How to Design a Quilt: Tips and Techniques

Design Layout

When learning how to design a quilt, one of the first important things to learn are some quilt design basics. Heather explains some of these, including whether it’s better to place a large panel on the left or right and how to add weight to either the top or bottom or a design. From there she shows two design layout options for a long panel and four square blocks. She explains where and why she placed the pieces for each option.

Basic Counting—No Math

After you have decided on a design layout for your quilt, it is time to determine what size the pieces of fabric need to be cut in order to piece the quilt you have just designed. Heather explains how, if you draw out your quilt design on graph paper and use the grid lines as one-inch measurements, you don’t need to use a calculator and do any math—you simply have to count. She begins by showing and explaining where lines need to be drawn to split a quilt design into units that can be pieced separately and then stitched together. Once all of the lines have been drawn and the pieces decided upon, Heather shows how to simply count the squares on the graph paper and add in the necessary seam allowance to get cutting sizes for all of the pieces. She also shows how to label and keep track of all of the different pieces and measurements in a quilt design to make it simple and easy to follow.