Make a lightweight summer quilt: free sewing pattern

Use to cover a sofa, as a picnic blanket or a child’s play mat

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You will need

● Twelve squares of material (43cm x 43cm each) in three different fabrics of equal weight and thickness. We used Norfolk Stripe Bluebell, £18.50 a metre; Candy Stripe Bluebell, £18.50 a metre; Empire 25 Sky, £21.50 a metre; all Ian Mankin

● Two strips of plain fabric (170cm x 13cm)

● Two strips of plain fabric (133cm x 13cm)

● Medium wadding (130cm x 170cm)

● Lining fabric (130cm x 170cm)

● Embroidery thread for tufts

Use a 1.5cm seam throughout and press seams open as you progress.

How to make the quilt

1 Decide on the arrangement of your fabric squares and sew together in rows of three.

2 Sew the rows of three together along the long edges so you have a rectangle that's three squares by four.

3 Layer the wadding and lining on the wrong side of the patchwork. Pin to keep the layers together and turn over.

4 Take the long strips of plain fabric and line up along the quilt with right sides facing. Sew through all layers of the quilt 1.5cm in from the edge to make a seam. Fold each strip back on itself so it's right side up and press. Fold the raw edge over on itself by 1.5cm and fold the whole strip over to the back of the quilt. Pin in place then hand sew.

5 Repeat the process with the shorter lengths across the top and bottom of the quilt. You should have an extra 1.5cm overlap on each end, which you should neatly tuck in and hand sew.

6 For tufts, make a 5mm stitch with embroidery thread across the corners where the patches meet. Repeat at right angles to form a small cross on the back of the quilt. Double tie the loose ends in a large knot and trim to size.

Words: Denise Brock. Photographs: Oliver Gordon