Quilts and Quilting

2006-05-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Quilts and Quilting

This month (May 06) I’d like to present how to make a quilt with a minimum set of equipment and for minimum cost. We can use all the “up to date” equipment such as special cutters and cutting mats, expensive fabric and sewing machines that will do much of the quilt for us, but I think this takes the fun and skill out of this hobby. The original idea behind quilts and quilting was that they provided an inexpensive way to produce something very worthwhile and ultimately valuable. So why don’t we use the traditional approach which will keep costs to a minimum by using just a tape measure or ruler, needle and thread and any fabric we have to hand. In fact I think the loveliest of all quilts is what I call my ‘Sentimental Quilt’ which is made from the old fabrics of children’s outgrown clothes, old summer dresses, curtains from our first home, my husbands old ties, in fact any fabric that I have hoarded over the years. There is no greater satisfaction than lying beneath a quilt that holds so many memories.

Make sure that all the fabrics you are going to use in your quilt have been prewashed in non-biological detergent, rinsed well and ironed before you start cutting them out. Many fabrics, especially 100% cottons will almost always shrink during this process. Imagine what would happen to your finished quilt if this process had not been done at the outset of making your quilt. Your finished ‘washed and shrunken’ quilt would be a disaster.

If your quilt design is being made in ‘multi hexagon’ shapes (or English patchwork, as it as become known ) or if your quilt is going to be a ‘crazy design’ using small amounts of different fabrics, then choosing fabric can be done as the quilt is made. It is more fun to have lots of different pieces of fabric when making this type of quilt.
However, if you want to include set blocks and designs in your quilt it is advantageous to calculate how much fabric you are going to use. Nothing is more frustrating than nearly finishing your quilt only to find you are a few blocks short.

Let’s follow the second method. Lay out your fabric and cut out the number of squares or triangles or strips you will need in each of the different fabrics you have chosen. Keep all the same colour and shaped pieces together. Often it is better to keep each type in a special container – I find small plastic storage boxes are ideal for this purpose.

I sometimes cheat at this stage and only cut enough for a few blocks, so I can assemble them and get a feel for how they will look when put together. Then once I have established that I am satisfied with the design and the colours I have put together for my finished quilt – then back to the basics of cutting out all the fabric pieces. This is quite time consuming but satisfying when you see the pieces stacking up, ready to be made into your quilt.

Best wishes

Anabel

Quilts and Quilting

Quilts and Quilting

2006-04-01T05:13:00.000-08:00

Quilts and Quilting

Getting Started:

Once you have decided to make a quilt, how do you get started? Something must have inspired you to have a go at this fascinating hobby, like seeing quilts and quilting produced by a friend, wanting one for your new unborn child, or maybe it’s just you love certain colours and textures of fabrics and you have pieces that just cry out to be sewn together?

The starting point for this project then, is to decide what you want from the finished quilt. If you just want to try it all out and you’ve seen a quilt that really inspires you, then there is nothing wrong with simply copying it. After all, this is how the skills were passed on traditionally in the old days.

If you have some experience and are interested in experimenting with quilt and quilting designs, then you could choose a theme based on something which interests you. Consider the following:
- Are you interested in any particular subject?
- What other hobbies do you have?
- Do you enjoy bird watching, pop music, architecture, wild animals, cars or holidays?
- Do you want a conventional design with repeating patterns, or do you want to make the whole quilt into a picture?
- Look for inspiration in other peoples designs.

There must be millions of ideas to fire your imagination.

Next, look at the practical side of the quilt. Consider the size of quilt to be made and how your design will transfer to the finished quilt. Does it have to match into an existing colour scheme? Take time to visit libraries and research your project, don’t rush this part of the planning because your finished quilt will depend on this critical planning.

When you start to design your quilt, sit with coloured pencils and create on paper how you want it to look. Using squared paper will help with seeing the quilt design as a ‘whole’. A photocopier will enable you to duplicate your blocks and see how you can arrange them together, which way do they look the best. Computer design is an enormous help and the design can be split, rotated, reversed – anything is possibe.

If this is all too much to start with, then why not get together with like-minded people? Group quilts are equally as exciting and everyone can input ideas into making the quilt. Once your design is finalised you can then move on to assembling all the fabric, wadding and threads that will be required to make your fantastic quilt and I will cover all the steps in my next article.

Quilts and Quilting

Quilts and Quilting

2006-03-04T02:02:00.000-08:00

QUILTS AND QUILTING:

For centuries, the making of quilts and quilting has been a living craft, a necessity of the times, where people living in poverty could still provide something useful for their families.

All early quilts were made from any scraps of fabric that came to hand. Subsequently, over the years, basic designs for quilts and quilting evolved and were passed down from generation to generation. Now, with such a range of designs, the skill in choosing fabrics, matching patterns and colours is exciting whether the quilt to be made is patchwork, appliqué or whole cloth. (The difference between these will be explained later).

The word quilt is English in origin, meaning a padded bed covering, but this definition hardly does justice to the quilts made in America by the early settlers. Given such wonderful names as Grandmothers Fan, Drunkards Path, Storm at Sea, Wedding Ring, Ohio Star, Log Cabin and Flock of Geese, our imagination is captured even before we see the quilt for real.

We can also imagine the circumstances in which the early quilters worked, with groups of women seated around the quilting frame, working together to create the finished quilt. Such groups had a great social significance and would often have a party-like atmosphere. Special quilts would be made for occasions like engagements and weddings, and ‘freedom quilts’ would be made and given to every young man on his twentieth birthday. Even today, the social significance of quilting remains, through the sharing of ideas and the spreading of designs to groups in all countries round the world.

When you start to make your own quilts you will find that the satisfaction of seeing your finished quilt is such a wonderful experience. You will feel a great sense of achievement as your skill and creativity begin to grow. I would recommend that you always sign and date your quilt and also give it a name, after all it is yours and it is unique. I must warn you though, that after finishing your first quilt you may be so captivated by the possibilities of all the other techniques that this will be the first of many you make over the years to come!

If you want to learn more about quilts and quilting then please visit my site again. I will be giving more hints and tips each time it is update. If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me.

Best wishes

Annabel

Quilts and quilting

Quilts and Quilting

2006-02-28T07:46:00.000-08:00

Quilts and Quilting

Welcome to my quilts and quilting blog site. I am just starting the site up (Feb/Mar 2006) and will update it monthly with new information. Here you can learn about the basics methods for making quilts and quilting as well as the most up-to-date techniques used now for making quilts and quilting. I hope there will be something new each month for all!

Best wishes,

Annabel

Quilts and Quilting