Quilting Questions Answered

Quilting and Patchwork using fabric, wadding, thread and not a little love is both an Art and a Craft which has delighted mankind for millenia as well as keeping us warm and cosy. We Quilters browse our books, search out patterns, source supplies, visit shops, buy fabric, get out our quilting machine and our quilting frame, scissors, cutters and needles and settle down to an orgy of creative cutting and sewing using as many techniques as we can to make the finished Quilt an item to treasure, an heirloom for our families and friends to use and enjoy generation after generation.

This lens and it's companion Quilting With Friends, and others yet to come will answer all your questions about Quilting - the techniques, the patterns, the supplies you need, all the 'how to' questions you can think of and much more besides. Even if you don't quilt there is lots for you to see and find out - Quilters are friendly folk and we share our lives with each other and pour it all into our Quilts so that they tell a story that will capture your heart and delight your mind.

I hope you enjoy looking at the Quilts I have made and that you enjoy this lens. If so, please rate it whilst your here as well, just click on the (5th!) star - tell me what you think.

What is a Quilt?

A Quilt in it's most basic form is a covering made of layers which have been stitched together to provide warmth. Quilting is a craft, according to Kathleen Guerrier in her excellent book,The Encyclopedia of Quilting and Patchwork Techniques, which was "born of necessity and has progressed to a highly decorative Art form". You can use new or recycled fabrics and materials, specialist tools or just a basic sewing kit. Once you have those essentials you can apply any one of a number of techniques to create your Quilt.

These books - some of my favourites - will tell you more about Quilting and Patchwork in general terms - you can find lots more Quilting Books here at The Quilter's Emporium

Complete Guide to Quilting (Better Homes & Gardens Crafts)

by: Better Homes & Gardens

This book covers all aspects of quilting from designing quilt blocks and appliquéing to binding and finishing, giving quilters the tools to tackle any project with confidence. It is ideal for the Novice and takes you through to the more complex projects without losing you on the way.

Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 11/08/2009)

Quilting The Complete Guide

by: Darlene Zimmerman

I love this book - it is full of easy-to-understand instructions with loads of color photos and illustrations, and tips for improving your skills. The perfect gift for any quilter.

Amazon Price: $19.79 (as of 11/08/2009)

Kaffe Fassett's Kaleidoscope of Quilts

by: Kaffe Fassett

This book is a real inspiration with wonderful photos and ideas to spark you off - and the colours........

Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 11/08/2009)

Anatomy of a Quilt

A Quilt is a sandwich made up of layers of fabric, traditionally three. The 'Top' is usually a highly decorative piece of fabric - patchwork, applique or wholecloth are the most common. In the middle is wadding, or batting which is made from a variety of material and this is what provides the warmth. The backing is usually Calico or Cotton. Some Quilters (including me!) now use a fourth layer of decorative fabric on the back. It hides all the 'not so even' work and gives another chance to use all the gorgeous fabrics that are around.

The Quilting Stitches hold the layers together and are usually highly decorative patterns done by machine or by hand. Finally a binding is used to enclose the raw edges and can often be a decorative feature in itself. The photo shows a quilt in construction and you can see all the layers.

These are some of my favourite places for sourcing fabrics, wadding and thread - or you can look at The Quilter's Emporium for more ideas.

Jo-Ann.com
have a great range of fabrics and supplies and you can often get free shipping which means all the more to spend on fabric!!

Another favourite of mine is Fabric.com
- they offer some wonderful fabrics at discount prices - often up to 40% and they also have free shipping.

eBay is a great source of fabrics, often pre-cut

Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by

What Do You Need to Start Quilting and Patchwork?

Not as much as you might think

What you need in order to start quilting is, in all truth, very little. There are all sorts of fancy gadgets and gizmos to indulge the Shopaholic in you - you can look here to see just a few (I'm steadily building up my collection)

Materials - you need some fabric for the Top, Wadding or Batting, Calico or Cotton Sheeting for the back and some quilting thread. Whilst everything else is OK to use recycled, don't skimp on your thread - it will ruin all your hard work if the thread gives way!

Equipment - again fairly simple. A good pair of Scissors or a Rotary Cutter and Mat, a fabric pen or marker of some sort, long pins, Beeswax, Quilting Needles, a good tape measure, a rule, a thimble if you use one and patience - if anyone knows where I can buy that I'd really like a 'heads up'!

Basic Sewing Kit
This is a really good basic Sewing Kit and one I'd recommend to anyone as it has all the basics you need and comes in a good container. Needles, scissors, thimble, tape measure, pin cushion, pins - it's all there.

Gutermann Hand Quilting Thread Caddy - 64 Colors
I would love to have one of these - I keep dropping hints to my dearly beloved and I'm hopeful that with a birthday coming up it may just appear ......

What is Patchwork and What is Quilting

Yes - there is a difference!

Patchwork and Quilting are two terms which are often run together and it never ceases to surprise me how many people are not aware of the difference between them.

Patchwork, or Piecing, is the bit that makes everyone think we are mad! We cut up whole pieces of fabric into lots of tiny pieces - and then we sew them back together again! They do go back together in a different order to create patterns, often repeated in block, until we have a 'Top' the size required. Sometimes we add 'Sashing' or dividing strips between the blocks to emphasize the pattern.

Quilting is the bit that joins the layers of a quilt together, usually using decorative patterns to show off the patchwork. First we 'ditch', sewing into the seams between the pieces to outline the pattern, then we use decorative patterns in the sashing and the borders which serves a number of purposes. First, and most important it ties the layers together, secondly it enhances the beauty of the patterns and fabrics, thirdly it shows off our wonderful neat stitching and gives us time to sit and chat while we do it!

There are all sorts of templates and stencils you can get to help with your patchwork and quilting - accuracy is essential when piecing. I've put a couple of my favourites here but you can look at more here

Omnigrid® Ruler Set

There are loads of different Rules for cutting your fabric but Omnigrid are my preferred ones because they don't slip like so many others can.

Quilt Stencil
I tend to use stencils for my quilting patterns as it keeps it more accurate and looks better than if I try and do it by eye.

Flaming Lacer's Quilting

Examples of My Work

These are photos of some of the Quilts I have made - you can find out the methods, techniques and materials I used by visiting these lenses The Quilters Emporium, Quilting 101 and Quilting With Friends

curated content from Flickr

Quilting Patterns

There are more patterns for Quilt Tops than I can begin to cover here - Four Patch, Nine Patch, Drunkards Path, Mariners Star, Attic Window, Tumbling Blocks Wedding Ring, Clamshell, Cathedral Window for starters. After that you have all the patterns created by Applique, Shadow Quilting, Trapunto - the list is endless. There are loads of patterns available to cover every skill level, many of them freely available on the web. The most thumbed book in my library is The Quilting Sourcebook which I like because of its clear instructions.

These are some more of my favourites - again you can find more good books on The Quilter's Book Store

One-Block Wonders: One Fabric, One Shape, One-of-a-Kind Quilts

by: Maxine Rosenthal

Really quick patterns that go together like a dream, brilliant if you want to make a quick gift

Amazon Price: $16.29 (as of 11/08/2009)

A New Twist on Strips 'n Curves: Featuring Swirl, Half Clamshell, Free-Form Curves & Strips 'n Circles

by: Louisa L. Smith

Curves are never the easiest of things to do, but this gives a whole new slant on them and makes it much easier

Amazon Price: $17.79 (as of 11/08/2009)

Magic Stack-N-Whack Quilts

by: Bethany Reynolds

I love this - a really good book that shows you how to be economical with fabric too

Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 11/08/2009)

Quilting Pattern Links

Some of these are free, some are not but they are all worth looking at. If you know of any good pattern links please feel free to add them to this list for everyone to enjoy and vote for the one you like best.

Quilting Questions Answered - The Basics of Quilting, Patterns, Frames, Machines and Books