Can You Make A Quilt With A Regular Sewing Machine?

There are so many different ways that you can make a quilt these days. From one-hundred percent hand quilting to huge fancy machines that produce nearly flawless masterpieces of any design that you can imagine, you certainly have choices when it comes to quilting.

The good news is that you can definitely make a quilt with a regular sewing machine! Read on to learn a little more about quilting and to find out how to make your own with a regular sewing machine.

Quilting vs. Making a Quilt

To make understanding quilting easier, first you must know that making a quilt and quilting are different. Making a quilt refers to the whole process of putting together a quilt, from choosing fabrics all the way to the binding the edges.

Quilting refers to the act of sewing together your quilt top, the batting in the middle and the quilt backing. These three pieces together are often called a quilt sandwich.

Your quilt top consists of squares or blocks that you sew together to form strips. Then the strips are sewn together to form the quilt top. Because you will always be sewing the blocks with the right sides together, you will always have room on your regular sewing machine to complete the quilt top.

How To Get Started Quilting – Classes, Materials, and Expenses

Today you will learn about the quilting portion of making your quilt.

Choose How You Want to Quilt

When it is time to sew together your quilt sandwich, you must choose how to do that. You can quilt it by hand or by using various sewing or quilting machines.

If you want to honor the tradition of quilting, then you may choose to complete this step by hand. The variety of stitching that hand quilting provides makes the quilt truly unique.

If you want your quilt completed faster or look more precise, then you may choose to use a machine to help you out. You will learn a little more about each of the machines listed below after the hand quilting section.

– Regular sewing machine
– Quilter’s sewing machine
– Long-arm sewing machine
– Embroidery machine

Read: Best 6 Sewing Machines To Use For Quilting

Hand Quilting

Be sure that your quilt sandwich is pinned together well with curved safety pins. Use a wash-away marker or pencil to make the design that you wish to quilt. You can use a stencil for this or you can draw your own design.

You may also just choose to quilt along the seams of the quilt top. Outlining the designs on the fabric is also a popular option. Do not outline every single part because it will cause the quilt to pucker, but do choose areas with at least an inch in between them.

Machine Quilting

The most cost effective way to do your machine quilting would be by using a regular or a quilter’s sewing machine. The easiest way would be to use a specialized long-arm sewing machine. The embroidery machine works best for smaller projects. Which is right for you?

If you have thousands of dollars and lots of space to dedicate to quilting, then the long-arm is the way to go. You can program it to make amazing designs with ease.

If you have around a thousand dollars to spend and want to place smaller, intricate designs throughout your quilt, then an embroidery machine will work. It only works on a small section at a time, so it can be laborious to keep moving the quilt.

If you are looking to spend several hundred dollars to around a thousand dollars, then a dedicated quilter’s sewing machine is the way to go. It will have an extended table to help hold the weight of the quilt. It will also have more space to the right to allow fabric to easily pass through that space.

A dedicated quilter’s sewing machine also usually has the benefit of more stitch options. If you prefer to use a fancier stitch for your quilting, then you will likely find one that you love on one of these machines.

Finally, if you are looking to spend around one hundred to two hundred dollars or if you already own a regular sewing machine, then it will work just fine for your quilting. The thoughts of such a large project on a regular sewing machine may initially stress you out, but you can do it!

Quilting With Your Regular Sewing Machine

As mentioned above, first you want to have your quilt sandwich all pinned together. Then decide on how you want to quilt it. You might choose lines, stencils or free range quilting.

The easiest way to quilt with the regular sewing machine is to use lines. You can follow the seams used to hold your blocks together. You may also want to do some quilting inside of each square for more detail.

To quilt with lines, you will work on the right side first and roll the quilt as you go so that it will fit in the space to the right of the needle. You will only need to fit one-half of the quilt in this space. Once you get to the halfway point, turn your quilt around and complete the same process with the other side.

Now you have completed all of the vertical lines. Turn your quilt and complete all of the horizontal lines in the same manner.

You may decide that you want some fancier designs and you can do this easily with stencils. Trace the stencils onto your quilt top. Typically you will still work from right to left, and top to bottom.

You will not be able to spin your quilt completely around in a regular sewing machine unless it is a very small quilt. Because of this, you want to choose stencils that are simpler in the beginning. Try stitching a few on a scrap piece first so you can find out how to best maneuver the fabric.

If your stencils have a lot of curves, you may wish to put a free motion quilting foot on your machine and lower your feed dogs. This allows you to move the fabric forward and backward or left and right rather freely. Definitely practice on scraps as this can take a few tries to get the feel of how to move the fabric.

You can also draw your own designs to follow on your machine if you wish. Use a washable marker or pencil. For machine quilting, try to keep the designs on the simple side.

Finally, you can do free motion quilting with your regular sewing machine. As mentioned above, attach the free motion foot and lower the feed dogs.

Then glide your quilt through the machine in a random manner, curving as you go. Some people go back and forth and never cross their lines over one another while others will turn the quilt and purposefully go back over the lines to create more movement and texture. Practice on scraps to see what you like best.

As you practice quilting on your regular machine, you will find what works best for you. As with most new things it is handy to start with some tips from people who have already learned a few lessons. Below you can find some of the handiest things to know before beginning your quilt.

Tips and Tricks for Quilting with a Regular Sewing Machine

• Some regular sewing machines have fancy stitch options. Try them out. They take longer to sew, but some of the designs are totally worth the extra time.
• The part of the quilt to the left of the machine will pull on the area that you are sewing if it is just hanging over the edge. Have table space to the left of your machine to pile the quilt on as you go.
• It is also handy if you are able to set up a folding table to your left to hold the extra weight of the quilt.
• With each row that you quilt, stop at the bottom. Cut the thread and start again on the top, left of where you just finished. Do not try to turn the quilt to sew back up.
• Some regular sewing machines have an extended table that pulls out to the left. Check to see if you have this option because it will be handy to have that extra space.
• Choosing a batting with a lower loft will make it easier to quilt in your regular sewing machine.
• One shortcut you can take is to use fleece as the back of the quilt and then skip the batting in the middle. While some old-school quilters will tell you that this is cheating, just remember that you are allowed to make it however you want to make it. Some people prefer the feel of fuzzy fleece instead of cotton, and it will definitely cut down on the thickness of your quilt.
• Use long hair clips like the use in salons when cutting hair to help keep the quilt rolled and out of the way.
• Take some time browsing other people’s quilts to gain inspiration. You can find many online, or you can check out some books or magazines at your local library, craft or fabric store, or quilt shop.

You are ready to quilt a beautiful quilt on your regular sewing machine. Just believe in yourself and take your time. Most of all, enjoy the process.