History of Quilting

Brenda's Craft Room

History of quilting

There is a common belief that quilting originated for its utility rather

than decoration[who? The origins of this method of craft are

thought to be in the Crusades, when soldiers needed warmth as

well as protection from the chafing caused by heavy armor.

Additionally, there are ancient Egyptian sculptures showing figures

which appear to be wearing clothing which is quilted, possibly for

warmth in the chilly desert evenings. In the 14th century, the

gambeson was a popular form of armor.

In American Colonial times most women were busy spinning, weaving

and making clothing. Meanwhile women of the wealthier classes prided

themselves on their fine quilting of wholecloth quilts with fine

needlework. Quilts made during the early 1800s were not constructed

of pieced blocks but instead whole cloth quilts. Broderie perse quilts

and medallion quilts were made. Some antique quilts made in North

America have worn-out blankets or older quilts as the internal batting

layer, quilted between new layers of fabric and thereby extending the

usefulness of old material.During American pioneer days "paper" quilting became

popular.

Paper

was used as a pattern and each individual piece of cut fabric was

basted around the paper pattern. Paper was a scarce commodity in the

early American west and women would save letters from home,

newspaper clippings, and catalogs to use as patterns. The paper not

only served as a pattern but as an insulator. The paper found between

the old quilts has become a primary source about pioneer life.

Quilts made without any insulation or batting were referred to as

summer quilts. They were not made for warmth, only to keep the chill

off on cooler summer evenings.

Harriet Powers, a slave-born African American woman, made two

famous story quilts. She was just one of the many African American

quilters who to the evolution of quilting.

In modern times, art quilts have started to become popular for their

aesthetic and artistic qualities rather than for functionality (they are

displayed on a wall rather than spread on a bed).

Many types of quilting exist today. The two most widely used are

hand-quilting and machine quilting.

Hand Quilting is the process of using a needle and thread to sew a

running stitch by hand across the entire area to be quilted. This binds

the layers together. A quilting frame or hoop is often used to assist in

holding the piece being quilted off the quilter's lap. A quilter can make

one running stitch at a time; this is called a stab stitch.[1] Another

option is called a rocking stitch, where the quilter has one hand,

usually with a finger wearing a thimble, on top of the quilt, while the

other hand is located beneath the piece to push the needle back up.

The third option is called "loading the needle" and involves doing four or

more stitches before pulling the needle through the cloth. Hand quilting

is still practiced by the Amish within the United States, and is enjoying

a resurgence worldwide.

Machine Quilting is the process of using a home sewing machine or a

Longarm machine to sew the layers together. With the home sewing

machine the layers are tacked together before quilting. This involves

laying the top, batting and backing out on a flat surface and either

pinning (using large safety pins) or tacking the layers together.

Longarm Quilting involves placing the layers to be quilted on a special

frame. The frame has bars on which the layers are rolled, keeping

these together without the need for basting or pinning. These frames

are used with a professional sewing machine mounted on a platform.

The platform rides along tracks so that the machine can be moved

across the layers on the frame. A Longarm machine is moved across

the fabric. In contrast, the fabric is moved through a home sewing

machine.

Tying is another technique of fastening the three layers together (and

is not a form of quilting at all). This is done primarily on quilts that are

made to be used and are needed quickly. The process of tying the quilt

is done with yarns or multiple strands of thread. Square knots are used

to finish off the ties so that the quilt may be washed and used without

fear of the knots coming undone. This technique is commonly called

"tacking". In the mid-west, tacked bed covers are referred to as

comforters.

Traditional Quilting is now taught at schools in some states.

quilting is a six-step process that includes: 1) selecting a

pattern, fabrics and batting; 2) measuring and cutting fabrics to the

correct size to make blocks from the pattern; 3) piecing (sewing cut

pieces of fabric together using a sewing machine or by hand to make

blocks) blocks together to make a finished "top"; 4) layering the quilt

top with batting and backing, to make a "quilt sandwich"; 5) quilting by

hand or machine through all layers of the quilt sandwich; and 6)

squaring up and trimming excess batting from the edges, machine

sewing the pieced blocks to complete the quilt top. Note: borders

may also be made up of simple or patterned blocks that are stitched

together into a row, before being added to the quilt top.

Binding:

Fabric strips cut on the bias or straight of the grain, sewn

together, making a long strip that will fit the perimeter of the quilt,

which is typically machine sewn to the front side of the edge of the

quilt, folded over, and hand sewn to the back side of the quilt. Quilting:

Stitching through all three layers of the quilt sandwich,

typically by hand or machine in decorative patterns, which serves

three purposes: 1) to secure all three layers to each other, and 2) to

add to the beauty and design of the finished quilt, and 3) to trap air

within the quilted sections, making the quilt as a whole much warmer

than its parts; for example, a single layer or all three layers used

separately.

Quilting is usually completed by starting from the middle,

and moving outward toward the edges of the quilt. Examples: simple or

complex geometric grids, "motifs" traced from published quilting

patterns or traced pictures, complex repeated designs called

tessellations, or stitching within the seam line itself, i.e., stitching in

the ditch. Quilting can be elaborately decorative, comprising stitching fashioned

into complex designs and patterns. The quilter may choose to

emphasize and add to the richness of the quilting, by using threads

that are multicolored and/or metallic, or that contrast highly to the

fabric. Conversely, the quilter may choose to make the quilting

disappear, using "invisible" nylon or polyester thread, and stitching in

the ditch (in the seam line).

Some quilters draw the quilting design on

the quilt top before stitching, while others stitch "freehand."

While the majority of quilt tops are pieced from many smaller patches

of fabric (patchwork quilts), in which the patterns of individual blocks,

or the pattern created by combining the blocks is the emphasis, whole

cloth quilts typically use a single, non-figural piece of fabric and the

elaborate quilting is the emphasis. Polished chintz, sateen or other

shiny fabrics are often used in whole cloth quilts to aid in emphasizing

the intricately detailed quilting stitches.

Quilting is often combined with embroidery, patchwork, applique and

other forms of needlework.

binding to the front edges of the quilt and then hand-

stitching the binding to the quilt backing. Note: If the quilt will be hung

on the wall, there is an additional step: making and attaching the

hanging sleeve.-from wiki

Happy Sewing!