Patchwork quilt
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A patchwork quilt is a quilt in which the top layer may consist of pieces of fabric sewn together to form a design.[1] Originally, this was to make full use of leftover scraps of fabric, but now fabric is often bought specially for a specific design. Fabrics are now often sold in quarter meters (or quarter yards in the United States). A "fat quarter" is one square meter (or one yard by the width of the fabric, typically 42–44") folded into four and cut along the folds, thus giving a relatively square piece of fabric 50 cm on a side, as opposed to buying a quarter of a meter off the roll, resulting in a long thin piece that is only 25 cm wide.[1]
Design
Designs can be geometric and formal or imaginative. Patchwork blocks were initially created individually, accumulated over time, by use of scrap and salvaged material. Geometric designs were the most efficient way to aggregate fabric into useful units. Applique, where a piece of fabric is layered on top of the a base or "ground" fabric and then the cut edges are folded under and sewn down, is not limited to simple geometric designs.[2] Early uses of applique in the United States included efforts to expand the effect of expensive, imported European fabrics in early America. The dense printed patterns were cut out, spread apart on a background of plain fabric, allowing the effect of the rare fabric to spread further.[1] Broderie perse is a related technique, where selections of printed fabric are cut out, and sewn in place to produce the effect of a custom printed cloth. Reverse appliqué involves cutting the ground fabric, and placing another fabric beneath the opening. The raw, cut edges are folded under, and sewn onto the smaller piece of fabric below, creating a new design.
Additional design options are provided by quilting techniques that alter the texture of the quilt. These include: trapunto (where additional batting to be sewn through is stuffed into a discrete section of the quilting), cording (where cotton cording or yarn are pulled between quilting lines that form channels), and stipple quilting (where dense, closely spaced quilting causes the batting to be more compressed than it is in adjacent areas). Another, more casual option is to "tie" the quilt. Heavy thread or yarn is used to tie all three layers together at points across the surface of the quilt.
Layering
The quilt is formed of three layers: the patchwork quilt top, a layer of insulation wadding (
History
Though quilting has a
Quilting was a very popular early American pastime, first in the
In 1987 in San Francisco, the Names Project commenced as a memorial to the lives of people who died from
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Colorwash quilting
This non-traditional method of quilting uses small blocks of color to achieve the look of a
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f "A Brief History of Patchwork & Quilting". Retrieved 24 February 2014.
- ^ "How To Applique On A Quilt Complete Guide". The Quilters Garden. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
- ^ Carolyn Ducey. "Quilt History Timeline". quilthistorytimeline.pdf. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ "Patchwork Quilts: A Timeless Art". Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ "Quilting's story started with the pharaohs". Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ "The 1718 Silk Coverlet". Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ "Quilt". Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ "History of Quilts: An American Folkart". Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ Lady Sarah Davies. "Quilt History". Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ a b Julie Johnson. "History of Quilting". Retrieved 10 May 2017.
Further reading
- Ferrero, Pat, Elaine Hedges, and Julie Silber. Hearts and Hands: The Influence of Women & Quilts on American Society. Rutledge Hill Press, Nashville, Tennessee, 1987.
- Hedges, Elaine, Pat Ferrero, and Julie Silber. Hearts and Hands: Women, Quilts, and American Society. Rutledge Hill Press, Nashville, Tennessee, 1996.
- Kiracofe, Roderick, and Mary Elizabeth Johnson. The American Quilt: A History of Cloth and Comfort 1750-1950, Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., New York, 1993.
- Carmer, Carl (1934). Stars Fell on Alabama. New York: The Literary Guild.
External links
- America's Quilting History
- "Military Quilt". Textiles. Victoria and Albert Museum. Archived from the original on 2008-06-20. Retrieved 2008-07-01.