(Photo: Levi Brown)

There’s something comforting about old-fashioned DIY, especially if you can put it to immediate use. Quilting is a particularly fall-appropriate activity. Here’s how to get started. Step one: Go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and get inspired by the graphic quilts on view at “One of a Kind: The Studio Craft Movement” (through December 2). Step two: Sign up for an introductory quilting class at Purl Patchwork ($150 for four classes; 147 Sullivan St., nr. Prince St.; 212-420-8798). Beginners can buy the patches pictured here ($30 for twelve “fat quarter” pieces) and machine-sew a quilt in about eight hours. Step three: Display your masterpiece conspicuously. If quilting doesn’t call your name, there are plenty of satisfying alternatives on the next page.