From SewMe

The Straight Stitch

Quilting ideas, fabric inspiration, and helpful guides for your next project.

Through The Woods quilt displayed on a quilt wall with coordinating fabric pieces on a cutting table

Fabric Basics

How to Choose Quilt Fabric: A Practical Guide

Choose quilt fabric with more confidence using value, print scale, color, fabric type, and a simple audition process.

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Patchwork quilt with floral blocks in soft pink, green, and red

Quilt Measurements

Quilt Measurements: Backing, Batting & Binding Guide

Learn how to measure a quilt for backing, batting, and binding, then plan your fabric with SewMe’s free quilting calculators.

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Collage of Lewis and Irene Bumbleberries quilting fabrics in the colors available at SewMe

Fabric Guide

Lewis & Irene Bumbleberries Fabric Guide

See why Lewis & Irene Bumbleberries are a favorite blender fabric, plus simple ways to choose colors for your next quilt.

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Collage of colorful Poppie Cotton Country Confetti blender fabrics

Fabric Guide

Poppie Cotton Country Confetti Blenders Guide

Learn how to use Poppie Cotton Country Confetti Blenders for colorful, easy-to-coordinate quilting projects.

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Colorful folded quilting fabric on a worktable

Quilting Basics

Quilting Terms and Meanings: A Beginner’s Glossary

A plain-English guide to the quilting words, abbreviations, fabric cuts, and finishing terms you will see in patterns.

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Pink patchwork quilt displayed on a queen bed in a child’s room

Quilt Measurements

How Many Yards for a Queen-Size Quilt?

Plan queen-size quilt fabric, backing, batting, and binding yardage with practical formulas and a simple buying checklist.

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Colorful patchwork quilt made from a variety of quilting fabrics

Scrap Quilting

Scrap Quilting: Use Leftover Fabric You Love

Turn leftover quilting fabric into useful, beautiful scrap projects with a simple sorting system and practical project ideas.

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Quilt maker aligning colorful patchwork pieces beside a washable glue bottle

Quilting Technique

Glue Basting for Accurate Piecing and Binding

Use glue basting to hold small quilt pieces and binding exactly where you want them, then sew with less shifting and fewer pins.

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Quilt maker folding coral quilt binding around a finished patchwork quilt

Quilt Finishing

How to Sew the Perfect Quilt Binding

Learn how to make, attach, and finish a neat quilt binding with smooth edges, crisp mitered corners, and a finish you will love.

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Five coordinated quilting cotton cuts on a cutting mat beside a finished patchwork quilt

Quilt Planning

5 Yard Quilt Patterns: How to Choose Fabric

Choose five coordinated fabrics for a quilt you will love, then plan the pattern, color balance, and finishing details with confidence.

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Three folded quilting cotton cuts beside a finished coral, blue, and floral patchwork lap quilt

Quilt Planning

3 Yard Quilt Patterns: Make More With Less Fabric

Choose three fabrics, match them to the right pattern, and plan a small quilt project with more confidence.

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Matte cotton and smooth polyester thread spools beside a patchwork quilt on a sewing table

Quilting Basics

Cotton vs. Polyester Thread for Quilting

Choose cotton or polyester thread for piecing, machine quilting, hand quilting, and the kind of quilt you want to make.

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Patchwork quilt top, floral backing, and batting layered on a cutting table

Quilt Planning

How to Make a Quilt Sandwich Without the Bunching

Layer and baste a quilt sandwich with a smooth backing, even batting, and a method that keeps your project from shifting.

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Patchwork quilt with a folded plaid flannel backing on a quilting table

Quilt Backing

Flannel Quilt Backing: How to Choose and Prepare It

Choose flannel quilt backing with confidence, from warmth and batting to prewashing, yardage, basting, and a smooth finish.

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Colorful quilting fabric ready to become a finished quilt binding

Quilt Finishing

Quilt Binding Calculator: Yardage, Strips & More

Calculate quilt binding yardage, strip count, and total length with a simple formula, a worked example, and SewMe’s free calculator.

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