt has the option of making special two-color landscape blocks.
If you’re making Paper Dolls, follow that pattern’s instructions for cutting your blocks.
If you’re making Dinosaurs and want to use the landscape blocks, get those instructions here.
For everything else, cut your main squares 11 inches. That doesn’t have to be a perfect cut, it just needs to be bigger than 10 1/2″ square, because that’s the size you’ll trim down to after you finish your applique and quilting.
If your quilt includes half blocks (like the word blocks in Beep Beep or Noisy Farm) cut those 6 inches x 11 inches.
If your quilt includes double blocks (like in Sea Creatures) cut those blocks 11 inches x 21 inches.
Cut a piece of batting the same size for each block. Again – this doesn’t have to be exact. I often cut my batting just a smidge bigger than my background fabric. I like being able to see it all the way around when I layer the pieces together.
You do not need to prewash your batting, but I recommend pressing your squares (with steam) and letting them cool before layering them with your fabric.
Layer a square of fabric over the batting, quilt those two layers together (no backing!), then press them again (with steam) and set them aside to wait for applique.
Here are links to all the posts about cutting your blocks.
Once you have a pattern, the next thing you need to do is decide on a size and layout.
Most of my quilt patterns include instructions for just three sizes, and just a basic layout – but you have so many options! In the posts below you’ll find detailed fabric requirements and instructions for quilt sizes from Itty Bitty Baby Size to King Size, and instructions for layouts that add sashing, and lots of alternate settings.
All of my applique patterns (except Paper Dolls) are built on ten-inch squares. That means you can mix and match between the patterns, and you can apply a layout you see in one pattern to any other pattern. Fun!
Find links to all the posts about pattern size and layouts here.
Before you do anything, you’ll need to choose a pattern. 🙂
You can, of course, use the techniques and instructions I’ll be giving you with any pattern, but there’s a post below with a quick rundown of several of my patterns, arranged by difficulty. It has info that will help you to see what exactly makes a pattern easy or difficult.
There are lots of patterns for individual blocks too – including free patterns. Those patterns don’t include instructions for making a full quilt, but you’ll get that instruction in this series – so feel free to start with one of them.
You do not HAVE to start with one of the easiest patterns!
I’m a big believer in choosing a pattern that really excites you and then just taking it slow enough to learn as you go. But that’s my learning style and you know your own style best. How comfortable are you with fiddly bits? Does making a mistake ruin all the fun for you? Do you like to sew really fast and going slow makes you want to stab things?
Think about what makes sewing fun for you and choose your pattern based on that.
Here’s a list of links all about choosing a quilt pattern – and even designing your own!
I’m going to make a distinction here between tools and supplies. Tools are the things that you’ll use over and over again for all of your quilts – like a sewing machine, iron, and rotary cutters. Supplies are the things that get used up with each quilt, like thread, fusible adhesive, and fabric. I’ll cover these in two different lessons.
We’ll start with tools.
Quilting can be a very expensive hobby – but it doesn’t have to be. Here’s info about all the tools I use every day – with notes about which I think are must-haves and which are optional upgrades. You’ll also find info about maintenance here.
Here are handy links to all the posts about quilting tools and supplies.
Any time you make a quilt – even if you’re working from a pattern – there are a bunch of decisions you have to make along the way. Options you need to choose. Maybe skills you need to learn.
I’ve organized here all the quilting tutorials on Shiny Happy World into groups that answer those questions you’ll be asking along the way. Think of this page as the table of contents linking out to all the info you’ll need.
If you’re just getting started, you’ll be able to work systematically through these posts with any Shiny Happy World pattern. There’s even a post about choosing a pattern! And there are plenty of free options if you just want to test out my method for Quilt As You Go and applique with fusible adhesive to see if you like it before you commit to a whole quilt.
So jump right in!
Each of these links will take you to a page with more info on that topic – usually including links to other pages with more detailed info and tutorials.
Each of those pages will have suggested links to keep moving you through the lessons. There will also always be a link back to this – the main Let’s Make a Quilt page – so you can refer back to the main Table of Contents as needed and jump to any topic you like.
One of the easiest ways to make your quilt more dynamic is to use an alternate grid instead of a simple checkerboard.
And one of the easiest ways to make an alternate grid is to add half blocks!
It can be tricky to plan and assemble these quilts, but there are really only a few things to keep in mind – fabric requirements, block size, and how to sew those blocks together without any dang Y-seams.
The fabric yardage for my quilt patterns really doesn’t change – so that’s easy.
The size for half-blocks is also easy – once you remember to account for seam allowance. For my quilts (which are all based on a 10-inch grid) the half blocks will finish at 5 x 10 inches. That means you need to trim them (before sewing them together) to 5 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches. That means you need to cut your initial blocks 6 x 11 inches.
That leaves layout and assembly.
To make things extra easy for you, I’ve created basic templates you can use for six different quilt sizes. The samples all use the Woodland Critters quilt pattern, but you can use these layouts to add half-blocks to any of my patterns. Use the free alphabet pattern to add barks and yips and whines to the Lovable Mutts pattern, add snores to the Silly Sloths pattern, add a name and birth date to a baby quilt. You get the idea!
For each size below I tell you how many full blocks and how many half blocks to cut, give a template you can follow to assemble your blocks in a no-Y-seam layout, and explain in detail how to assemble the blocks. (It looks more complicated than it is – basically I’m just starting with the smallest units and adding to them with each step.)
Instead of cutting nine square blocks, cut 5 square blocks (11 x 11) and 8 half blocks (6 x 11).
Sew each “chunk” you see in the diagram, then assemble them as follows:
Sew D to E
Sew C to DE
Sew A to CDE
Sew B to ACDE
Crib Size
Instead of cutting 25 square blocks, cut 17 square blocks (11 x 11) and 16 half blocks (6 x 11).
Sew each “chunk” you see in the diagram, then assemble them as follows:
Sew F to H to J
Sew D to G to I
Sew E to FHJ
Sew A to EFHJ
Sew B to AEFHJ
Sew C to BAEFHJ
Sew K to CBAEFHJ
Sew DGI to KCBAEFHJ
Nap Size
Instead of cutting 30 square blocks, cut 21 square blocks (11 x 11) and 18 half blocks (6 x 11).
Sew each “chunk” you see in the diagram, then assemble them as follows:
Sew F to H to J
Sew D to G to I
Sew E to FHJ
Sew A to EFHJ
Sew B to AEFHJ
Sew C to BAEFHJ
Sew K to CBAEFHJ
Sew L to KCBAEFHJ
Sew DGI to LKCBAEFHJ
Twin Size
Instead of cutting 63 square blocks, cut 45 square blocks (11 x 11) and 36 half blocks (6 x 11).
Sew each “chunk” you see in the diagram, then assemble them as follows:
Sew F to H to L
Sew E to FHL
Sew A to EFHL
Sew B to AEFHL
Sew C to BAEFHL
Sew M to CBAEFHL
Sew O to MCBAEFHL
Sew S to V
Sew T to SV
Sew W to TSV
Sew U to WTSV
Sew UWTSV to OMCBAEFHL
Sew J to K
Sew N to JK
Sew I to NJK
Sew G to INJK
Sew D to GINJK
Sew P to Q
Sew R to PQ
Sew RPQ to DGINJK
Sew UWTSVOMCBAEFHL to RPQDGINJK
Queen Size
Instead of cutting 80 square blocks, cut 57 square blocks (11 x 11) and 46 half blocks (6 x 11).
Sew each “chunk” you see in the diagram, then assemble them as follows:
Sew F to H to N
Sew E to FHN
Sew A to EFHN
Sew B to AEFHN
Sew C to BAEFHN
Sew O to CBAEFHN
Sew S to OCBAEFHN
Sew U to X
Sew V to UX
Sew Z to VUX
Sew c to ZVUX
Sew W to cZVUX
Sew WcZVUX to SOCBAEFHN
Sew D to G
Sew J to R
Sew T to JR
Sew I to TJR
Sew K to L
Sew M to KL
Sew P to Q
Sew a to b
Sew Y to ab
Sew Yab to PQ
Sew MKL to YabPQ
Sew MKLYabPQ to ITJR
Sew DG to MKLYabPQITJR
Sew DGMKLYabPQITJR to WcZVUXSOCBAEFHN
King Size
Instead of cutting 100 square blocks, cut 72 square blocks (11 x 11) and 56 half blocks (6 x 11).
Sew each “chunk” you see in the diagram, then assemble them as follows:
Sew H to I
Sew A to HI
Sew B to AHI
Sew C to BAHI
Sew R to CBAHI
Sew V to RCBAHI
Sew a to g
Sew b to ag
Sew j to bag
Sew k to jbag
Sew c to kjbag
Sew ckjbag to VRCBAHI
Sew D to J
Sew M to DJ
Sew d to MDJ
Sew dMDJ to ckjbagVRCBAHI
Sew N to O
Sew P to NO
Sew L to PNO
Sew T to U
Sew TU to LPNO
Sew f to TULPNO
Sew h to fTULPNO
Sew l to m
Sew lm to hfTULPNO
Sew K to S
Sew X to KS
Sew e to XKS
Sew eXKS to lmhfTULPNO
Sew E to eXKSlmhfTULPNO
Sew EeXKSlmhfTULPNO to dMDJckjbagVRCBAHI
Sew F to G
Sew Q to FG
Sew W to QFG
Sew Y to Z
Sew YZ to WQFG
Sew n to o
Sew i to no
Sew ino to YZWQFG
Sew inoYZWQFG to EeXKSlmhfTULPNOdMDJckjbagVRCBAHI
Whew! That King size looks a little crazy – but it’s the same principle as the smaller alternate grids. Just start with the smallest units and build up into larger chunks. There’s a video here walking you though the reasoning and process – especially helpful if you want to create your own alternate grid design and don’t want to end up with Y-seams. Maybe you want to incorporate a quote into a quilt, like I did in this version of the Wild Flowers pattern?
I can’t wait to see what you create with alternate grids!
Find links to all the posts about pattern size and layouts here.
