I've been so inspired by quilting lately... Quilted jackets, blankets etc. I love the look! And I wanted to try quilting one of my Astrid pouches. This here was my first attempt at quilting actually. I've been sewing for many years, but never tried quilting before.
So I read up, and wanted to share some tips, if you want to give it a go too :)
Here's all my tips in short:
- Fusible volume fleece / batting will stick to your outer fabric, which is helpful, compared to batting that isn't fusible.
- Use a walking foot, sew slowly.
- Use longer stitch length, 3-4 mm.
- Sew all seams in the same direction.
How I quilted my Astrid pouch
At first, I wanted to make a patch pattern too, sewing together several small squares into a larger fabric piece (like this patch blanket I've got a free pattern for), and quilting that. But then I found this lovely velvet curtain fabric at my local fabric store (Agdas), and decided to quilt that.
Being my first, I decided upon a simple quilt pattern: straight line quilting.
Usually with quilting you've got three layers: the main fabric, batting, and lining. So when you're quilting you're sewing your stitches through all layers. When quilting my Astrid pouch I'll only be sewing two layers: my outer fabric and the batting, or volume fleece.
I decided to use volume fleece from Vlieseline, H640. It's fusible which will make my quilting easier, because it will stick to the main fabric and not shift.
If the batting you're using isn't fusible, pin the layers together with clips or pins. Smooth out the fabric. You can use spray or basting stitches to keep the batting and main fabric together while quilting.
Use a walking foot instead of your regular presser foot, if you've got one. It's very useful and will help the sewing machine feed the top layer evenly with the batting. Sew slowly, don't rush it.
Use longer stitch length when quilting, 3-4 mm. It's common to use straight stitches, but you can also use zig zag or other seam you like. Sew all seams in the same direction.
If the fabric you're quilting is large, you should start your quilting stitches in the middle and work your way out to the sides. You can roll your fabric/batting if needed to fit inside the sewing machine.
Check this out! Both my outer fabric pieces are now quilted. A very simple quilt pattern, I know. But it does bring more life into the fabric!
It's definitely not a perfect job - but creativity and perfection don't go too well together anyway ;)
When my quilted outer fabric pieces were done, I could continue sewing the Astrid pouch following the instructions in the pattern.
The quilted velvet fabric and glittery gold zipper brings a really luxurious look to this pouch.
This is variant A in the pattern, size large.
