A-Z of Crafts

 

Q--Quilting

 
According to the net, the word "quilt"
comes from the Latin word "culcita"
meaning stuffed sack. OR The stitching
of layers of padding and fabric.
The quilts history began long before
the European settlers came to the new
world.

One of the earliest quilts made was
the Tristan Quilt made around 1360.
It was made in Sicily in the second
half of the 14th century and is one of
earliest surviving quilts in the world.
The Tristan Quilt, depicts scenes
from the story of Tristan and Isolde.
An influential romance and tragedy.

In the United States, quilt making was
common in the late 18th century and the
early 19th century.
Women were busy spinning, weaving and
sewing  to clothe their families. Bedding
made commercially or woven was more
economical at the time, only the wealthy
had the time to leisurely quilt.
Obviously quilts of that time were not
made of scraps or worn clothing for bedding. Instead they were decorative works made
to display the needle work of the quilter.

Quilt styles of the early 19th Century:

Wholecloth--Early ones were made with
three layers.
Top fabric, filling, and backing.
Stitches were seen as decoration.
There seems to be a revival for this quilt,
they are either made by hand or machine.

Medallion--made around a center, sometimes
from a solid piece of large scale fabric. The
center was then surrounded by two or more
borders.
The Industrial Revolution brought a dramatic change in fabrics, they were made on broad
scale and women no longer had to spin and
weave to make fabrics.
It became more affordable to make a quilt at
that time.

The invention of the sewing machine
contributed to the making of quilts and Singer started an installment plans so that more
household had machines. This gave the home-
maker the time to make quilts faster and make
clothes for the family too.

Over the years quilts have been made for fund-
raisers in the Civil War.
The Abolitionists had fairs to raise awareness
of slavery and quilts were sold to raise money.
For the war effort and the troops.

In 2014, The Wall Street Journal estimated
that there were 21 million quilters in the
United States.

Much more can be said about quilts and the
making of them, I could be here all day. Check
out Google for a great listing of articles on the
craft.

My story:
Many years ago a friend of mine and I made
"Puff Quilts" these are made from 6x6 pieces
of fabric pockets, sewn on three sides, stuffed
with filling and sewn shut. The pockets are sewn together in strips for the size of your bed. Mine
was made with a variety of yellow fabrics and the backing was a Hawaiian tropical fabric.
It took a while to make this quilt but I was so
proud of it.
I still have it but it is not in use at the moment.

Anyone a quilter??


~Keep on Dreaming~