Learn to Quilt: Level 1
Online beginner quilting course - coming soon
From your first seam to a finished, bound project
Learn to quilt while making three fun projects: folded coasters, nine-patch hot pads, and a three-in-a-row game board. Together, they create the ultimate homemade entertainment set.
No scattered tutorials. No guessing what to learn next. Just clear, step-by-step guidance that helps you build real quilting skills without becoming overwhelmed.
Designed for complete beginners
Short, focused video lessons that can be paused and replayed
Optional ready-to-sew fabric kits available within Canada
Due to current shipping costs, ready-to-sew kits are only available within Canada at this time.
Want to learn to quilt, but have no idea where to begin?
You might already have a sewing machine or be thinking about getting one. Perhaps you’ve seen sewing tutorials on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok that look easy and fun, and the quilting projects are especially catching your attention. But as you begin searching online for beginner quilting tutorials, you discover hundreds of videos, long lists of tools and supplies, unfamiliar terms, and differing opinions about the “right” way to do everything. Each resource may be helpful on its own, but it can still be difficult to know what you need to learn first and what can wait until later.
When I began quilting in 2021, I learned by gathering information from many different places. I was fortunate to have a few friends who helped me make sense of it all and understand what to focus on next. That experience helped shape Learn to Quilt: Level 1 into a carefully structured course that takes the uncertainty out of getting started. Skills are introduced in a thoughtful order and practised through three small projects, with each one building on what you learned in the one before it. This allows you to make steady progress, build confidence, and experience the satisfaction of finishing without the time commitment or overwhelm of beginning with a full-sized quilt.
Make a quilted game night set and leave with skills that last!
Each project takes you one step further through the quilting process. You will begin with folded coasters to help you become comfortable sewing, pressing, and lining up fabric. The nine-patch hot pads introduce piecing, quarter-inch seams, and quilting the layers together. Finally, the Three-in-a-Row game board brings those skills together while adding sashing, borders, and binding.
By the end of Level 1, you will leave you with game night set ready for drinks, hot dishes, and a little friendly competition. More importantly, you will understand how to follow a quilt pattern, piece a quilt top, add batting and backing, quilt the layers, and finish the edges with binding.
Instead of wondering whether you are ready to make a quilt, you will understand the process and have the skills and confidence to choose what you want to make next.
Sign Up for the waitlist today
Be the first to hear when enrolment opens and receive course updates, behind-the-scenes previews, and practical encouragement for beginning your quilting journey.
The Quilting Skill building projects
Project 1: Folded Coasters
Begin with one forgiving seam.
Your first project is simple and almost magical. The folded construction helps you become comfortable handling fabric, using an iron, guiding fabric through the sewing machine, and completing a polished first project without demanding perfect piecing.
You will learn how to:
Read and follow a beginner quilt pattern
Recognize essential quilting terms
Align and secure fabric before sewing
Understand the difference between pressing and ironing
Practise sewing a seam
Finish a small fabric project
Project 2: 9-Patch Hot Pads
Watch your first quilt block come together.
Next, you will piece a classic 9-patch block and begin developing habits that make future quilting easier. You will learn how small decisions in pinning, pressing, and seam allowance work together to help seams line up well.
You will learn how to:
Arrange and piece a basic 9-patch quilt block
Sew a more consistent quarter-inch seam
Pin and align intersecting seams
Layer fabric with batting
Turn a layered project right side out
Topstitch the opening closed
Add simple quilting to secure the layers
Project 3: Three-in-a-Row Game Board
Bring the full quilting process together.
Your final project takes the skills from the first two projects and carries them through a traditional quilt finish. You will piece the game-board top, add sashing and borders, make a quilt sandwich, quilt the layers, trim the project, and complete it with binding.
You will learn how to:
Add sashing and borders
Check for accuracy as the project grows
Layer and secure a quilt sandwich
Quilt the three layers together
Trim and prepare the edges
Make and attach binding
Finish a quilted project from beginning to end
Once the final stitch has been stitched, you will have completed every major stage involved in making a quilt.
Learn in an order that makes sense
Every project introduces a small group of new skills and the opportunity to practise them. Skills from the earlier projects return in the later ones helping the process become more familiar.
The course is built around:
Short, focused video lessons
Close-up demonstrations of each new technique
Patterns with clear steps and visual support
Optional cutting lessons for students preparing their own fabric
Practical reminders and troubleshooting where mistakes commonly happen
Lessons you can return to when you need a refresher
Start quilting without buying every tool in the shop
Quilting can look like an expensive hobby when every supply list includes a sewing machine, rotary cutter, cutting mat, acrylic rulers, specialty notions, and enough fabric for a large quilt.
The Level 1 course is designed to give you a less expensive way in. The three projects use small amounts of fabric and require few tools.
Canadian students have access to optional ready-to-sew kits. A kit can help you try the projects before investing in cutting tools, while the course's optional cutting lessons will still teach you how to prepare your own fabric when you are ready.
Not sure what is truly necessary? Read What Do You Actually Need to Start Quilting? for a practical guide to beginner quilting tools and where to find them for less money.
I remember what it was like to begin
Quilting was one of the last hobbies I expected to enjoy. I was also a serial hobby bouncer - the kind of person who could become excited about something new and buy the supplies only to have them gather dust.
So when I began sewing, I was not ready to invest in any quilting tools. I bought a fairly inexpensive sewing machine - those are important to have in the house regardless… right? I drew lines with chalk and a regular office ruler on my clearance rack fabric, then cut that fabric with a pair of scissors that were not nearly sharp enough for the job.
Those first attempts taught me that a small, useful project can do more than introduce a new sewing skill. I had fun, discovered that I was capable of using a sewing machine, and finished something I could use in my home. That small success left me ready to keep learning, although I also realized that a few better tools would make the next project much easier.
Hi! I’m Krista Russell, the pattern designer and educator behind Timeless Quilt Studio. I hold a Bachelor of Education and bring nearly 15 years of teaching experience, including many years of teaching piano to children. My years in the classroom taught me to notice where students get stuck and find another way to explain or demonstrate a skill. Having recently been a beginner learning through videos, I also remember which details were rushed, left unexplained, or difficult to see on camera. Together, those perspectives helped me create the course I wish I had when I was figuring all of this out just a few years ago.
Is Learn to Quilt: Level 1 for you?
This beginner quilting course is designed for you if:
You have never quilted before and want someone to show you where to begin
You own or can access a sewing machine but do not yet feel confident using it
You have watched tutorials but still cannot see how all the techniques fit together
You are nervous about wasting fabric or making mistakes
You would rather begin with small, satisfying projects than commit to a full-sized quilt
You learn best when you can see a demonstration, pause it, and try the step yourself
You want to understand the process instead of following instructions without knowing why
If you already piece blocks confidently, make quilt sandwiches, quilt your projects, and attach binding, Level 1 will likely cover skills you already know. It is intentionally designed for the true beginner.
Beginner Quilting Course Questions
Do I need sewing or quilting experience?
Very little sewing experience is needed. At a minimum, you will need to know how to turn on your sewing machine and use it to stitch through fabric. You do not need to feel confident or comfortable using it yet. You will begin building that confidence as you make your first set of coasters.
What equipment will I need?
You will need access to a working sewing machine and an iron, along with a few basic sewing supplies. A detailed materials list will be provided before the course opens. Canadian students will also have the option of ready-to-sew fabric kits that reduce the cutting tools needed for the first projects.
If you don’t have a sewing machine, iron, and ironing board - check with your local library. They might have those items and more in a maker-space available for library card holders to use on site. Just bring your fabric, phone and a pair of headphones along so you can watch the lessons without disturbing others.
Do I need a rotary cutter, mat, and quilting ruler?
Not if you choose the ready-to-sew kit option. The fabric pieces will be prepared so you can begin sewing without purchasing the main cutting tools first. Optional lessons will still show you how to use those tools and cut your own fabric when you are ready. Ready-to-sew kits will initially be available in Canada only.
You can also check with your local library, they may have some or all of these items available for you to use.
Is this an online quilting course?
Yes. Learn to Quilt: Level 1 is being developed as an online beginner quilting course with video lessons and downloadable patterns. You will be able to pause, replay, and return to the instruction as you work through each project.
Can I take the course if I live outside Canada?
Yes. The digital course can be purchased and watched almost anywhere in the world.
How is this different from free quilting tutorials?
Free tutorials can be very helpful when you know the exact technique you need. Learn to Quilt: Level 1 is designed for the stage before that. It places foundational skills in a deliberate order, connects them through three small skill building projects, and includes detailed explanations and troubleshooting that are easy to miss when learning from unrelated videos.
What if I need more learning support than the videos?
That can absolutely happen! I am available through email to answer questions and we can set up a video call if needed. There will also be a Facebook group where current and eventually past students, in addition to myself, will also be able to provide help and advice.
What if my seams or corners are not perfect?
That’s okay! It is all part of learning. The lessons will point out common trouble spots, show you what to check, and help you decide whether something needs to be corrected or can simply be carried forward. Progress matters more than perfection.
Will I be ready to make a full-sized quilt afterward?
Yes! Level 1 introduces every major stage of the quilting process on a manageable scale: reading a pattern, piecing, adding batting and backing, quilting, trimming, and binding.
A full-sized quilt will take more fabric and time, but you will understand the process and have a strong foundation for choosing your next beginner quilt project.
When will enrolment open?
The course is currently in development with the goal of sometime in September 2026. Join the Learn to Quilt email list to receive course progress updates and be among the first to hear when enrolment opens.
Your first Project begins with one seam
You do not have to know every quilting term, own every tool, or feel completely confident before you begin.
Join the Learn to Quilt email list for course progress updates, previews, beginner quilting encouragement, and the first announcement when Level 1 opens for enrolment.
