Quilts have always made great gifts. It’s a relatively affordable, yet simple DIY gift that can be personalized and made with love. But making the quilt is the easy part. The hard part comes with deciding on the design. When making a quilt, no matter the recipient, here are a few things you should take into consideration before deciding on a design or template.
Pantograph Vs. Custom
First, you’ll need to know the type of quilt. Quilt templates generally fall into two categories: pantograph and custom. Pantograph basically means that you will use use pre-printed designs. Custom means exactly what it sounds like: Make your quilt however you want to. If you’re a novice, stick with the pantograph approach for now. If you have a little more experience, feel free to customize various shapes and colors into a great-looking quilt.
Recipient
You should create a quilt unique to whoever will be using it. After all, the best quilt will be an expression of the owner. You’ll want the quilt to be a statement of that person’s personality and aesthetic tastes. Consider the person’s tastes, favorite things, and their own personal home decor. If they love sharp edges and modern decor, you’ll probably want to go with more strict shapes and colors. If their style is more cozy and warm, you’re free to use more creative expressions in the quilt.
Purpose
Consider how the quilt will be used. It might be a high school graduation gift for your daughter, in which case it will probably end up on her bed or as a lap blanket while she’s studying at college. Or, perhaps the blanket will be intended as a picnic blanket, or used at sporting events. The intended use should give you a pretty good idea of the style, design, and fabrics you’ll want to use.
Budget
The amount of money you have to spend on the quilt can have a major effect on the design of your quilt. If you don’t have a lot of cash, you’ll want to make a quilt using scraps of fabric lying around your house or at a thrift store. In that case, your quilt will likely be different colors with varying shapes.
If money is no object, you’ll want to plan out a careful design with colors, shapes, and fabrics of your choice. We recommend really experimenting if your means and abilities allow you to do so, which means trying out starburst, triangle, and other unique shapes.
Creating a quilt is an artform and should be done with love and a liberal amount of creative expression. Once you’ve taken these tips into account, you’ll be on your way to designing the perfect quilt!