Quilting

Quilting is a relaxing past time that people all over the world enjoy. In the past, quilting was done as a necessary task to provide important and much needed bed covers. The quilts were made by hand, one stitch at a time, sometimes in social settings, but mostly done in the still evenings of winter. Many times they would tell a story by using whatever extra materials that they had on hand. However, quilting is no longer just an activity that grandmothers participate in while rocking in an old rocker, making bed covers to keep their families warm. Over the years quilting has become increasingly easier with advanced technology; therefore, more people have taken up the activity for pleasure more than the need to provide warm bedding for …show more content…
Correct and even seam allowances help keep all the blocks squared.
People are frightened at the idea of making a quilt, but out of all of the projects a sewer could decide to create, a quilt could be one of the more simple things. With many of the simpler patterns, there are no curved edges, no zippers, and no worries if it is going to fit once the project is done. There are more in depth patterns for more experienced quilter's, but starting with an easier pattern will make the inexperience enjoy the process more. At first, the idea of making a quilt can seem overwhelming; however, if the quilt is broken up into sections and took step by step, it is then easier to approach and accomplish. The quilter should begin to sew all the blocks together; this is approached by sequence sewing. Every piece of fabric is sewn strategically to create the block, then once that is complete the blocks are then sewn together to create rows. After all the rows are completed, they are then sewn together to create the quilt top. To increase the size of the quilt top without adding more blocks, a quilter would add a boarder. Boarders, some small, some large, are strips of fabric, that added around the rows. A quilter will use like colors or contrasting fabric to accent and to frame the quilt top. One, two, or more boarders might be added. By this point, …show more content…
This binding usually matches the other fabrics within the quilt top, but does not have to. It just adds a finished look as well as completing the edges. To add the binding, strips of fabrics must be sewn together in enough length to go all around the quilt. It is then stitched to the quilt front all the way around. To finish the binding, the binding is then folded over the edge of the quilt and sewn from the back buy either using a hand stitch or machine stitch. Hand stitching results in a prettier quilt, but machine stitched binding might be more durable.
A quilt is not finished until it has been signed by the quilt maker. This is done by adding a “label” to the back with the signature of the quilter. In addition to the signature, the pattern and the date is often added. In conclusion, learning how to quilt is not a difficult task as long as one goes step by step through the process. It does help to have an understanding of the equipment needed and basic quilting terms. Quilting is such an enjoyable skill that more and more people are learning everyday. From purchasing fabric to the last stitch, quilting is all about building on to the step before the next. No matter what you make or who you make it for, enjoy the process of building a beautiful work of art. Don’t let the fear of inexperience keep you from creating your own fiber-arts