My Quilts

About three years ago I took a quilting class at Snow College, and fell in love with quilting. As my teacher would put it, I caught the “quilting bug.” Ever since that class I have made two quilts, and am now working on my third. This is the quilt I made for my class, my first quilt. It is a queen size quilt. It took me about a semester to make the top, and then I hand quilted it over the summer. The next quilt I worked on was for my sister. I decided to make a quilt for her because she was going off to college. I made a simple twin size quilt. Unlike my first quilt, I only had two different block types so it took much less time. The quilt I am currently working on is for my Grandparents 50th anniversary. I am making them a king size quilt! It’s going to be really cool because the quilt is basically going to be a genealogy of my grandparents offspring. To read more about my quilts visit: The Quilting Bug - WordPress or The Quilting Bug - Joomla

History of Quilting

Quilting has been around for many years. The early pioneers would use old flour sacks for fabric to sew their quilts, because fabric was expensive. The flour sacks used to have floral designs on them, so they would make for a good quilt. Many of the quilt block patterns and names came from the pioneers and their quilts.

The term quilt comes from the Latin meaning a stuffed sack. The word has come to have two meanings: It is used as noun, meaning the 3-layer stitched bedcovering. It is also used as a verb, meaning the act of stitching through the 3 layers to hold them together.

Quilting is also used as a way to connect with the past. When quilting you spend time with your family members. You can quilt with your mother, grandmother, or a neighbor. By quilting with others not only do you get to make a beautiful quilt, you can learn of the people you are quilting with. You can learn homemaking skills and life lessons in one setting.

The history of America can be seen in the history of quilts: in the rich heritage left us by those thrifty, self-sufficient women who helped settle this land, in the families whose history is sewn into quilts one patch at a time, and in the legacy of the quilting arts passed on to children and grandchildren so they may carry them forward to the future.

Learn more about the history of quilts.

Common Quilting Terms

Bias
Diagonal from the straight grain of the fabric (45 degree angle). The bias is the most stretchy part of the fabric.

Crosswise grain
Threads that are perpendicular to the selvage.

Ease
A way of sewing a length of fabric into a bit of a smaller space without resulting in gathers or puckers.

Freeze Paper
White paper with a plastic coating on one side. Used to do applique on quilts, iron onto fabric and then remove the paper.

Lengthwise grain
Threads that are parallel to the selvage.

Miter
Neatly squaring the corners while creating a diagonal seam from the point of the corner to the inside edge.

Selvage
The edge on either side of a woven or flat-knitted fabric so finished as to prevent raveling

Why Quilt?

Some people use quilting as a way to relieve stress. Quilting can be relaxing because you get to work at your own pace. Quilting can also be used to show your creativity. Even if you are not creative you can still make beautiful quilts. Quilts not only have creativity but they also show the personality of the quilter. They can express our likes, dislikes, passions, and feelings. Quilts are a wordless way of showing who we are.

People make quilts for many different reasons. Some people make quilts for weddings, babies, birthdays, Christmas, or for decoration. By making a quilt you can show someone you love them and are thinking of them. Quilting is for anybody, and is very catching. Be careful about catching "the quilting bug."

The reason I love quilting is that I like to see all the little pieces come together to form one quilt. Quilting helps me relax while accomplishing something great! If you would like to see some of the quilts I have made and are working on see my website here.

What You Need to Start Quilting

Any one can make a quilt, you can be an expert or an amateur, it doesn't matter. When starting a quilt the first thing you want to get, after you have planned out your quilt, is some fabric. At this point in time don't worry about getting batting or the back fabric. Just worry about getting the fabric you are going to use for the front part, or the part you will be piecing.

When picking fabric, get six to eight different pattern types ranging from simple patterns to complex patterns. Just make sure to have a variety. Start out by picking a pattern you like, then use that pattern to find matching fabrics. You can also look around your house and find scraps of fabric that go together. Get about 1 yd. of each fabric. If you feel you are going to use more fabric, feel free to get more fabric. If you need additional help you can always ask the people at the fabric store you are shopping at.

Besides fabric you are going to need thread. Try and get a light color of thread unless all your fabric is dark, then get a darker thread. You will probably want about two normal sized spools of thread. Other equipment you will need is:

• Scissors - good sturdy ones, used for cutting fabric
• Needles - sewing machine needles, and sewing needles.
• Pins - preferably ones with plastic balls on the top
• Measuring Tape
• Pencils
• Seam-ripper
• Rotary cutter
• Rotary Cutter Mat - the bigger the better
• Plastic Rulers
• Iron and Ironing Board
• Freeze Paper (only if you plan on making an applique block)
• And of Course a Sewing Machine!