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

flaminglacer by flaminglacer

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.screen resolution stats

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


Smartek RX-24 Foldable Sewing Kit With Accessories


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.





100 Different Colors Embroidery Machine Thread

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-Minis


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 Stencils:
Small Stipple W1625

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
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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.

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Quilt Patterns and Free Quilting Ideas at AllCrafts.net!

AllCrafts.net - Free Crafts Network<br more...3 points

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Free Quilt Patterns

Free Quilt Patterns listing with over 1000 sites a more...3 points

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The Quilter's Cache - Marcia Hohn's free quilt patterns!

A quilting site with hundreds of free patterns.3 points

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Amy Butler Design

There are some FANTASTIC free patterns here3 points

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Free Quilt Patterns

Free Quilt Patterns listing with over 1000 sites a more...3 points

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Custom Tape Measures

Promotional Tape Measures, Custom Tape Measures, W more...3 points

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Block Central's Quilting Forum

Probably one of the friendliest forums I've come a more...2 points

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Stitches - The Best in Quilting, Knitting and Needle Arts

Shop Stitches for a wide selection of art quilt pa more...2 points

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QC Blog

A personal journal tied to my website about quilti more...1 point

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GENERATIONS Quilt Patterns, Your 24/7 Online Quilt Teacher

Free online quilting instructions for machine quil more...1 point

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BJ Reed Quilts 2005

BJ Reed Piecemaking Quilts0 points

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-- BOM Quilts --

Block of the Month Quilts for Every Quilter0 points

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Free Quilt Patterns | Free Quilting Patterns| Beginner Quilting

Free quilt patterns and free quilting lessons0 points

What Colours Should I Use in my Quilt?

Choosing colours for your quilt is never easy and I do like to have some idea of what I am looking for before I go shopping for fabric. I came across this neat tool at www.paintquality.com which not only explains colour theory but lets you play and choose suitable colours as well. You can get the whole thing here but this shows you what it looks like.


color wheel

Quilts For Kids - please read this if you read nothing else on this lens

Quilts for Kids is a Charity which makes beautiful quilts for kids with a variety of problems. I make no apology for lifting text straight from their Website. Please visit and support them if you can.

"Our Mission: To keep expensive fabric out of our landfills and bring happiness to children through the simple gift of a handmade quilt.

Our Goal: To link design centers globally with their communities, so that children in need will be served within their own region.

Our Progress: 50+ chapters in 29 states plus the Carribbean (and counting!) Nearly 40,000 quilts donated so far."

Please Support Them and Visit Quilts for Kids - Thank You

Share Your Quilt Tales - or Just Your Tales

Sit and Chat a while

What do you think about Quilts, Quilting - the whole 'cut fabric up just to sew it back together' thing - let me know what you think of this lens and what else you would like to see here or at any of our other quilting lenses - Quilting With Friends, The Quilting Emporium, Quilting 101

  • FrankqWalsh Jul 29, 2011 @ 4:07 am | delete
    Nice Lens! I love it
  • KarenStewart Apr 1, 2011 @ 7:47 pm | delete
    Very nice lens!
  • Fitzcharming Mar 5, 2011 @ 9:30 pm | delete
    Nice basics about quilting. Blessed and added to the Quilting Neighborhood Angel Lens.
  • Elizabeth Feb 2, 2011 @ 9:22 pm | delete
    I have found a block I like but it is made with a bunch of different shapes and sized pieces. After studying it for a few minutes I realized I could do the whole thing in half square triangles and arrange them to mimic the original block. Does this still make it the same block with just a different piecing arrangement? The block I am looking at is pinwheel in a square.
  • flaminglacer Feb 3, 2011 @ 3:00 am | delete
    Even though it looks the same because it is done a different way, technically it is a new block. Occasionally in my quilting group we 'accidentally' create a new block or variation, either as you have done or just because we made a mistake - or should I say creative difference! In those cases we give it the name of the quilter and the name of the block. For example my friend Joy recently slightly adjusted the Topeka pattern by accident so that is now known as 'The Joy variation of Topeka' - we have quite a few 'variations' within the group - it makes for a lot of fun and laughter.
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Quilting Frames

If you get serious about your quilting - and you will, there are a few tools and pieces of equipment that are worth investing in. I love my frame - I should say frames really, as I have more than one! They keep the fabric even and flat whilst you work your magic with the quilting needle, and I do like the free standing ones as they keep the quilt off your lap whilst you are working so you don't get too warm!
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Storing Quilting Fabric and Tools

What's the best way?


GSC UB2042 Under-Bed Box with Wheels, Clear Base

Storing your quilting fabric and tools properly really does help produce a better finished Quilt. You can always lay your hands on the right bit of fabric or just the gadget you need at the moment you need it. I try to store all my fabric as flat as possible, you don't want horrid semi-permanent creases right across the piece you are just about to use. I generally use the 'Under Bed' storage boxes you can get in loads of different shops, and sort the fabrics into them by colour - I can always find what I want them.


Sulky Universal Slimline Storage Box


My latest find is a fantastic Thread Storage Box not only does it keep them tidy, but I can see the colours through the box and see the colors easily. I find that the random color combinations in the box often give me ideas too.


Collins Quilting Project Travel Case Bag

Keeping your tools, templates and so on together is essential in my mind, otherwise you end up losing them under piles of stuff and maybe even throwing away your scissors with the rubbish - Disaster! I like something that you can also use to take your projects to class or your quilting group likeQuilting Project Bag which will hold just about everything except the actual made up quilt.

Online Quilting Information

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Caring For Your Quilt

I don't believe in making or having beautiful things just to put them in a drawer and hide them away. Quilts are investment of love and time and deserve to be well used and well treated. They are remarkably robust and will handle any amount of use but they do need to be washed properly. Antique Quilts should be professionally cleaned - end of story! Modern quilts can generally be washed by machine if it (the machine that is) is big enough, otherwise wash them gently in the bath and rinse them with the shower attachment before spreading them over the top of a Rotary Dryer to dry - I never hang mine.

To display the Quilts you are not using there are any number of beautiful racks and hangers - I would recommend that you visit Margaret Schaut's excellent lens on Amish Quilt Racks, Quilt Shelves and Quilt Clamps - they are beautiful.

Hand Or Machine Quilting

Which is for You?

Quilts can be made by using a sewing machine or by hand sewing. There are those who swear by one and won't touch the other but most of us tend to use a mixture of the two. I have made whole Quilts by hand, but I have to say it is an experience I am unlikely to repeat unless there is a very good reason - why? Too much time doing the piecing when I was desperate to get on with the actual quilting.

My preferred method is to piece the Quilt Top by machine and then Hand Quilt. That way I get the straightforward sewing needed to sew all the patchwork pieces out of the way and I can concentrate on the more elaborate and decorative Quilting Stitches using the freedom of hand stitching. It also makes the work portable when I want to take it to Class or on holiday or such like.


Brother SA188 Open Toe Walking Foot


An Even Feed or Walking Foot which feeds the fabric through in such a way that the layers stay together and do not slip is a necessity if you want to use a sewing machine to do some of the quilting. Most domestic machines will cope with a foot like this. If you don't have one you run the risk of the layers slipping which will result in uneven and rucked Quilts.

The only limitation of a domestic machine is the size of work you can manipulate. If you want to do anything large all in one piece you will need a long arm quilting machine and a frame which is a major investment. There are people who will do machine quilting for you - or perhaps you could set up a business doing the quilting for people in your area! I can think of worse ways to earn a few dollars!
There are a variety of machines you can use - my wish list grows every day!
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Long Arm Quilting Machines


Grace Sturdy Lite with Juki TL-98Q



If you are serious about machine quilting then you need a long arm machine or a system that will enable you to move the machine across the piece of work whilst it is mounted on a large frame. There are a number of different systems available - you can even convert your own machine into the equivalent of a long arm quilter by mounting it onto a rail system. Personally I've never owned one, but I have tried them out and there are advantages if you want to do a lot of very dense quilting on what are sometimes known as Art Quilts.

Long Arm Quilting Machines are an expensive hobby, but the Grace Sturdy Lite Rail System is quite a reasonable alternative and it will work with machines up to a 13 inch throat with no trouble at all, so you can have the best of both worlds!

Quilts To See

I liked this - a young man of 21 made this video of a Quilt Exhibition at his school for his Mum to see - ahhh....... if only they were all that thoughtful - and there are some lovely Quilts.
Cool Quilts for my mom to see
by bushels86 | video info

6 ratings | 6,860 views
curated content from YouTube

Teacher's Tips

What Jackie says....

I am very fortunate to have a wonderful Quilting Teacher, Jackie, who guides us in our struggles to improve our skills and is generous in sharing her knowledge so I thought I would share some of her favourite tips with you. You can see her, smiling broadly as always, in the photo as we set up our recent exhibition.

1 - Don't sweat the small stuff! Life is too short to be over critical - especially of yourself.

2 - Always use beeswax on your quilting thread, it makes the thread stronger but more important (especially if you are visually challenged like me!) it makes your needle easier to thread.

3 - When you have washed your calico backing fabric to shrink it, put it in the freezer whilst it is wet and iron it from frozen - the creases come out quickly and it's easier to handle

4 - When you are making a bag - and quilter's love bags - always think about what you are going to use it for and make sure you plan all the different compartments and pockets that you need BEFORE you make it up.

Tips and Tricks For Quilters

Share Your Best Tips and Tricks

Eat Cake with Flaming LacerThis group discussion is here so we can share our tips and tricks - I haven't quite worked out how we can have cyber tea and cake yet, but I'm still trying! In the meantime - here's a photo of the sort of cakes I'd love to share with you!

Rainy
Lensmaster

Rainy wrote

[in reply to Faye] I think you may find it in Bethany REynolds stack and whack books.
I have been trying to follow her book but I am having a bit of difficulty with graphing it on to my paper....

ReplyPosted June 04, 2009

Faye
Lensmaster

Faye wrote

I am looking for a 12" block that looks like a pinwheel, but the triangles look like they go under the next one. I only saw this once and have no idea of its name. Can anyone help

ReplyPosted March 30, 2008

Lensmaster

Karendelac wrote...

What a lovely skill to possess. Thanks for putting together such a great lens! Keep up the great work!
All the Best, Karen at Karen's Kinkade Art Store

ReplyPosted July 09, 2007

Lensmaster

JonitasKalimpo wrote...

Good informative lens, indeed a good job, flaminglacer. Voted 5stars ;) Feel free to visit my lens, if you want.

ReplyPosted June 26, 2007

Lensmaster

TheresaMarkham wrote...

I quilt and sew with a lint roller nearby. That's where I put all the snipped threads. Keeps me as sane as a quilter-mom-wife-lawyer-author-Squidoo-er can be :)

ReplyPosted May 09, 2007

 
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Good Things To Look At

This is where there will be lots of Sites for you to look at for inspiration - Enjoy! Don't forget to add your favourites

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PaulaNadelstern.com

Beautiful Quilts2 points

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Evesham Piecemakers Quilting Group

Look at Our Exhibition Photos2 points

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CYNTHIA MALETZ : quilts

I really enjoyed looking at these2 points

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Thirteen Moons Gallery

Some beautiful Art Quilts2 points

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Rose Rushbrook

Art Quilts - fantastic ideas2 points

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Jane Sassaman Quilt Gallery

Some unusual fabrics used here1 point

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Kameleon Quilts

These have some 3D elements - worth looking at1 point

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Quilt Galleries - Sarah Ann Smith

Really unusual quilts to look at1 point

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Virginia Abrams - Art Quilts -'Ginny' Abrams

I love the flowing movement on these quilts1 point

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Genome Quilts

Quilts based on human genome - fascinating design more...1 point

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Beaded Art Quilts

These are something very special1 point

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CQA HomePage

Washington contemporary quilt artists display thei more...0 points

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Singer Sewing Machine Reviews

Singer Sewing Machine has many features to simplif more...0 points

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Quilts Patterns from NZ

Kiwiquilts provides Quilts Patterns in New Zealand more...0 points

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GIA diamonds

Diamonds on fire inc is one of the best high quali more...0 points

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Barrister Bookcase

$$ The Best Barrister Bookcase information before more...0 points

Crafts and Hobbies on Squidoo

Come and Join Us

I have the privilege of running a Crafts and Hobbies Group on Squidoo - if you have a Craft related Lens, please visit the Group Headquarters and join us.
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So who is flaminglacer? My byline across the web is Net Wanderer, Online Marketer and Grumpy Old Woman! Statements like that need a little explanation. ... more »

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