How To Make A Puff Quilt For Beginners Video

Is there anything more special than a handmade quilt? Today I’ll show you an easy way how to make a Puff Quilt at home that is simply adorable!

I love the feel of a handmade blanket, make sure to check out my previous quilts How to make a keepsake baby clothes quilt, 6 Log Cabin Quilt Tips, and How to finish a Quilt in 4 simple steps

This post was created in partnership with Crafter’s Edge. All opinions, project ideas, and craftiness are my own 

How to make a puff quilt

How To Make A Puff Quilt For Beginners VIDEO

I’m a beginner/ intermediate seamstress and can sew straight lines. So if I can learn how to make a puff quilt, I am sure you can too! Along the process of this quilt I learnt so much and in my how to make a puff quilt for beginners video I share all of my tips and short cuts.

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What is a Puff quilt?

A Puff Quilt, also called a Bubble Quilt or Biscuit Quilt is a quilt made of individual puffy squares that have polyfil in them.

Learning how to make a puff quilt is not as difficult as you would think and I can’t wait to share all the tips I have learned in my sewing process! 

What you will need:

Crafters Edge Square dies

How To Make A Puff Quilt For Beginners

How much fabric do I need for a Puff Quilt?

The first step is to choose the fabric you need. To make ONE single puff you will need a 5-inch square of the fabric of your choice and ALSO a 4-inch square of fabric that can be a scrap fabric. The fabric used for the 4-inch square will not be seen at all in the final finished quilt. 

Each finished puff will end up measuring 3 inches in size.

quilt making squares

For this how to make a puff quilt tutorial, beside the puff fabric, you will also need a backing fabric. I used this 2-yard Polycotton Fabric for the backing in Navy color.

Step 1: Cutting all the fabric

To cut the pieces of my Puff Quilt, I used the Crossover 2 Die Cut Machine. It easily die cuts layers of fabric in one pass. You can use a rotary blade and square guide instead.

Crossover 2 Diecutting machine

Step 2: Pin the puff blocks

Line up the 5 inch square on top of the 4-inch square, right side up. Create a pleat in the center by folding the excess fabric pin into place. Repeat this with a stack of squares. The first few squares you will definitely need to pin! 

Puff quilt how to

Step 3: Sewing the Puffs and filling them

I used a scant 1/4 inch seam and sewed 3 edges of the block, right side of fabric facing up! Then we stuff the block with polyfil and sew shut!

Many Puff Quilt patterns will ask you to sew the puff squares with wrong side facing each other, and then turn it inside out for a neat clean edge. I simply omitted the inside-out step to make it quicker. The end result will still be neat and tidy because we will be sewing over the messy seam while joining in step 4!

sewing machine quilt
How to make a puff

Step 4: Joining the Puffs

Place two puffs, right side facing together, and sew with a generous 1/2 inch seam. Your seam should cover the previous messy seam completely! Join 4 to 6 Puffs to make blocks:

When I started figuring out how to make a puff quilt, I sewed all 4 edges of each individual puff shut.

A

Later I figured out how to sew the puffs at the sewing machine without pinning the fabric and that was a game-changer! I was able to sew the puffs quicker and on the go. Not only that I figured out how to join two partially sewn puffs together and then fill them with the polyfil. This was easier to sew than joining the bulky puffs. Watch my video to understand the technique.

B

Keep in mind that your seam allowance cannot be 1/4 inch, it has to be wider to cover the initial stitch of making the puff. Factor in at least 1/2 inch seam allowance all around.

C

Step 5: Adding the backing + binding

I chose a solid dark blue fabric for the back of the quilt and cut it to be larger than the finished quilt size. To attach the puffs to my backing, I simply tied it between every 3 puffs. What that means is that I sewed a tiny knot every 3 puffs to attach the puff front to the backing. Trim off the excess backing fabric and then bind the quilt. For more instructions read my previous post: How to finish a Quilt in 4 simple steps

Does a puff quilt need batting? No extra layers of batting are required here.

D

Now that I have learned how to make a puff quilt, I am itching to make a another one in rainbow colors!

Bubble quilt finishing
Puff quilt

Tips on how to make a puff quilt:

puff quilt tips

Beginner? Try using a larger 7 or 8 inch square instead of the 5 inches I used.

  1. It is very important to not overfill your puffs!! Add just a little bit of filling. Overstuffed puffs are difficult to pass through the sewing machine.
  2. I know, it sounds silly, but bobbins feel like a chore to me and I buy this little organizer with prefilled bobbins!
  3. This is one of the most forgiving quilts to make. Since each block “puffs up” if your joining seam a little wonky it wont show at all!
  4. Try your best to fill each square with the same amount of filling each time for a beautiful finish.

More Quilt Ideas to Try:

Learning how to make a puff quilt is a great beginner project. The puffs create the most unique texture and I simply love how cute the final quilt turned out! It is one of the most unique creative projects I’ve ever tried my hand at. A Puff Quilt is perfect for those newborn photo shoots!

I hope you enjoyed learning how to make a puff quilt with me today I can’t wait to see your variations of this project! Happy Crafting!

Smitha Crochets granny square circle center pattern

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2 Comments

  1. Love your quilt idea! I saw a similar quilt that was crocheted. I am curious about the wear and tear of the puff quilt. What happens when you wash it? How much stuffing do you use? Does it compress in time?

    • I didn’t really measure the amount of stuffing. The quilt has not compressed with time, but I have not washed it yet either. Yes, I have been seeing similar crocheted quilts, which would be a fun project too!

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