This section grew out of the 9-11 Memorial Quilt Project, which made five quilts from 524 squares sent in by volunteers. Its spirit runs through the guides: quilts made to comfort, to honor and to be handed down, from memorial and patriotic quilts to the ones you make for a new baby.
Start here
How to make a quilt (a beginner's guide)The whole process for a first quilt, from picking fabric to the first wash.
Quilting supplies for beginnersThe short list of tools for a first quilt, and what can wait.
What is a fat quarter?The 18 x 22 inch cut explained, a cutting chart, and how many fat quarters common quilts take.
Precut fabric guide: jelly rolls, layer cakes, charm packs and moreWhat's in a jelly roll, layer cake, charm pack and the rest, drawn to scale, plus which free patterns use each one.
Quilt batting guide: which batting to useCotton, 80/20, polyester, wool and bamboo compared, with makers' figures for shrinkage and quilting distance.
Tools
Half-square triangle calculatorCut sizes for half-square triangles, hourglass units and flying geese, by method.
Setting triangle calculator for on-point quiltsSide and corner triangle cuts, counts and finished size for blocks set on point.
Quilt block resizerThe full cutting list for seven classic blocks at any finished size.
How many squares from a fat quarter? Fabric yield calculatorHow many pieces you can cut from a fat quarter, precut or yard, and how many to buy.
Techniques
How to bind a quiltDouble-fold binding from cutting strips to mitered corners and an invisible join.
How to label a quiltWhat to write on a quilt label, four ways to make one and how to sew it on.
How to make a crazy quiltOdd-shaped scraps sewn to a foundation, then every seam covered with embroidery.
How to make a quilt from a fabric panelSquaring a pre-printed panel that's off-grain, border math for two common panel sizes, and quilting around the printed picture.
How to sew an accurate quarter-inch seamThe scant quarter inch, a three-strip test that tells you if your seam is right, and how to press it.
How to baste a quiltBuilding the quilt sandwich and holding it together with pins, spray or thread, with sizes and spacing.
Straight-line machine quilting with a walking footQuilting parallel lines, crosshatching and matchstick lines on a home machine with a walking foot.
Free-motion quilting for beginnersMachine setup, practice sandwiches and three first motifs, including the meander or stipple.
How to hand quiltBetweens, thread, hoop and thimble, then the rocking stitch and how to hide every knot.
Quilt as you go: joining quilted blocks with stripsQuilting each block on its own, then joining them with narrow front and back strips, with exact cut sizes.
How to add borders to a quiltMeasuring through the center, butted and mitered corners, and border strip math with a worked example.
How to square up a quiltTrimming blocks to exact size, squaring the quilted quilt before binding, and fixing wavy borders.
How to wash a quiltThe first wash, color catchers, drying, what to do with an old or antique quilt, and safe storage.
How to hang a quiltA 4-inch hanging sleeve with exact cuts, rods and slats, big and memorial quilts, and how to keep a hung quilt safe.
Patterns
Easy baby quilt48 big squares from 8 fat quarters, 36 x 48 in, with crib, toddler and throw sizes.
Pinwheel baby quiltOne charm pack, 20 pinwheels, 38 x 46 in, a step up from a squares-only baby quilt.
Nine-patch throw quiltThe classic first quilt, a 53 x 71 in throw with only squares to cut and sew.
Flannel rag quiltNo binding and no separate quilting; seams on the front fray into a soft, cozy finish in the wash.
Patriotic star throw quilt20 red and navy sawtooth stars in a 58 x 70 in throw, sized to fit the Quilts of Valor range.
American flag quilt13 pieced stripes and a canton of 50 fused stars in the real flag's layout, 76 x 52 in.
Double Irish chain quiltNavy and red chains on cream, 58 x 78 in, strip pieced so there are no tiny squares to cut one by one.
One-layer-cake throwAll 42 squares of one layer cake plus a border, a 64 x 73 in throw in an afternoon of sewing.
Fat quarter brick quilt14 fat quarters cut into bricks, offset rows, no seams to match, 56 x 64 in.
Charm pack zigzag quiltTwo charm packs, 168 half-square triangles, zigzags across a 56 x 64 in throw.
Log cabin quiltThe classic block of narrow logs around a red center, 30 blocks for a 60 x 72 in throw.
Jelly roll race quiltOne jelly roll, one long seam at a time; a top about 49 x 64 in, in a few hours.
T-shirt quilt with sashing14-in shirt blocks framed by sashing and cornerstones, with yardage for 12, 20 or 30 shirts.
Rail fence quiltThree strips sewn together and turned every other block, a zigzag throw of 58 x 70 in that works from a jelly roll.
Disappearing nine-patch quiltA plain nine-patch cut in quarters and turned, which looks far harder than it is; 20 blocks from charm squares for a 62 x 75 in throw.
Trip around the world quiltRings of color spreading out from the center, sewn from strip-set tubes instead of a thousand single squares; 71 in square.
Modern plus quiltBold plus signs floating on plenty of plain background, the simplest modern quilt there is; 30 blocks for a 60 x 72 in throw.
Postage stamp scrap quilt1,080 tiny squares from the scrap bin in a light and dark checkerboard, sewn in strip sets so you rarely handle a single square; 60 x 72 in.
Amish center diamond quiltThe Lancaster County classic of a big solid diamond in a square with wide borders and corner blocks; only nine large pieces plus borders, 70 in square.
Bargello wave quiltShaded strips sewn into tubes and sliced into columns of different widths that rise and fall in waves; full column-by-column chart for a 60 x 70 in throw.
Lap quilt for wheelchairs and nursing homesA plain, sturdy charity lap quilt of 5-inch squares, sized for a wheelchair (40 x 45 in) with 40 x 40 and 40 x 65 versions.
Easy quilted table runner in any lengthRows of 4-inch squares with a navy border, sized for any table from 48 to 96 inches long.
Quilted placemats (set of four)A set of four 12 x 18 in placemats with a column of squares, finished by turning instead of binding.
Mug rug from scrapsA 6 x 10 in quilted mat with a square for the mug and four scrap strips, in three sizes.
Quilted pot holders with insulated battingA pair of 8-inch four-patch pot holders layered with insulated lining and cotton batting, with safety notes.
Pumpkin patch Halloween wall hangingNine pieced pumpkins with black sashing and a purple border, 38 in square, with a table runner version.
Quilted pillow cover with an envelope backOne orphan block, a border and a no-zipper envelope back for an 18-in pillow form, with other form sizes.
Quilt blocks
How to make half-square trianglesThe 2-, 4- and 8-at-a-time methods, a cut-size chart for each and how to trim.
Flying geese quilt blockStitch-and-flip and no-waste geese, cut charts for five sizes and how to keep the points.
Ohio star quilt blockAn eight-point star from quarter-square triangles, cut for 6, 9 and 12 inch blocks.
Churn dash quilt blockHalf-square triangle corners and two-strip bars, cut for 6, 9 and 12 inch blocks.
Friendship star quilt blockA nine-patch star of four half-square triangles, with a plain center for signatures.
Shoofly quilt blockA nine-patch with half-square triangle corners, cut for 6, 9 and 12 inch blocks.
Hourglass quilt blockQuarter-square triangles two ways, with a cut chart from 2 to 6 inches finished.
Bow tie quilt blockA four-patch with stitch-and-flip corners, cut for four sizes, and how to use neckties.
Christmas
Christmas quilt ideas, sorted by how much time you haveTwelve holiday projects, from one-evening gifts to a full Christmas throw.
Christmas star table runnerThree sawtooth stars in green, gold and red, 16 x 40 in, a one-weekend project.
Patchwork tree skirt36 Christmas print squares quilted and cut into a 42-in circle, bound with bias binding.
Quilted Christmas stockingA patchwork stocking with a lining, cuff and hanging loop, about 16 x 20 in, from a grid template.
Patriotic and memorial
Quilts of Valor: requirements and how to make oneThe Foundation's size, fabric and label rules in plain English, plus a pattern that fits them.
How to make a memory quilt from clothes or T-shirtsTurning a loved one's shirts into a quilt, with layouts, sizes and how to handle stretchy fabrics.- The AIDS Memorial QuiltThe largest memorial quilt in the world, its history, and how panels are still made today.
Fourth of July stars and stripes table runnerTwo navy friendship stars with nine red and white stripes between them, 16 x 46 in, an easy weekend runner.
How to make a signature quiltBlocks ready to sign, pens and how to test them, collecting signatures by hand or mail, and a 30-block layout with cuts.
Where to donate quiltsFour national programs and their current size, fabric and finishing rules, plus how to give to a local hospital, NICU or hospice.
Ideas
Memorial quilts
- How to organize a memorial quilt: collecting squares from many stitchers and turning them into one quilt.
- How to cross-stitch a memorial square: fabric, floss, finishing and mailing.
- Free American flag cross-stitch chart.
Tools and calculators
For machine reviews, a quilt size chart, a fabric yardage guide and a binding and backing calculator, see our sister site StitchTested.