What I Learned Sewing My First Quilt

I made this quilt back in 2012, and even now, it still makes me smile when I see it folded up or spread out.

I wanted to reshare this story because my first quilt taught me so much, and I'm still genuinely proud of both how it turned out and everything I learned along the way.

If you've ever thought about trying quilting but felt a little unsure or intimidated, this post is for you.

Learning a new craft can be messy, a little frustrating, and totally worth it all at the same time.

My Quilt

I am absolutely in love with my quilt! Isn't it so pretty?

I made it while participating in the Zig Zag Quilt Along hosted by Mommy By Day, Crafter By Night.

I had wanted to make a quilt for years, but the idea of quilting felt intimidating.

There are a lot of steps, a lot of math, and a lot of places where things can go sideways.

When Ashley announced the quilt along, it felt like the push I needed.

Having clear instructions and someone walking through the process made it feel doable, even for me.

For my quilt, I used layer cakes from Southern Fabric. Layer cakes are precut 10 x 10 inch square pieces of fabric that all coordinate together, which meant I didn't have to stress about matching prints or colors.

I could just focus on learning how to quilt. They were perfect for a beginner quilter.

That exact fabric collection isn't available anymore, but there are always so many great options out there.

To finish the quilt, I also bought a yard of matching fabric for the binding.

The quilt-along covered everything from choosing fabric to sewing the quilt top, making the quilt sandwich, and finishing it off.

Having that guidance made a huge difference.

Want to see what I'm most proud of?!

There's one tiny spot where all my seams line up perfectly. I stared at it for way longer than I probably should have. 😆

When you're new to quilting, moments like this feel like a big win.

The quilt itself isn't perfect, not even close. There's a reason I didn't show the back.

It's fine… but let's just say it shows my learning curve. I also may have forgotten to take photos of it, which happens more often than I'd like to admit.

What I Learned Along the Way

Making my first quilt taught me more than I expected. Some lessons were obvious, some were painful, and a few are funny now that enough time has passed.

If you're thinking about starting your first quilt, here are a few things I learned.

Things I Learned the Hard Way

• There is a real reason some fabrics cost more than others
• Quilting is never perfect, and that's part of the charm
• You will stab yourself with a needle at some point
• Binding is still not my strong suit and needs more practice
• Quilting is way more addicting than I expected

Working at a sewing machine for hours, keeping track of threads, lining up right sides, and sewing a consistent inch seam allowance takes practice.

Mistakes happen, seams wander, and sometimes you just keep going anyway.

Why My Quilt Doesn't Have Borders

You might notice this quilt doesn't have borders around the outside like many quilts do. That was a very intentional choice.

First, I had often dreamed of a simple zig-zag quilt without borders. I liked the clean, straightforward look.

Second, I didn't want to spend extra money on more fabric. Quilting supplies add up fast, and I was already stretching my budget.

And third, I knew myself well enough to admit I wouldn't have time to add borders and still finish within a month. Even without them, I finished later than planned.

Sometimes choosing what to skip is just as important as choosing what to add.

The Fabric Mistake I Won't Make Again

I already knew there was a reason higher-quality fabric costs more. Still, I talked myself into cutting corners for my first quilt.

I told myself, "It's my first quilt. I'll just use cheaper fabric for the backing."

That was a mistake.

I was nervous about messing things up and couldn't justify spending $40 on backing fabric.

The fabric I chose was too lightweight and refused to cooperate. It bunched up, shifted constantly, and made putting the quilt sandwich together way more frustrating than it needed to be.

Next time, I'll spend the money on better backing fabric. That lesson stuck.

A huge thank you to Ashley at Mommy By Day, Crafter By Night, for putting this quilt-along together.

The amount of work that goes into creating clear quilting instructions is no small thing, and her tutorials made such a difference for me.

Even though this quilt-along started back in 2012, you can still follow along and make your own zig-zag quilt today!

More Quilt Tutorials

Since sewing my first quilt, I've made a few more and even created some of my own tutorials.

Quilting started out as an intimidating craft for me, and it became something I genuinely love.

If you're a beginner thinking about trying it, I promise it's okay to start messy and learn as you go.