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I love a good quilt kit. In this too-busy life, a well-designed kit can give you fast success with a minimum amount of fuss.
I realize some people think quilt kits are “cheating.” So unless your quilting experience is being governed by a state board with graded exams, I can’t see where this is a cheat! And again, why are we making arbitrary “rules” that make people feel excluded from our lovely, vast community?
YOU get to do your quilting practice YOUR way 🙂
In my opinion, anything that helps you have fun making your next project gets top marks.
Seven reasons why I love quilt kits:
- It’s an all-in-one package: A quilt kit usually includes all the necessary materials needed to complete a project. This makes it easier for those new to quilting to get started in a snap.
- They’re usually made with high-quality materials: A kit often includes high-quality fabric, which means your finished project will look great and last a long time. Thus, if we’re going to use our precious time, let’s make sure the quilt lasts.
- You already like the finished quilt: If you worry about wasting time or money, a kit is a great way to guarantee you’ll like what you make. You’ve already seen the finished result and liked it enough to be interested in replicating it!
- Kits help you with fabric choices: if you’re new to choosing your own fabrics, or nervous about getting it just right, or just can’t make one more decision right now, a kit solves that problem for you. So just buy one and get sewing!
- Kits are time-saving: With a quilt kit, you don’t have to spend hours searching for the perfect fabrics. Everything you need is included, usually down to the binding.
- Quilt kits are inspiring: Kits often come with patterns that can introduce you to new designers. So your next project can be inspired by this one!
- Kits are convenient: You only need to go to one shop for everything. Also, if you buy it online, it will magically appear at your door!
Image above: Faster Fourteen quilt pattern by Hunter’s Design Studio, Kit featuring e bond Root fabric from Free Spirit at Crimson Tate (Spring 2023)
This cheating comment just is beyond me! Why are people worried about that? Can’t we just put the fun back in quilting lol? Without worrying about getting an A on the test? These are the kind of Quilters that I tend to stay away from. I had a woman in a guild tell me she never used kits. As a new quilter at that time, her comment made me feel very inferior and inexperienced. Luckily I’ve gotten beyond that. There is definitely a time and place for kits!
I love quilts for the above noted reasons plus I never have left over fabric to store and try to use up another time. Much more economical.
After disappointment about many of the quilts I made, I decided not to make any more quilts I didn’t like, and I managed that by buying quilt kits. I bought numerous kits from Craftsy, when they sold them as well as online classes, and I was really sorry to see that source disappear. Since then, I have bought quilt kits from a variety of places – quilt shop catalogs, quilt shops selling their own kits, websites of designers I follow online, kits I find on Instagram.
I want to like the quilts I make more than I want to design my own and be disappointed with the results.
Most of us aren’t trying to make careers as quilt designers, and I’m happy to leave that part of making quilts to those who did a lot better job of it than I do. If it’s cheating, I’m just glad there is a way to cheat, so I end up with quilts I love for the time and money I invest.
I have only used a couple kits. I have a difficult time following a pattern to a T, so the two times I used a kit, there was not enough fabric to change the pattern the way I envisioned. After it happened the second time, I made a note to myself that I was not a good follower, so kits were not the best option for me.
To each his own in this quilting adventure. If using a kit works for your style of quilting, more power to you! I am a wanderer and get drawn off the path by the myriad possibilities floating around in my head.