by Gill Jennings

Created on: March 31, 2009

The easiest style of patchwork, which is the one I use, is square or strip patchwork. It can be quickly and easily assembled using a sewing machine, and is very forgiving of minor errors.

Basically, square patchwork consists of assembling small squares of fabric into a checkerboard pattern and sewing them together to form a larger piece of fabric. There just a few simple guidelines to follow to ensure you get good results every time.

I suggest that as a newcomer to patchwork you begin with a very simple project, such as a cushion or pillow cover, or a bag. My own first patchwork project was a shopping bag. I still enjoy making these, as they are simple, practical and useful, and take very little time to make.

Before you begin any project, you need to plan ahead.

Where do you intend to buy (or find) the fabric for it? An excellent source of patchwork fabric is your local home furnishing store, as they have books of sample fabrics which become out-of-date and have to be discarded. Go along and ask nicely if you may have one or two old sample books, and you will almost certainly be granted your request.

Gather together the fabric you decide to use, bearing in mind that all your fabric should be of the same fibre content, weave, and weight. If you mix different weights of fabric together the lighter ones will probably tear away from the heavier ones, ruining your project. If you mix different fibres, the patchwork is likely to go out of shape the first time you wash it. Choose fabrics that have similar colours or tones for a soothing effect, or vibrant clashing colours to make a bold statement.

How big do you want your finished piece to be? For a cushion or pillow cover, measure the cushion pad or pillow you wish to cover. For a bag, measure a bag you'd like to copy. Draw out the basic shape onto a piece of pattern or greaseproof paper. For the projects I have suggested, this will be a simple rectangle. Make sure you get the sides equal length and the corners square. At this stage do not include seam allowances, as you will add them later on.

Next, decide how many patches you want to use for each side of your project. Taking your paper pattern, fold it into halves, thirds or quarters (no more) from side to side and top to bottom in order to ascertain the size of patch you need. Bear in mind that the less experience you have with patchwork, or sewing in general, the larger your patches need to be.

You should now have your original pattern folded down into a smaller square

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