Patchwork: master classes for beginners

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:35

Patchwork became widespread in the middle of the 19th century, when the machine production of chintz and cotton fabrics began. Thrifty housewives decorated shirts, women's sundresses and dresses, sewed blankets and pillows, and other household utensils with the scraps left over from tailoring. Craftsmen in the villages made three-dimensional pictures from the remnants of fabric by folding the figures in half or four times. Crafts from braids of fabric laid in a spiral looked interesting.

In the 20th century, the art of patchwork in our country was not very popular, but now everything has changed dramatically. Craftsmen from the USA have turned patchwork sewing into an art. Many patchwork techniques have emerged, each with its own distinctive features.

In the article we will look at several patchwork workshops with a detailed description of the work. You will learn what types of patterns exist, how to prepare fabric, how they are sewnimage elements. We will also tell you how shaggy patchwork is done. These are original and voluminous crafts, mostly either rugs or blankets are made in this way.

The basics of technology

Patchwork master class for beginners, let's start with getting acquainted with the materials and tools for work. If you use the remnants of fabrics after sewing clothes or old things stale in the wardrobe, then you need to sort them by texture and coordinate by color. Then, from the available shades and fabric pattern, a sketch of a picture for sewing is made. To work already on the shreds, a drawing of one of the image blocks is made. We will consider this issue in more detail a little further in the article.

If you decide to embody your favorite pattern in a product, then when choosing a fabric in stores, start from the color scheme of the picture. It is necessary to carefully consider the combination of the thickness of the fabric so that the craft looks homogeneous. Usually, cotton, linen or coarse calico, thin chintz or satin are used for patchwork, that is, natural fabrics that do not stretch. This is an important aspect that cannot be ignored, because the seams in the finished product must be even and clear.

Materials for work

Before studying the patchwork master class, you need to familiarize yourself with the materials necessary for such fine work so as not to be distracted during the sewing process, running to the store for the missing little things. The first step is to have a large work surface for cutting and folding small parts into a pattern. In addition to the prepared fabric and threads matched in color, you will also need the following tools:

• Roller knife. If you are sewing a product for the first time, then you can use large sharp scissors to start. However, if you like this technique, and you will often make patchwork patterns, then it is more convenient to work with a roller knife. The cut is even, without steps, which makes it much easier to stitch the elements together.
• Beaded pins for pinning small shapes together before sewing on a typewriter.
• Sewing needles with threads.
• Pencil.
• Chalk for transferring the pattern on the fabric.
• Cardboard or strong paper to make the pattern.
• Pattern diagram.
• Scheme of one block.
• Sewing machine for stitching parts into one fabric.

Sometimes in needlework stores you can find ready-made patchwork kits for beginners with a master class, photos and diagrams. But if this is not in your city, you can find a variety of pattern options on Internet sites. Basically give a sample of one block. These are several details of a repeating pattern inscribed in a square of a certain size. Its value depends on the pattern and composite figures. Using this method, it is most convenient to fold the overall pattern, because most often the pattern is repeated on a patchwork quilt or other product.

If you are a novice master, we can advise you to watch a few programs of Tatyana Lazareva with a patchwork master class. She istalks in detail about the intricacies of working with fabric and describes the options for sewing from scraps of various products. These are bags and wallets, cosmetic bags and blouses, jackets and skirts, blankets and decorative pillows, rugs and simple kitchen potholders.

Steps of working with fabric

According to the drawn scheme, it is easier to make a drawing. For each element, a cardboard template is prepared, which is transferred to the fabric with a pencil or chalk. Be sure to leave allowances of 0.5 cm on all sides for stitching parts. When the fabric is cut, the elements are laid out on the work surface in the selected order.

According to the patchwork master class, small parts are connected together first with pins, then with basting stitches and finally attached on a sewing machine. As noted earlier, work is performed in blocks of 3-4 parts each, combined into squares. When all the blocks are sewn, they are attached to one large canvas.

If the details consist of rounded parts, have a floral ornament or a complex large pattern, then the remaining corners along the edges are supplemented with a plain fabric so that the canvas acquires a rectangular or square shape.

Varieties of elements and types of patchwork

Over the years, the patchwork technique (a master class for beginners is discussed in the article) has been enriched with many varieties and combinations of small elements. We list some of them:

• Traditional patchwork. This stitching of a fabric from geometric shapes - stripes, squares, triangles and rhombuses.
• Crazy, which is translated fromEnglish means "crazy". In this style, the drawing is done in different directions and has a non-standard shape of the details. It can be curved stripes, trapezoids, circles sewn in any shape. Often seams are hidden under piping or thin strips of fabric.

• Snail. From small details, a twisted spiral shape is formed, reminiscent of the structure of the "house" of a snail.
• Japanese patchwork. This is a very complex type of patchwork. The details of the product are incredibly small, made of silk with decorative seams. Wall panels in this style look beautiful.
• Knitted patchwork. All parts are connected with yarn using a crochet hook.
• Quilting. This is a special style, mainly used when sewing blankets. All seams are quilted and sinuous. On a sewing machine, stitches of any configuration are performed, for example, the shape of puzzles or rhombuses, arbitrary winding lines (people call such a seam “brains”).
• Shaggy patchwork. This is an original patchwork sewing with seams outward. We will touch on the subtleties of this type of patchwork later in the article.

Crazy patchwork

Let's take a closer look at the crazy patchwork workshop. As you already know, this kind of patchwork has an arbitrary configuration of elements. The blocks are drawn on a sheet of square-shaped paper in natural size. On each element, the number of the sequence of stitching the parts together is put. It is advisable to prepare a color template by coloring all parts of the workpiece with pencils in order toyou could immediately see the color match of the picture.

The block diagram is transferred to cardboard, and all the details are cut out with scissors or a roller knife. Then each is circled along the contours with chalk, transferring the pattern to the fabric. Be sure to leave 0.5 cm for seam allowances. Carefully sew the details into even squares and then combine the finished blocks into a common pattern. You will get a large canvas, from which you can later sew any product.

Spiral Blocks

A master class on patchwork - a snail option - is similar to the previous description of the work. The drawing is first drawn on the template. Each spiral of the snail has its own color. In the sample photo below, three spirals of brown, beige and white are clearly visible, which are made up of several separate parts. These are triangles and trapezoids, rhombuses and rectangles, combined together into a cochlea. Each detail in the figure is indicated by a Latin letter. An apostrophe with one and two commas denotes a similar piece, only cut from fabric of a different color.

This patchwork technique for beginners, the master class of which is described in the article, requires special care and attention in such painstaking work, because you need to put together a lot of tiny details. Remember to leave the necessary strip on all sides for seam allowances. When all the blocks are assembled, they are sewn together into a single canvas.

Volume Cubes

So, a master class of patchwork sewing cubesinvolves drawing up a drawing using a protractor. One voluminous cube is made up of three multi-colored parts, combining shades of fabric - light, darker and darkest. All parts are represented by rhombuses, the acute angles of which are 60, and the obtuse ones are 120. It is most convenient to draw one dense pattern, and then cut out all the elements from it. Be sure to leave the fabric for allowances.

On the table, lay out the diamonds in the correct sequence. Due to light and dark details, a volume effect is created. It is advisable to collect cubes from different fabrics, although the same blocks will also look beautiful. Many experienced craftsmen use white paper linings cut out according to a template to properly sew the seams. The fabric is wrapped around the paper blank, and then all sides are stitched with stitches right through the paper. Carefully fold the matter at the corners of the rhombus or any other detail. The finished element is attached to the neighboring one in order to see as a result a more complete picture of the picture.

Shaggy Patchwork Workshop

Rugs and blankets are unique, created in such an original way of stitching details, as in the photo below in the article. For sewing, not only fabrics are used for the front and back of the product, but also several layers for internal filling. So, to sew a blanket with squares of different colors, lay out a pack of cotton fabric parts. Between them, flannel squares are laid out on top of each other (4 layers were used in our sample). There are 6 layers of fabric in total. ByAccording to the experience of many craftsmen, products with flannel as a filler are best. Some use batting or synthetic winterizer, but after washing, such rugs or blankets are covered with a layer of broken threads or pieces of batting. You have to manually clean the product with a brush. Flannel is both durable and soft and warm.

A pack of square-shaped parts is first sewn diagonally for strength. Then all dense parts are seamed upwards, leaving 2.5 cm for allowances. To create the necessary shaggy patchwork, all strips of external seams are cut with “noodles” with scissors. The back side of the craft is smooth. Such a multilayer blanket is very warm, but its cost is also high. Therefore, experienced craftsmen conduct a master class in patchwork from old things, for example, using the flannel of a grown-up child's diaper, a husband's cotton shirts or old bed linen.

How to sew a blanket

Next, consider a master class of patchwork sewing a warm blanket. As a filler, a roll synthetic winterizer is used. First, they cut out according to patterns and sew together the details of the pattern from shreds of fabric of different colors. You can only work on the front side of the blanket, and make the back side plain. To insulate the product for stitching, lay out three layers:

• The first one consists of patches.
• Second - padding polyester, cut to size.
• Third is the back of the blanket.

Nextit is necessary to quilt the workpiece over the entire surface, performing any selected seam. The easiest way is to make seams with rhombuses or squares, but you can sew a blanket using the quilting technique, that is, cover the entire surface of the product with patterned stitches. When everything planned is done, they make the final edging around the perimeter of the product. You can choose any material used for patchwork for this purpose. It will be interesting to look at a blanket trimmed with a purchased edging in a contrasting color.

Cosmetic bag

Knowing how to connect patchwork pieces together, you can easily sew a fashionable bag or wallet. Let's look at a master class for patchwork sewing a cosmetic bag using a pattern consisting of three parts. This is a rectangular side and a bottom in the form of a strip with rounded edges.

You can sew a cosmetic bag from any dense fabric or artificial leather. Draw a picture on a piece of paper. It is advisable to use a long strip on top of the sidewall, in the area of \u200b\u200bsewing on the "snake". On the perimeter of all parts of the pattern, you need to leave 1 cm allowances for the seams. After completing the front part of the craft, make a similar pattern from a plain fabric for the inner lining of the cosmetic bag.

When all the details of the front part are connected, the lining is sewn on. Check to attach it on the correct side. At the end, a “zipper” is sewn on and the cosmetic bag is decorated with small elements. Our sample uses wooden beads and flowers in different colors.

In the article we examined the tailoring of products using the techniquepatchwork. As you already understood, this is a simple, but very time-consuming process that requires care and accuracy.