Quilting is a form of sewing or art that uses thread stitches to bind materials and padding together to form an object. Quilting can be used to make clothing, decorative items and bedding quilts. The basic form of quilting requires cutting pieces of cloth and piecing them together to form an image in a square block form. The blocks are then joined with other blocks or pieces of material to form objects. The decorative top portion is joined with a layer of padding (batting) and a solid piece of fabric. The layers are then joined together. The joining can be simple stitches to hold items together, or it can be an elaborate decorative design. Traditionally, quilting has been done completely by hand, but over time, sewing machine techniques have been added.http://www.quilt.com/HowToPage.html
Quilting uses a variety of equipment. Some quilters use precut Squares of material to make matching and selecing complementary colors easier. Making a quilt can also require a pattern that outlines the shapes of pieces, instructions and preparation information. Often, quilters use a mat board and a rotary cutting tool to speed the process of cutting fabric and to keep items more exact. Other tools include plastic rulers and shapes used to aid in cutting, quilting pins to hold fabric together, needles and quilting thread, stencils, fabric pens and a sewing machine.http://www.quilt.com/HowToPage.html
Traditionally, quilts were made as a necessity to help keep people warm while sleeping. They were made from old or worn out clothing or other pieces of cloth and were pieced together in a piece by piece fashion. At times, these were created at quilting bees where women would sew on a quilt together for speed and company. Over time, quilts have even been used to tell stories and are used by historians to help re-trace history.http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/geesbend.html>ref?
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The Charm Pack Quilt - Beginner Block Quilting Series
Enjoy this beginner's tutorial for creating a simple quilt using charm packs. The presenter discusses the cost and benefit of using charm packs to create a quilt, how to match up corners and sew the blocks together. She illustrates the method of setting the seams and then how to nest seams. She discusses how using charm packs can save you time and make a simple quilt easily.
References
Fast Facts
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Earliest Quilting
Dates to clothing during the Crusades
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Oldest Preserved American Quilts
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Embroidery on Quilts Popularized
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Amish Quilts
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Victorian Crazy Quilts Inspired by
Crazed Ceramics at 1875 Philidelphia Centennial Japanese Pavilion
