A LITTLE BIT ABOUT QUILTING

Quilts, A Short History

A quilt, according to Webster is defined as “a bed coverlet of two layers of cloth filled with padding (such as down or batting) held in place by ties or stitched designs”.  Quilting, however, has a far more extensive history than just bedding.  Clothing, particularly vests and jackets, was quilted to insulate under armor.  Some religious vestments and royal garments were quilted and adorned with embroidered or appliqued designs to show the wearer’s status.

A Star Patch is a simple, classic quilt design loved by many for its down-to-earth beauty. It features an 8 pointed star-shaped pattern made from different fabrics, often with bold or colorful contrasts. You’ll find star patches in everything from family heirloom quilts to everyday bedcovers, bringing a cozy, homespun feel.

The Star Patch has been a mainstay of quilting since commercial fabric mills began producing cotton cloth in the mid 1800s. The pattern has cross cultural meaning, popular among Native American tribes and settlers alike.

Before quilts progressed to a contemporary art form, they were first and foremost the creation born in frugality.  Our foremothers made use of every scrap of fabric, from the pieces left over when a garment was made to what pieces could be salvaged when the garment was worn out.  Worn out flannel shirts became crib quilts and wool coats became lap robes for winter buggy travel.  Quilting bees were social gatherings where women came together to create a quilt for an upcoming wedding or birth or for a neighbor in need.  The hand piecing of the fabric and the sewing of the quilt layers together was made easier by many hands.  Moreover, the quality of the cotton and wool fabric used have allowed these quilts to be passed down from generation to generation- the very definition of “heirloom”.

Quilting Bee, circa 1910. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Now, the piecing of quilt blocks, creating the quilt top and quilting the layers together is almost exclusively done by machine, though a few Mennonites and Amish are still creating handmade quilts.  While the production of quilts has been accelerated by the use of machines, sadly there has been marked decrease in quality.  With cheap polyester fabric printed with patchwork designs and filled with polyester batting, importers can offer “quilt-like” queen size comforters for under $20.  But as the saying goes, “you get what you pay for”, these polyester knockoffs don’t last.

While we use exclusively 100% cotton fabric, batting and thread, there is also a vast difference in the quality of cotton fabric sold in the big box stores and the cotton fabric sold in quilt shops. There is also a corresponding difference in price.  While 100% cotton fabric from

the big box store might cost $5 or $6 a yard, the 100% cotton fabric from a quilt shop runs $12 to $15 a yard.   Yes, both are 100% cotton and both could be used for any sewing projects, but the difference is quality.  The difference is that fabric from a quilt shop is milled specifically for making quilts. Each manufacturer of quilt fabric has designers that submit ideas for quilt designs and the fabric line of colors and graphics needed to make the quilt(s). While produced for specific designs, the fabric can be adapted to whatever pattern a quilter wished to make, however the yardage produced for that line is limited and is eventually sold out to make room for the next line.

So, why is there so much emphasis on the quality of the fabric?  Making a quilt takes many hours of cutting, piecing and sewing to create a beautiful, functional quilt that will last for years and generations of use, so why would you want to waste all that time and money making something less than the best?

Though quilts and quilting have been around for centuries, what we consider a quilt nowadays is Webster’s definition, with a few added criteria.  While quilts are mostly bedding, they have expanded into an art form of pictures made by sewing a multitude of colored pieces into designs, and the number of designs available exceeds thousands with new ones created every year.  While quilt designs start with basic block patterns, the colors used and how the blocks are arranged can create a myriad of different finished quilts.  Likewise, sizes of quilts can range from doll bed size to massive wall art hangings.