Whole-cloth tutorial library.

Within this area of my website you will have access to a range of videos [over 5 hours] to help you learn about some of the traditional and not so traditional techniques associated with Whole-cloth quilting. As I have mentioned in the initial presentation, this is a little known technique these days with a long history. I invite you to learn the principles and then develop the elements you enjoy, and abandon the bits you don’t. Traditionally a whole-cloth quilt would use a plain fabric for the front panel and focus on stitching as the decoration. In this updated, contemporary version, we utilise pattern, applique, different stitches and threads – a further extension would include mending and decorative techniques such as sashiko and boro.

In each of the videos, aside from a few edits, I tend to do the process in real time so whether you like to just get stuck in and see what happens or prefer to watch and absorb before trying, I hope this style of recording is helpful to you. There are 18 videos in total, feel free to do all of them or just pick the bits you want to do – there is no pressure.

Some of you will be using the kit that I sell, others may be making your own kits, either way, whether this is for a full sized king quilt, a modest wall hanging or a sampler, I hope you enjoy the tutorials and please get in touch if you have any feedback.

Good luck, Nicola

This is a short welcome video and hello from me.

This is a brief presentation that puts this teaching and whole-cloth into context [or as much as it can do in just 9 minutes].

I curate and put each individual kit together myself, every kit will have a different selection of threads and applique pieces. Each kit comes with a front panel which has been hand painted, hand printed or digitally printed from one of my own drawings. The textiles made by hand, are all one-of-a-kind while digital prints are always limited editions.

The applique elements are all my own fabrics too and often also includes a naturally dyed piece too. I work with small, independent retailers when it comes to threads and needles, if you would like to buy more of what I provide, Grace at Beyond Measure has a beautiful selection of thoughtful haberdashery.

In this video I will talk you through what you can expect to make, if you prefer to not know and see what happens – feel free to skip this one.

In this video you will learn about the main component parts of a quilt and how it is layered.

In this video you will learn about how to initially join your sandwich layers together before we start quilting.

This video is packed full of tips and approaches that can make the hand sewing experience more relaxing. They seem like simple things at the time but make a big difference to a more positive sewing experience.

OOH – I love a big stitch. In this video we will explore some basic principles of running stitch and consider how we can adjust this simple technique for a visually effective result. We will also learn how to finish off a line of stitch without having a knot on the front or the back.

Small stitch is the traditional way of working with whole-cloth, or at least that is what it is most known for. In this video we will explore this stitch and understand how it can be very effective in manipulating the surface texture of your quilt.

In this video we will explore different yarn weights and moving away from just straight stitch.

Its time to learn the quickest of quilt making methods, knotwork [also referred to as tiedwork] is a fun, accessible process that can be incredibly functional and/or decorative. It is definitely one you can have plenty of fun with.

Maybe you like the idea of including motifs within your quilt. These might be from external influences such as names, flowers, logos etc but it may be a response to the pattern / image on the fabric your are stitching onto.

There are many techniques for applique, this video demonstrates Needle Turn Applique and is great to do with simple shapes and perhaps taking a more ad-hoc approach.

This is another technique for applique and uses a stabiliser called Floriani Stitch N Wash – Tearaway Fusible. it is my personal go to method as I enjoy exploring more organic curves and find this easier than the needleturn technique. 

In this video we move to the sewing machine. It is a brief introduction to straight stitch and discusses working with walking feet and a standard foot. You may prefer to stick with hand stitch though so you do not need to watch this video.

In this video, we will learn about preparing the sandwich ready to apply the binding. I will show you how to do a rectangular/ square finish but you can of course explore other shapes if you want.

In this video, I will demonstrate how to add the binding to the front of your quilt using a sewing machine, in a following video, you will see how we hand stitch the binding on the back to finish. There are numerous way for attaching binding but this method I find provides the most professional finish to a quilt.

In this video, we learn about attaching the binding without the need for a sewing machine. It requires a little ironing adjustment to the binding but does provide a great finish to your quilt / panel.

In this final video, we learn about hand binding the back of the quilt. At this point, some people like to add in a little label. Once you have finished, you just need to decide what to do with it… gift it, hang it, use it as a reference, put it into a cushion or a panel in a garment … the choice is yours.