Making a Quilt with the Cricut Maker

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

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I used to really enjoy making quilts, and it is one of those things that I just haven't done for a long time. Not that I don't still enjoy it, it has just been a while since I made a quilt. Probably my least favorite part of making a quilt is cutting out the pieces. Either that or binding. I love piecing the quilt though, seeing all of the small squares, triangles, and rectangles coming together to create a beautiful design.

Ever since I got my Cricut Maker I have wanted to use it to make a quilt, but I hadn't done it yet. It was time to change that so I ordered a quilt kit, chose a design, and started cutting. Cricut recently clearanced out all of their quilt kits and I'm not sure if they will be getting new ones or not, but you can also just buy the yardage you need without getting a pre-packaged kit.

I chose a kit that included fabrics in bright primary colors with fun floral patterns. It was a throw size kit which meant that it would work for any of the Riley Blake throw size quilts available in Design Space.

I really wanted to choose something that was a little more complicated than simple squares. As excited as I was to let my Maker do all of the cutting I felt like if it was just cutting squares of one size I could probably cut it faster by hand with a rotary cutter. I decided on the Big Star Throw Quilt. I liked the stars and the framed center squares. It had a couple sizes of squares, a couple sizes of triangles, and a couple sizes of rectangles, so it definitely fit my "more complicated than simple squares" requirement.

Since the kit I was using was different the the one used in the instructions for the quilt I first determined which color I would be using for which. I laid them out and labeled them to get ready to cut everything. This step may not be necessary but it helped me get organized so that I knew which fabric to choose for which mat and everything.

Before cutting the fabric on the Maker you do need to prepare it by cutting it into 12" strips so that it fits on the mats. You do not need to cut it anymore than that, just 12" by the width of the fabric. Any extra can just hang off the end of the mat as it cuts, then you can move it up for the next cuts.

A couple quick notes on the cutting.

1. When cutting strips of the white fabric the instructions say you need 3 12" strips, you actually need 4.
2. The instructions list the fabric amounts according to what is in the kits, if you are buying yardage it is a little off. You will need 1 yard of fabric 1, 2/3 yard of fabric 2, and 1/3 yard of fabrics 3-10.
3. The two fabrics that are used for the rectangles that frame the center squares use the full width of the fabric, make sure you are careful to use every bit when you put it on the mat. Or maybe consider buying 2/3 yard of those fabrics and cut 2 strips, one for each mat. 

Following the mats and instructions in Design Space cut out all of your pieces. 

Sew the pieces together following the instructions on the PDF included in Design Space. Press your pieces as you sew. I found the EasyPress to work really well for this. It was already in my craft room so it was right there and easy to use. I laid the large mat on the table next to my sewing machine and used the small press. It was convenient and worked perfectly for pressing my pieces.

I finished piecing the quilt top but still need to finish with the quilting and binding. Over all I really enjoyed making this quilt top and I am excited to get it finished. I will share when it is completely finished. The Maker cut the pieces so easily and so well, although it did take quite a while to get all of the pieces cut. I loved seeing the giant star blocks come together, and then piecing those together to make the quilt top.