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Essentially, quilts are a type of blankets made from three layers: a top, batting in between, and a layer of backing material. The layers are connected together using the method of quilting. The basic meaning of quilting is to connect separate layers with a needle and thread. Of course, this process can be used for both practical purposes and for decorative projects.

Tying is another method of connecting the layers in quilts together. This method is a lot faster, and it is often used when the quilt is simply needed for practical purposes. No matter what method you use, the three layers still need to be prepared and basted. This step is typically done with thread or yarn. The ties are finished off with square knots, which are customarily set 3-5″ apart all over the surface of the quilt. A quilt that is tied is sometimes called a comforter.

Once upon a time quilts were created for necessity. Today creating quilts has become an art form. Today, talented crafters are often called fabric artists, instead than seamstresses and quilters as they were known in the past. Aside from the ever popular bed quilts, quilting is also used to create clothing and wall hangings. Handmade quilts may sell for hundreds of dollars and hang on museum walls, not just bed frames. Amish quilts from Pennsylvania and Ohio are especially sought after, as are vintage and antique quilts.

If you have be so lucky to inherit a beautiful quilt, you should make sure you take great care of it – aside from preserving the heirloom, you are also preserving its increase in value. Never store quilts in plastic bags, wooden trunks or boxes made of cardboard. You should also make sure your quilts get some air at least once every year, but try to avoid direct sunlight. If the quilts are extremely old, airing them out flat prevents unnecessary stress on the stitches. You always take a chance when you wash antique fabrics. Spot test it first. If you are using a machine, wash in cold water with a mild detergent and a gentle cycle. Dry your quilt on a flat surface. Using a fan and rotating it will speed up the drying process.

Over time, quilts have been pieces of history, both of their times and their creators. During the depression, for example, fabric was a scarce commodity. Some historians even believe secret messages and codes were hidden in handmade quilts at different times throughout history. One case is believed to be related to the underground railroad. A specific pattern would tell the slaves it was safe to leave and move on to the next leg of their journeys. Even if not all historians buy into this theory, some agree that signature quilts were used before and after the civil war to gather funds. Signatures were added after a donation was made. Another name for these quilts is friendship quilts.

While not all historians agree on this usage in the past, it is becoming increasingly popular today. Many people love to give T-shirt quilts and memory quilts as gifts. And our technology is advanced enough that it is now even possible to add photos of loved ones. Quilts are some of the favorite items used to raise funds at fundraisers and raffles. Quilt guilds are being created and growing at a rapid rate, preserving and passing on treasured patterns and techniques.

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One of the reasons why crafters are attracted to quilting is because of the available variety of beautiful fabrics. Walk into any fabric store or quilting shop, and your eyes are nearly overwhelmed with all the choices in fiber and color. Bolts of fabrics in a rainbow of colors assail the senses. The contemporary quilter is lucky indeed to have the huge array of fabrics available to her. But surely, having so many fabrics to choose from can also create indecision as to which would be best to pick.

While the craft of quilting was one borne of necessity and thus many different fabrics have been used throughout the years, far and away the most common fabric for quilting is cotton. Many quilts from days gone by were sometimes made of wool, though the technique used was appliqud quilts to accommodate the heavier weight of wool. Cotton is such a wonderful all-purpose fabric which washes well (though be sure to pre-wash all cottons to pre-shrink it) and maintains its color and hand. In short, 100% cotton ranks tops in the list of fibers favored by quilters. Even if you are attracted to the mixed fabrics you see for sale at the fabric store, you might want to give this some thought. Quality fabrics for your quilt are only slightly more expensive. Making a quilt is so time-consuming that you certainly want to use high quality fabrics that will last through time. And, you will find that no matter what type of fiber you pick, fabrics for quilts are very affordable.

Choosing the right color is very important. Often this is a topic which confuses beginning quilters, but there’s no need to shy away from learning about color. You might be taken aback by your hidden talent in picking out the right colors. First off, learn to trust your intuition (unless you know you are color blind!)-if you like the way colors look together, others probably will also. And since you are the one who will be working with these fabrics, you are the one who needs to like them. Another trustworthy way to choose the color of fabrics is to study nature. “Copy” the way colors match at the ocean or in a patch of woods and you cannot possibly make mistakes. Go outside to take a walk, and notice the different colors patterns at the park, for example.

For those who want a bit more guidance, you can do a rudimentary study of color theory. Learn the color wheel, and also become comfortable with primary colors (red, yellow, blue), secondary colors (green, orange and violet) and intermediate colors which are a mix of primary and secondary colors. Value-light, dark and medium, is another important consideration when you try to pick the right colors. The fabrics you pick should have a nice balance of values. The brightness and dullness of a color, also known as intensity, is also very important.

Becoming more familiar with the different types of fibers and colors will widen your knowledge and make quilting even more pleasurable.

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Cutting

When making a patchwork quilt, always cut a fresh straight edge to measure from when you start cutting strips of fabric, and make sure your ruler is lined up straight with the folded edge of the fabric, so that you don’t get a “V” at the fold.

Check after cutting a few strips that you are still cutting strips at actual right angles to the fold because it is simple to get a couple millimeters out of alignment. Cutting precisely will make your piecing way easier later onon.

Ironing

Once you have stitched a seam with your machine, always iron your seam flat first before pressing the seam allowance to one side, this stretches out the seam and keeps the stitches in place which will stop puckering.

Then iron your seams to one side. In patchworking, seams are always pressed to one side (not open) unless the directions say otherwise. This puts less force on your thread once the seams are stitched over in the quilting process.

Stitching

When matching up seams, try to be sure the seams are ironed in opposite directions. This will permit the seam allowances to “nest” into one another and the seam lines will match perfectly. When stitching a border to a pieced block or strip, stitch with the border on the top, this way you can stitch the seam exactly a quarter inch from the fringe of the straight piece, and any slight roughness on the edge of the pieced strip will not matter. You will have a lovely straight seam.

Quilting

If you are machine quilting straight lines, always employ a walking foot. This draws the top fabric through the machine at the same rate as the bottom fabric so there’s no warping or wrinkling of the fabric.

Always start quilting from the centre of the quilt and work towards the outside, because as the quilt gets quilted it gets drawn in a little and you will have more room when you get to the fringe of the quilt.

You do not need to be left with unsightly little areas to quilt that are puffy because they are surrounded by other quilted areas. You may use a little bit bigger stitch length when quilting to deal with the batting and backing fabric (it’s simpler to unpick if you have to as well).

Binding

Binding can be cut on the straight grain of the fabric “you only have to cut it on the bias if you are binding curves or wavy edges. But when making continuous binding, stitch your pieces together on the bias (i.e. A forty five degree angle), not perpendicular.

It makes your binding less lumpy. If you are using a two half inch binding strip, cut the surplus batting off 1cm from the stitching line. This should give you the right amount to fill the binding when folding it over to the back to hand stitch it down.

To get some more great tips about how to make a patchwork quilt, check out Jane Green’s how to make a patchwork quilt site now!

Right now, rag quilts are all the rage. Everywhere you look someone has a rag quilt on the back of their couch, on their bed, or are even packing a rag quilt purse.

A rag quilt is not only nice to look at but is easy to cut out, assemble, and sew. They can be fairly cheap to create as well if you chose your materials wisely.

Can’t afford to pay someone to make a rag quilt for you, even though they are for sale everywhere? Don’t worry. Most average people can’t afford to have someone else make a rag quilt for them. With a few basic sewing skills, you can make one for yourself. Not only will you save yourself a lot of money, but your quilt would have more sentimental value as well.

All you need to do is survey your closets. That is it. Pretty simple huh? You know that you have several pairs of old jeans in your house somewhere that you haven’t wore in years. Everyone has a few laying around. You know, the ones you hang on to hoping to fit into again someday. You could also have a Denim and Flannel Rag Quilt with alternating materials. Just drag out those old flannel shirts, gowns, or flat flannel sheets. I am sure you have a few of those hiding in there too.

Don’t have enough old jeans and flannel shirts in your closets to finish your quilt? No problem. Ask your friends and family. Almost everyone has few pairs of jeans they need to get rid of. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding enough free materials. However if you do, don’t fret! You could always check out local thrift stores, yard sales, garage sales, or even Goodwill. The possibilities are endless.

Want to find out more about Thrifty Rag Quilts, then visit Alana Jo Couch’s site on how to choose the best Recycled Materials for your Rag Quilt.

Its simple to fall into a habit, doing the same familiar things time after time. Its the security of knowing that you can do whatever it is and do it very well. The downside of this is that you can start getting into a routine that becomes uninteresting and you finish up wondering why it is that you are doing what you are doing.

This is something that can happen a lot with rose quilt designs, you can wind up making numerous quilts that end up looking the same and finally lose motivation to do another one. Well, now’s the time to break that cycle and the simplest way to do that’s by working with with a fresh design, so here’s a few:

Checkered Roses Pattern

Similar to a patchwork style quilt, a checkered rose pattern is something that is not ordinarily done with roses. So why not incorporate one or two into the squares and add a bit of colour and style to your next one?

Linking Vines Pattern

This one will take a some forward planning. Get some paper and draw out a design for your vines to follow, ensuring that they don’t bunch up in one particular place. Then, when you have something you like, add a peppering of roses!

Wreath of Roses

Why should the festive season have all the fun with wreaths? A wreath of roses makes a great centrepiece for a rose quilt and has a fresh and inviting appeal that’s difficult to beat!

Pick 2 or 3 colors to make something very special.

Border of Roses

You do not always have to cover every square inch of a rose quilt with flowers. Actually you can accomplish an effective and minimalist effect by sewing borders of roses around the edges of the quilt. It looks amazing and actually stands out!

So there you have it, 4 great new ideas to get you out of the same of rose quilt cycle!

Interested in more rose quilt design ideas? Then head on over to Jane Green’s how to make a patchwork quilt site now!

While chatting with a friend of mine yesterday, they told me of a concept they had. They are an avid quilter, with an inclination towards patchwork quilts and while working on one, they spotted a correlation between how the quilt itself was like life in some ways.

Colourful Personality

Each patchwork quilt is one of a kind piece, made up of a variety of pieces of materials and when it comes together it forms a quilt that is unique in its own way.

This too is true for every person on this planet, each of us has had different experiences “some good, some bad, and these form together to make up the person they are today.

Character

Just like people have characters patchwork quilts have characters of their own also. The unique colours of the materials and the feeling of the textures employed in it all blend to make a quilt which has different qualities than other of the same types of quilts.

A very simliar line can be drawn around how folks are made up. The people they encounter in life, their teachers, mentors and the experiences they have, all weave together to make a character that may respond differently to different scenarios.

It’s this unique array of character traits and experiences that we identify with, and warm to, as their own story shines through and warms our hearts.

Length

Cruising through life, you collect memories and experiences. So that the more you live the more that you collect, and that’s why older people have a large amount of experiences and stories they can tell.

The same applies to these quilts. The more you work on them, the more pieces get added to the quilt, the larger it gets every one has its own story to tell.

You know what? I think my friend was on to something! I think I’m going to have a good hard look at my prior patchwork quilts and see what sort of lives they lived.

To get more great ideas about how to make a patchwork quilt, check out Jane Green’s patchwork quilt website now!

When brooding about the quilts that I had nutty over my many years, whether it was patchwork, themed or patterned, I tried to consider how many green ones I had made… And to my mystification, I could not remember making even one green quilt.

After coming to this realization, I could find no good reason for not having one and became hell bent on beginning one. I sat down with my pencil and pad and recorded two ideas for my green quilt.

Link Theme

I have got a nephew who is very into his Nintendo. One of the games I have seen him play is a game called Zelda : Twilight Princess. The main character of this game is a little fellow called Link.

He dresses principally in green, with a bit of brown. The graphics on this game were fairly easy, with smooth edges and not a great deal of detail. Making a quilt with Link in one of the forest theme levels would be quite easy and would typically feature a green design.

On top of this, my nephew would be thrilled to bits with a blanket like this. thigsa and other things oh yeah… things and stuff and more stuff

A Vine Blanket thigns accepting

Taking a nature themed approach, I came up with the idea of using vines to form the pattern of a quilt. You could have them criss-cross or merely grow in random directions across the quilt.

After you've decided how the vines will go, add some leaves to each of the vines to add some texture to your green quilt. It actually leads to a great free form design.

Now I'm not going to tell you which concept I ended up going with, but I know that I am going to eventually use each one of them, as I like them both! Thing and stuff oh yeah baby

Find out more about how to make a patchwork quilt at Jane Green’s website, including tons of sound advice for green quilts.