Your First Quilt Made Easy: Start with a Jelly Roll, Layer Cake or Charm Pack
If you've always wanted to make your first quilt but weren't sure where to begin, pre-cut fabric packs are one of the easiest ways to get started.
Rather than choosing dozens of coordinating fabrics and cutting every piece yourself, pre-cuts do most of the hard work for you. They're already professionally cut, colour coordinated and designed to work together, meaning you can spend more time sewing and less time measuring.
Whether you choose a Jelly Roll, Layer Cake or Charm Pack, you'll be surprised how quickly your first quilt comes together.
Which pre-cut should you choose?
Jelly Rolls
A Jelly Roll contains approximately 40–42 fabric strips measuring 2½" x the width of fabric.
These are perfect for:
- Beginner-friendly strip quilts
- Modern geometric designs
Because the cutting has already been done, you simply start sewing strips together.
Layer Cakes
Layer Cakes contain approximately 40–42 x 10" squares.
They're ideal if you'd like slightly larger quilt blocks and fewer seams.
Layer Cakes work beautifully for:
- Half-square triangle quilts
- Simple block quilts
- Large modern quilts
Charm Packs
Charm Packs contain approximately 40–42 x 5" squares.
They're great for:
- Baby quilts
- Lap quilts
- Table runners
- Beginner patchwork
Because the pieces are smaller, Charm Packs create a lovely patchwork look without requiring lots of fabric.
Free beginner quilt patterns
One of the best things about quilting is the incredible number of free patterns available online.
Be sure to give the creators a like and follow to thank them for making these resources available for free.
Here are a few beginner favourites.
Jelly Roll patterns
Jelly Roll Race Quilt
Probably the fastest quilt you'll ever make.
No complicated cutting, just sew your strips together in a clever sequence.
Perfect for absolute beginners.
Rail Fence Quilt
Simple strip piecing that creates an impressive finished quilt.
Great for showing off colourful Jelly Rolls.
Layer Cake patterns
Layer Cake Shuffle
A modern design using 10" squares with very little extra cutting.
1/2 Square Triangles with Layer Cake
1/2 Square triangle blocks, unlimited possiblities!
Charm Pack patterns
Charm Square Baby Quilt
A fantastic first quilting project that comes together quickly, using a charm pack and 1m of fabric.
1/2 Square Triangles with Charm Packs
2 charm packs, 20 different layout options!
Essential tools you'll want
While you don't need every quilting gadget available, a few good-quality tools make quilting far easier.
At The Remnant Warehouse, we'd recommend starting with:
Rotary Cutter
One of the biggest time savers in quilting.
Perfect for trimming blocks, squaring quilts and cutting backing fabric.
Self-Healing Cutting Mat
Protects your table and works perfectly with a rotary cutter.
Quilting Ruler
A clear acrylic quilting ruler helps achieve accurate cuts, which makes piecing much easier.
Quilting Pins or Wonder Clips
Keep your fabric aligned while sewing.
Quality Cotton Thread
Good thread reduces lint, breaks less often and gives better results.
Fabric Scissors
Reserve one sharp pair exclusively for fabric.
Seam Ripper
Every quilter uses one, even experienced quilters.
Iron and Pressing Mat
Pressing your seams as you sew makes an enormous difference to the finished quilt.
Walking Foot (optional)
When you're ready to quilt the layers together, a walking foot can help feed the quilt evenly through your sewing machine.
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Clover Rotary Cutter 45mm - 7500$39.95 / item
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Clover Rotary Blades Refill 45mm 5pk- 7509$59.95 / item
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Birch Double-sided Cutting Mat- 45cm x 60cm$59.95 / item
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Quilting Ruler Metric 10cm x 45cm$24.95 / item
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Quilting Pins- Pastel- Pack of 50$4.95 / pack
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TRW Wonder Clips Pack- 20 Pieces$14.95 / pack
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Clover Seam Ripper- Brown Handle$9.95 / item
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Rasant Thread #1483$10.95 / item
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Rasant Thread #2000 White$10.95 / item
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Rasant Thread #4000 Black$10.95 / item
Don't forget the finishing touches
Once you've completed your quilt top, it's time to turn it into a finished quilt.
You'll need a layer of quilt wadding to provide warmth and softness, which sits between your quilt top and the backing fabric. The three layers are then quilted together to create your finished masterpiece.
For the back of your quilt, many quilters choose wide width quilt backing fabrics. At around 270cm wide, they're designed specifically for quilt backs, meaning you can often back your quilt with a single piece of fabric rather than joining multiple widths together.
Browse our range of Wide Width Quilt Backing Fabrics to find the perfect finishing touch for your project.
Why beginners love pre-cuts
Pre-cut packs remove many of the biggest hurdles for new quilters.
You don't have to worry about:
- Choosing coordinating fabrics
- Cutting dozens of pieces accurately
- Working out fabric quantities
- Matching colours
Instead, you can focus on learning the enjoyable parts of quilting, sewing, pressing and watching your quilt come together.
Many quilters discover that their first quilt is far less intimidating than they expected.
Ready to start your quilting journey?
Whether you fall in love with the versatility of a Jelly Roll, the simplicity of a Layer Cake or the charm of a Charm Pack, pre-cuts are one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to make your first quilt.
Browse our range of Jelly Rolls, Layer Cakes, Charm Packs, quilting tools, wadding and quilting cottons at The Remnant Warehouse and you'll have everything you need to begin your very first quilt.
