Category Archives: Quilting

Quilted Comforter Is A Tradition

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When settlers first arrived in the northeast part of the United States they were anxious for a life of freedom. What they didn’t expect was the harsh climate that they had chosen to live in. Finding ways to stay warm quickly became a large part of everyday life and patchwork quilt bedding was soon born.

The winter nights were particularly uncomfortable and the making of quilted comforters was soon inevitable. This warm material to cover with at night made the crafted blankets extremely popular.

Material for the quilt was at first very hard to get and could be quite costly. Typical families just starting out in new plantations, towns and settlements could barely afford to live let alone splurge on imported, overseas materials. Even if they could come by the means, boats arriving from Europe were rare and seldom carried enough to accommodate.

This caused most families to start saving bits and pieces of scrap material. It was not uncommon to see bins of random materials scattered in small piles of the early colonial homes as they hoped to gather enough to eventually construct a quilt.

When enough material had been collected it was connected with needle and thread to form larger and larger pieces. And it couldn’t have come soon enough as there was often a new baby or elderly person living in households who were in desperate need of added warmth. If neither of these conditions existed the quilt was than given to the youngest child in the home.

Traditionally quilting was a chore completed by women and they soon made the act a social event. They would gather in small or large groups and exchange materials to produce the most attractive quilts that they could. It was evident very quickly that this was a new form of art and its canvas was one of care and joy, as well as friendship

When people were married quilts were gathered and packaged to present to the new couple. This helped the new household and took a large burden off the new wife who would be busy adjusting to new duties as the lady of a household.

Members of communities who readying to move elsewhere were often presented with quilts by members of the communities to help in establishing a new home. Incoming and outgoing pastors were often presented with quilts as well.

Quilts are often passed down through generations. Some have been in families for a hundred years with the signatures of the creators and anyone who contributed to the quilt making process.

Quilt comforter can still be seen today as a benefit to many. Head over to http://www.atlanticlinens.com to see a variety of quilt bedding.

What Are Quilts?

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Simply put, quilts are covers that are produced by stitching together three separate layers: the top of the quilt, a layer of batting, and a layer of material in the back. The layers are stitched together using the technique of quilting. Quilting means connecting different layers using needle and thread. The whole process can be done for practical purposes, but it can also use to create a decorative product.

The layers can also be joined by tying. This method is a lot more speedy, so it is used more often when the process of quilting is undertaken for practical purposes. The three layers still need to be prepared and basted. Thread or yarn is used for the process. Square knots are used to finish off the ties, which are placed 3-5″ apart all over the quilt. A tied quilt is also known as a comforter.

Back in the day, quilts were strictly created for necessity. Today, we rarely need quilts, but they are still created as a work of art. Gifted quilter’s are called fabric artists instead of the outdated seamstress or quilter. Not only are bed quilts popular, but quilted clothing and wall hangings as well. Handmade quilts can be very expensive – into the hundreds of dollars – and they are no longer just considered bed coverings but also wall coverings in museums. Amish quilts produced in Pennsylvania and Ohio are particularly desirable on the market, as are vintage and antique ones.

If you have be so lucky to inherit a beautiful quilt, you should make sure you take great care of it – aside from preserving the heirloom, you are also preserving its increase in value. Never store quilts in plastic bags, wooden trunks or boxes made of cardboard. You should also make sure your quilts get some air at least once every year, but try to avoid direct sunlight. If the quilts are extremely old, airing them out flat prevents unnecessary stress on the stitches. You always take a chance when you wash antique fabrics. Spot test it first. If you are using a machine, wash in cold water with a mild detergent and a gentle cycle. Dry your quilt on a flat surface. Using a fan and rotating it will speed up the drying process.

Quilts throughout history tell the stories of their times and makers. This is especially true during the depression when fabric was scarce. Historians even believe that hidden messages and codes have been hidden in the stitching patterns of many quilts throughout history. One such story relates to the Underground Railroad. A certain quilt pattern would mean it was safe for escaping slaves to continue on their journey. Not all historians agree on this idea, and also on the fact that signature quilts were used before and after the civil war to raise money. If someone made a donation, their names would be stitched into the quilt. These very unusual quilts were also called friendship quilts.

Today, the popularity of this type of quilt is increasing quickly. Memory quilts and t-shirt quilts are popular and treasured gifts. And thanks to developments in technology, today we are also able to add photos to quilts. Quilts are still widely used to gather funds at charity fundraisers and other events. Quilt guilds are also creating a new wave today, making it possible to pass down and save many of the favorite techniques and patterns.

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How To Use Stencils For Quilting

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When one thinks of stencils, the images that come to mind are often stenciled walls and early American style-painted floor cloths. The 1980′s saw a huge revival of stencils, as the country look was really in. However, stencils are used differently for quilting. The crafter unfamiliar with the use of stencils in quilting may be quite perplexed as to how they are used. After all, when you look at a quilt, there’s no evidence that anything to do with stenciling in the traditional sense has occurred!

But stencils do belong in quilting, and with more technological discoveries, they are becoming more and more popular by the day. When one first looks at them, stencils for quilting look similar to those used for painting. They are manufactured from hard plastic, and they have a design. The only difference between the two is that painting stencils are used to paint a pattern, while quilting stencils are used to lay down the pattern so that it can be followed with stitches. Crafters use stencils to create unique patterns on their quilts. Quilting stencils allow you to transfer a design, which you will stitch later. Don’t worry if your artistic skills aren’t great. With stencils, all you have to do is follow a design someone else created.

You can easily find stencils and supplies offered by many different companies. You will find a huge variety of designs, from classic florals to contemporary designs. Take a look around some of the quilting sites on the internet or visit your local quilting store to get an idea of how many stencils await you.

Quilting stencils are a piece of cake to use. You can use chalk, stitching or even just plain water to transfer the pattern. (It is very important that you test the water soluble pen with your fabric before using it with a stencil-you don’t want it to ruin your beautiful pieced quilt top!) All you have to do is lay the quilting stencil atop your fabric and trace the pattern. Voila! You now have a stitching pattern to follow without a lot of muss and fuss. There are many more important things for quilters to do than worry about patterns. You should try to find a pattern that’s about half an inch to an inch smaller than your block, so your pattern won’t look too busy. You can also create a pattern with a smaller stencil.

Quilting stencils are one of the most useful advances in notions for the home crafter. Old quilters from times gone by would be stunned by some of the new ideas and supplies available. So, what are you waiting for before you get started? Quilting stencils can save you time and provide amazing designs.

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How Do You Pick The Right Batting?

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Many crafters do not take the time to learn about the correct batting for their quilting projects, but it can make the difference between a successful quilting project and an unsuccessful one. Selecting the correct batting for your quilt can change the overall appearance of the final product. It can also make the difference between enjoying the process of quilting or hating it. Since you are willing to invest a lot of time in choosing the right fabrics, colors and patterns, why not devote a little time to choosing what is right for the inside of your quilt as well?

Batting is the insulating fabric, which is the part of the quilt that creates warmth. Batting is layered between the quilt top and the backing. Once the three layers have been overlapped, they are pinned at the edges to keep together. Though most quilters just arrange the three layers and then sew them, some are more comfortable tying the batting and fabric together. Some people prefer to use yarn, while others favor using several strands of thread. A tight square knot is the preferred method of tying. You want to be sure the quilt will stand up to years of use.

Batting is made from different fibers such as wool, polyester and cotton. Polyester batting is suggested for quilts that need to be washed often. It is generally hypo-allergenic and usable for either hand or machine quilting projects. Cotton ranks among the favorites among quilters. It has a much lower loft than the polyester batting, and is often used when quilters want to achieve an antique look. And of course, being a natural fiber, cotton allows you to remain cool in the summer and warm in the winter. You cannot tie cotton batting because it usually clumps. Like cotton, wool batting breathes. Wool is easy to use, and that fact alone makes it one of the favorites. There are two different ways batting is manufactured–needlepunched or bonded. Needlepunch batting is a great choice for quilts that need to be quite resistant. Thousands of needles pierce the batting, and interlock the fibers. Bonded batting is made by adding a bonding agent to the fibers to keep the layers together.

Many battings, whatever form you choose, are available either pre-cut or rolled on a tube so that you can cut your own to size. If your quilting project is a standard quilt size (such as twin, full, queen, or king) you will probably be able to find a pre-cut batting quite easily. For other sizes you may need to buy batting on the roll.

Learning more about batting can increase the chances of success in crafting the perfect quilt for your needs.

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How Do You Pick Fabrics For Quilting?

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Having a large variety of stunning fabrics to choose from is what makes quilting so attractive to crafters. No matter where you look for your fabrics, you are going to be positively overwhelmed by the array of colors and fibers available. The selection is so wide and bold that one’s senses are on overload. Today’s quilters are very fortunate to have all the choices available to them. But of course, having a large selection available also makes for uncertainty.

Even if quilting was mostly created out of necessity in the beginning, and any type of fabric was used, today’s choice strongly bends toward cotton as the favorite fiber. Some of the older quilts also contain bold-colored wool in appliqud quilts, since wool is a slightly heavier fiber. Cotton is one of the favorite fibers for several reasons, one of them being that it washes easily, even if it is generally recommended to wash it ahead in order to pre-shrink it. Generally speaking, 100 percent cotton is going to be the quilter’s first choice. Though it is possible that you will run into some very attractive mixed fabrics at the fabric store, you might want to think about it for a moment. For a little bit more money, it’s worth it to invest in quality fabrics for your quilt. Consider the fact that you are about to make a sizeable investment of time into making the quilt, so you might want to think about also investing a little more in the fabric. And, in all honesty, fabrics for quilting are not all that expensive no matter what.

One of the most important elements of choosing fabrics for quilting is color. Some new quilters are a little anxious about this, but in reality, learning about colors is not hard and it can be quite rewarding. Your ability to match colors might surprise you. Pay attention to your inner voice, and unless you are color blind, if you are particularly attracted by a certain color combination, it will probably appear pleasant to others also. And remember that this is your quilting project and you should choose fabrics that you love the look of, and that you’ll enjoy working on. when you are trying to match fabrics, think of nature. If you try to stick with color matches such as those you see at the beach, or in a forest, you can’t make too many mistakes. Go to your neighborhood park and study the various hues you’ll see looking at a tree, or the lawn.

If you are in for a more sophisticated knowledge of colors, you can take some basic classes of color theory. Study the color wheel and familiarize yourself with the primary colors (red, yellow, blue), secondary colors (green, orange and violet), and intermediate colors which combine primary with secondary colors. Another aspect of color for fabrics is value-light, dark and medium. You should have a good balance of values in the fabrics you choose. You might also want to consider the intensity of the colors in your fabrics, which is the brightness or dullness of a color.

Familiarizing yourself with the wide variety of fabrics available for quilting is a pleasurable experience that will also enhance your enjoyment of the craft.

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Make a Thrifty Rag Quilt using Recycled Materials

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At this moment in time, rag quilts are extremely popular. You see Rag Quilts everywhere. You can find them back of couches, on beds, and even on purses. Everywhere!

A rag quilt is not only nice to look at but is easy to cut out, assemble, and sew. They can be fairly cheap to create as well if you chose your materials wisely.

You can find Rag Quilts for sale everywhere these days. The price being asked usually isn’t a pretty one though. With a few basic sewing skills, you can create a beautiful rag quilt of your very own, and save a lot of money in the process. Resulting in a quilt filled with sentimental value rather than money.

Denim rag quilts are among the most popular rag quilts that are available right now. To create one for yourself on the cheap, visit your closets. Drag out all those old pairs of jeans. You know the ones I am talking about. The ones you have been hanging in your closet for years while you hope to lose ten pounds to fit into them again. Yeah, those. If you wanted you could alternate denim squares with flannel squares. I’m sure you have some flannel shirts, gowns, or even an flat flannel sheet laying around somewhere.

Ok, so you don’t have enough materials to make your quilt from your closets alone. Don’t stress just yet. How about your friends and family. I bet they have a few pairs of old jeans in their closets. Also check out yard sales, garage sales, thrift stores, and goodwill. I am sure you won’t have a problem coming up with enough free or close to free materials. Endless possibilities.

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How To Pick The Correct Cloth For Your Sewing Job

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Up until fifty years ago, the overwhelming majority of women knew how to sew. All the women that I knew as a boy sewed and knitted and made some of the clothes for me and my four brothers. When I was eight or nine, I and every other child in my class was taught the basics of knitting and before I went off to college, my mother taught me how to take up my jeans, sew on patches and repair my clothes.

Unfortunately, sewing, knitting and repairing clothes has largely died out in the United Kingdom. I now live in Thailand and I do not see much proof of sewing or knitting here, so I assume that these arts are dying out all over the world among the masses, although I am certain that there are individuals everywhere who still knit and sew.

It is a crying shame. If you are going to make your own clothes or furnishings like cushions, pillows or soft toys, it is quite essential that you select the correct cloth for the job. Using the wrong cloth will make your task more difficult and might even render your work pointless. So here are a few suggestions on choosing the correct fabric for the job in hand.

The first and most obvious thing to do is look at the suggestions on the pattern you are using and if you are a novice take that advice until you know what you are doing. Regrettably, a lot of people do not read the instructions anymore. I can not count the number of times I have seen someone struggling to assemble something and found the directions in the bin with the packaging.

Get to know fabrics by examining the textiles in the shop. Ask questions about textiles and look at the cloth on the bolt or roll. If the cloth does not look right on the bolt it probably will not look correct anywhere else either. When you unroll a few feet of the bolt, does it lie flat or does it roll up or crumple? Grab a handful and squeeze it. Does it crumple easily? Does it feel right?

Is the fabric fraying on the bolt? If so it will fray when you use it too. Look on the bolt for special cleaning or handling directions. Do they suit your needs?

It is quite a problem to work with satin because it slips easily. T-shirt knit is also difficult because it rolls up on itself. It is probably best to avoid these materials until you gain some experience

Cotton is the best cloth for novices because it is easy to work with and everyone is very familiar with cotton products. We know how they should feel and we can tell decent, thick weighty cotton from cheap, thin cotton. We also all know that cotton shrinks. Therefore before you cut you fabric. wash it and cut the shrunken cotton cloth. In effect, you have pre-shrunk it.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a number of subjects, but is now involved with decorative sofa pillows. If you want to know more, please visit our website at Modern Throw Pillows For Sale.

Picking And Preparing Material For Quilting

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A large part of the pleasure of quilting is gathering the materials that you will use. There are two approaches: you can either choose the pattern first or the cloth first or if you are an experienced quilter, you can disregard the recommendations on the pattern and use whatever cloth you please. However, this is a big step that the novice must not take lightly

Most quilters will opt for cotton, 100% cotton, because it is the easiest fabric to use, is pleasant to deal with, is washable and is readily available in different patterns and weights.

In fact, you cannot go wrong with cotton, whereas most people do not really want anything to do with man-made textiles and silk and satin are both a problem to use and expensive.

When you go into a quilting or craft shop, you will see bolts and bolts (rolls and rolls) of 100% cotton material, so choice will rarely be a difficulty. In the beginning, a tip is to use tightly woven fabric, because loosely-woven fabric can ‘pull’ and distort leaving unsightly ‘holes’, which you cannot fix because they are not really breaks.

You will have to put a lot of work into your quilt so it is worth spending some time on planning your quilt and the pattern and the design that you want. The colour is particularly important because you or your customer will have to live with it for several years.

Attempt to use contrast as much as you can, but that is outside the scope of this piece, so you will have to look it up if you do not understand it already. However, basically it involves using warm colours like red, yellow, orange and brown with cooler colours like blue, green and violet. You can contrast black with white very effectively too.

You could also strive contrasting different textures. Smooth, coarse, high grain and low grain, high density and low density cottons can be mixed to stunning effect with a bit of thought and practice. The same can be said of the pattern on the fabric. Therefore, you can alternate or mix colour, grain and pattern.

When you get brave enough, you can add other types of cloth too such as velvet or taffeta. Whichever textiles you decide to use, you must test them for shrinkage.

Take a swatch, measure it, wash it as it must be washed, dry it out, iron it and then measure it again. This will tell you how much that fabric shrinks, so you can put that down in a notebook.

Pre-shrink all textiles that are going to shrink before sewing blocks of themt into our quilt or you will have big problems later. When you have washed and dried the block of fabric, it should be ironed.

If you make a decision to use a fabric that needs dry cleaning, you will have to make sure that anybody who buys it from you understands this. It would be a good idea to embroider a label saying as much and attaching it to the quilt so that neither you nor anyone else will forget.

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Do I Really Have to Prewash Fabric?

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One of the biggest questions for new quilters is whether or not to prewash your fabric. It seems like an awful lot of work, especially when you’re dying to get started on that quilt! There are two main opinions when it comes to prewashing your quilt fabric and in this article, I’ll cover all the basics.

Since actual quilt weigh cotton fabric is cotton, it shrinks when washed. Fabric will shrink about three to five percent the first time it is washed, so that’s something to be aware of when calculating how much fabric you will need to buy. Also, different fabrics from different fabric manufacturers will shrink at different rates. If you decide not to prewash and you use many different fabrics from many different manufacturers, then you could have a mess on your hands when the finished quilt is washed for the first time.

Not all cotton fabrics are colorfast. Fabrics designed specifically for use in quilting are colorfast. There may be a modern designer quilting fabric out there who’s colors bleed a bit with the first wash but I’ve never come across one. Vintage cottons probably will bleed, so always prewash those.

Fabrics are coated with chemicals for the printing process and for sizing purposes.Some feel that the crisper, non-washed fabric gums up their sewing machine needles more. Some feel it’s much easier to stitch the crisper fabric than softer, washed fabric. I’ve never gummed up my needles with unwashed fabrics and in my opinion, it is easier to sew crisper pieces of cotton rather than floppy, soft fabric. However, imagine how many hands have handled your fabric before you bought it. That thought alone makes me want to prewash. Plus starch and a hot iron do wonders for crispness.

Finished quilts made of prewashed fabrics have been handled a lot. From the sewing to the arranging and the quilting, lots of dust and natural oils from the quilters hands and bits of fuzz and dirt floating around can dirty the quilt. Add unwashed fabric and all the handling that it went through before you brought it home from the quilt store and I would sincerely hope that you give the quilt a gentle bath before presenting it to its new owner.

In the end, I know that when I get a new stack of fabric from the store, nothing is more satisfying than preparing them to go in my stash. I use my pinking rotary cutter on the edges. Wash them on a gentle cycle with Woolite. And starch and press them while they’re still a bit damp. It’s a good opportunity to get to know the new fabrics.

Hannah Logan is a contributor to the newest online quilting magazine , The Modern Quilter.