Quilt Patterns

A patchwork quilt is a quilt in which the top layer consists of pieces of fabric sewn together to form a design. The quilting design does not necessarily follow the patchwork design. more...

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Originally, this was to make full use of left-over scraps of fabric, but now fabric is often bought specially for a specific design. Fabrics are now sold in quarter meters. (A fat quarter being one meter folded into four and cut, thus giving a square piece of fabric, as opposed to buying a quarter of a meter off the roll, resulting in a long thin piece that is only 25cm wide).

Designs can be geometric and formal or imaginative.

The quilt is formed of three layers: the patchwork, a layer of insulation wadding (UK) or batting (US) and a layer of backing material. These three layers are stitched together (i.e., quilted), either by hand or machine. The quilting can either outline the patchwork motifs, or be a completely independent design.

History

Quilting was a very popular early American past time, particularly in the midwest, where quilting circles were a common social past time for women. Annual town fairs generally included a Quilting Bee, to award excellence in quilting. Handmade quilts were a very common wedding gift for young couples, and were often mentioned specifically in wills due to their sentimental significance. It was not uncommon, in early American culture, for quilts to reflect a mosaic of a woman's life often including swatches of material from memorable events, such as pieces of a wedding gown or a child's baptismal garment. The Amish people are famous for their geometric patchwork designs with independent patterns and quilting; typical motifs include floral designs and heart shapes.The Amish and Mennonite women of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country have been creating exquisite quilted masterpieces since the mid-1800s (and some believe even earlier). Amish quilts are an expression of frugality. They not only serve a practical, functional purpose, but serve as a form of entertainment as well.

In 1934 Carl Carmer published this list of quilt patterns mastered by "Mattie Sue" who was required by her parents in rural Northeast Alabama to complete one hundred quilts before being married.

Colorwash quilting

This is a non-traditional method of quilting which uses small blocks of color to achieve the look of a watercolor painting. There is no fixed pattern. Fabrics are chosen for their hue and tone.

Read more at Wikipedia.org