Fidget Quilts: Getting Started

Fidget Quilt index

Equipment

Sewing machine, preferably zig-zag with a zipper foot, button-hole foot, and zipper foot.
Extra sewing machine needles. You will be sewing some heavy fabric and multiple layers. Needles tend to get bent or broken.
Scissors, and other cutting tools. The Pink Power Cordless Electric Scissors Fabric Cutter (about $48 from Amazon) makes the work easier.)
Sturdy ironing board and iron. (Setup the ironing board: if you iron on the interfacing or sew fabric with wrinkles, those wrinkles will be there forever.)
Cutting board with ruled edges.
Hole punch and eyelet tool for the lacing block. This may come with the eyelets
Needles for hand sewing
Fine tip fabric markers, for the face and the finger puppets
Multi-purpose sewing clips (Much easier and faster than basting or using pins. Reusable, about $6 or $7 dollars for box of 100.)
Small plastic take-out containers with lids are really useful for organizing all the little pieces for a project.

Patterns

Print the pattern page single sided on cardstock or heavy paper. Cut out each pattern piece. You will trace around the pieces on the interfacing or fabric.
(Patterns are not given for pieces that are rectangles. For those patterns, you should measure the pattern on heavy paper.

Material

Assorted fabric

Assorted colors Minke cloth for back of quilt. (It is soft and doesn't slip off the lap easily.)

Assorted thread

Medium Weight 17in x 30yd White Iron On Non-Woven Fusible Interfacing, about $20 (enough for about 20 to 25 quilts)

Double Sided Iron On Adhesive Film: 11.8 inch x 10 Yards (About $20, makes at least 20 quilts.)

Additional materials are listed for the individual blocks.

I usually make 6 quilts at a time. The time spent on making a block, getting out all of the materials, cutting, setting up, makes it worth while to make several at once.

The quilt front has 12 blocks. Each block is 7"x8.5", with the fabric reinforced with iron one interfacing. The interfacing gives the block stability and helps prevent wrinkling.

Get Organized

Start by going through the fabric you have. Separate it into the following categories:

Big and Bold: Large prints with flowers, jungle scenes, birds, cars, sports, etc. These are great for inside pockets or flaps. A little surprise when they open the buckle or zipper.
Solids: You will use these for the flowers that are buttoned on, the fruit that is attached with Velcro, or as a neutral background.
Small prints: These are used for the background on any of the blocks.
Medium size prints: These are used for the zipper plackets, pockets, and straps.
Specialty Fabric: Shiny, vinyl, fake fur, skin tone fabric, ribbed material such as corduroy, and other fabric that adds a variety of textures. Use then for background or straps..
Skin color: Polyester double knit that doesn't ravel. You need this for the face and the finger puppets. If you don't have any, you can try dying some using tea.

Next, gather up any lace, beads, buckles, zippers, ribbons that you have.

Tell everyone what you are working on, and let them know that you would welcome anything they may want to donate. You may even recruit a volunteer to help!

Group Project

This is a perfect project for a school or other non-profit. You can give tax donation receipts for donated materials, and buy materials tax free. For schools that require community service, this is a good way to learn to sew (it has everything: zippers, interfacing, buckles, buttons, etc.) and provides a needed product. Not everyone who works on the project needs to know how to sew. People to iron, cut, string beads and thread laces are also helpful.

Free instructions and patterns to make fidget quilts