Quilting For Expression And Enjoyment
Quilting was a common social activity in the past. During earlier times, quilting fabric was an activity which farm wives liked to get together to do. These were opportunities for them to retreat from the strenuous chores of farm life and do something light and useful together.
At that time, quilts were an essential article in households, not only as bed coverings, but also as curtains, and petticoats and waistcoats to keep the body warm. Patchwork quilting was created by homemakers during a time when there was a shortage of fabric. Worn out sewn items were often recycled into patches for quilts.
Today, quilting is no longer practiced simply to satisfy economic or social needs, but for expression and enjoyment. Patchwork is no longer just a form of frugality, but rather another form of art. Although quilts are still sometimes made from fabric scraps, quilt makers are more likely to use scraps to recreate the charming look of old quilts or to commemorate an event, rather than out of necessity.
Quilting is now used as a creative and inspirational form of craft. Having a long history, quilting has shown itself to be admirably versatile and its ability to change and adapt is a hallmark of a successful craft.
Many people, today, use quilting as a hobby because they find it fun, gratifying and enriching. Quilting offers them an opportunity to express their creativity and helps to enhance their lives. Quilters enjoy choosing or designing a project, the process of selecting fabrics, and the satisfaction of creating something unique and special.
It gives them an opportunity to experiment with color, design and texture. The completed piece of quilt gives the maker a great sense of achievement and delight. Most people who engage in quilting do so because they want a creative experience and an emotional expression. It is no wonder that some quilters find it healing. Stressed mothers of young children, exhausted caregivers of ill parents, wearied working women and men seeking a creative outlet often find the process of making something soft and warm, like a quilt, both restorative and relaxing.
As quilts provide warmth and comfort, they are used for clothing and bed coverings. There are some that are kept as attractive works of art - showcases for the talents and skills of their creators. The range of quilted items, nowadays, has expanded to include placemats, wall hangings, cushion covers, table runners, bonnets, diaper totes, eyeglass cases, makeup bags and hanger covers.
Making quilts is easier than you might imagine. It does not require any special skills, just a general knowledge of sewing. If you can sew a button or mend a hem, you can certainly make a quilt. Quilting is simply using a technique to stitch together layers of fabric using well-designed patterns to create a variety of decorative and practical objects.
A completed quilt is actually a creatively stitched together sandwich of fabric and batting. The basic equipment for quilting includes needles, pins, thread, scissors, thimbles, beeswax and frames or hoops to quilt on. Other necessities are a long ruler, masking tape, drawing paper and a marker for transferring quilt patterns onto fabric. Although machine techniques may have replaced tedious hand sewing ones, modern quilt makers still take inspiration from old quilts and try to adapt those designs and techniques to today's lifestyles.
It is important that while working on selected quilting patterns, quilt makers should not just replicate the patterns and colors shown in the samples, but also adapt the patterns to their own color preferences and ideas. They should attempt to create their own unique designs and try out new techniques. In this way, they can make progress by gaining new technical skills as well as new insights into the design process.
~ Rosemary
Article provided by articlecircle.com
Teach Yourself to Rotary-cut
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Whether you’re an experienced or a new quilter, you’ll want to keep this valuable guide on hand. Learn to cut your quilt pieces with precision and speed using the essential technique of rotary-cutting. Clear instructions, helpful step-by-step photos, and a beautiful collection of rotary-cut quilts are sure to inspire you. Starting with basic strips and squares, and progressing to triangles, using templates, and the more advanced techniques of fussy cutting and squaring up blocks, this collection of timeless projects contains all the information you need to get started. Projects include: * Feed-Sack Patches * Hole in the Wall * Round the Twist * 25 in 25 * Bow Tie * Pinwheel Panache * Twist and Shout * Independence * Tipsy Trees * Building Blocks (3 pillows) * Scrappy Maple Leaves * Heading North * Streaks of Lightning * Snow Stars * Jane’s Kaleidoscope * Town Square Picnic * Slice and Dice
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The Quilting Zone - Quilting For Expression And Enjoyment
Log Cabin Quilts Unlimited:
The Ultimate Creative Guide to the Most Popular and Versatile Pattern
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Quilters can explore the creative possibilities of the most popular and adaptable patchwork pattern. Log cabin is the quintessential quilt block, at its most basic strips sewn in order around a square center. Generations of quilters have been fascinated with the limitless variations possible by changing the central shape, the widths of the strips, the arrangement of blocks, and the interplay of lights and darks. Log Cabin Quilts Unlimited provides everything a quilter needs to design and create an original log cabin quilt: options for block construction, 18 block styles with many variations, setting options, photographs of outstanding quilts from primitive to contemporary looks, and a workbook with full-page diagrams. This is the ultimate guide to the ultimate quilt block. Patricia Cox is the former director of the International Quilt Study Center at the University of Nebraska and the author of American Quilt Classics. Maggi McCormick Gordon's previous books include The Ultimate Quilting Book and 1000 Great Quilt Blocks.
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The Quilting Zone - Quilting For Expression And Enjoyment
Hawaiian Quilting: Instructions and Full-Size Patterns for 20 Blocks
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Hawaiian Quilting - Instructions and Full-Size patterns for 20 blocks is a very user friendly reference book for those wishing to commence their journey into Hawaiian quilting. It includes detailed instructions, 20 full-size quilting blocks (each 18" square) for creating exotic floral motifs: orchid, waterlily, hibiscus, and 17 others. Author Elizabeth Root takes her time to bring you up to date with interesting background about the origins and history of this fascinating art form. For those who have always found it quite difficult to understand the instructions for folding your pattern paper into eight, Roots's instructions are so straight forward and easy to understand you'll wish you'd come across this publication much sooner.The general instructions clearly outline the steps for creating a Hawaiian quilt, specifically - cutting the pattern, laying and tacking the pattern to the background, and appliqueing the design. Consideration has also been given to the presentation of the 20 patterns. Each pattern is on its own page, with a blank page behind it so there is no chance of chasing the incorrect line when tracing.
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The Quilting Zone - Quilting For Expression And Enjoyment
Japanese Quilt Blocks to Mix and Match
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Modern Japanese quilting blends Eastern and Western techniques to create quilts of extraordinary style and beauty. Using designs borrowed from a rich decorative arts heritage, and often incorporating traditional kimono fabrics, Japanese quilters have developed a distinctive style based on unusual motifs and striking color combinations. With Japanese Quilt Blocks to Mix and Match, any quilter can create exquisite and unique works of patchwork art in the Japanese tradition.
The book presents more than 125 different block patterns, each with complete instructions and a color photograph, representing a variety of pattern sources: kamon (family crests), hakone yosegi (parquetry) and traditional textiles, such as kasuri weave. Each 9-inch block includes a full cutting guide and fabric palette; suggestions for use, either mixing and matching or adapting to an all-over design; and icons indicating techniques and skill level. The blocks on each spread are related in design and technique.
In addition to the Block Directory, Japanese Quilt Blocks to Mix and Match features an Inspiration Gallery, showcasing examples of finished quilts from leading quilters. Using these examples, author Susan Briscoe explores such topics as color ideas from traditional Japanese textiles and quilts, motifs, and recommendations for combining fabric patterns and block designs. An extensive section on technique, as well as several pages about the fabrics themselves and a listing of suppliers and organizations make this volume as practical and informative as it is beautiful.
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The Quilting Zone - Quilting For Expression And Enjoyment
Sew Easy Rag Quilting
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Rag Quilting is sweeping through the quilting world. And with good reason. It's fun, fast and fabulous! There is no batting, no binding, and often, no quilting. When the quilt top is finished, the whole quilt is complete. Results are satisfying for quilters of all skill levels. Easy enough for beginners, this book includes twelve projects based on five different designs: Simplicity, Allegiance, Cottage Row, Honeycomb and Flamingo Flurry, which is featured on the cover.
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The Quilting Zone - Quilting For Expression And Enjoyment
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