Quilting Through Time

Quilting: Joining Layers of Fabric Together

• Quilting involves joining at least three layers of fabric with a needle and thread or a sewing machine to create a padded surface.

• The three layers are the top fabric or quilt top, batting or insulating material, and the backing.

• Quilting can be functional or decorative and is used to make bed coverings, soft home furnishings, garments, wall hangings, artistic objects, and cultural artifacts.

• The quilter manipulates material type and thickness, stitch length and style, pattern design, piecing, cutting, color, texture, and print to control the final surface quality and utility of the quilted material.

• Optical illusions, 3D and sculptural components, and embellishments such as appliqué, embroidery, pearls, beads, buttons, and sequins can be incorporated into quilted material.

• Quilting is a form of upcycling that historically used remnants and offcuts to create new products.

• Quilting techniques date back to ancient Egypt and have evolved into unique styles around the world.

• African-American, Amish, Native American, Hawaiian, South Asian, East Asian, and Swedish quilting styles have distinct characteristics and techniques.

• Art quilting is a popular form of quilting that emphasizes aesthetic and artistic qualities over functionality.

• Modern quilting is a recent trend that focuses on contemporary design and experimentation with materials and techniques.

• Quilting has a rich history of cultural and artistic significance.

• Quilts have been used to transmit secret messages, tell stories, make political statements, and celebrate cultural heritage.Overview of Modern Quilting and Traditional Techniques

• Modern quilting combines traditional quilt-making techniques with modern aesthetic styles inspired by architecture, art, and design.

• Modern quilts are intended to be used, unlike art quilts which are for display.

• The Modern Quilt Guild, a non-profit corporation, has defined modern quilting and has over 14,000 members in more than 200 guilds across 39 countries.

• QuiltCon is an annual modern quilting conference and convention that features a quilt show, vendors, lectures, and workshops.

• Quilt blocks are repeated sub-units that make up the overall design of a quilt, with over 4000 documented patterns.

• Quilting techniques include hand-quilting, machine quilting, and tying, with each using different methods to fasten the layers of the quilt together.

• Contemporary quilters use a wide range of designs and styles, with no one school or style dominating the quilt-making world.

• Sewing machines, fabric markers, quilting rulers, longarm quilting machines, needles, pins, thimbles, threads, rotary cutters, basting spray, quilting templates/patterns, and bias binding are all tools used in quilting.

• Traditional quilting techniques are still taught in American schools and senior centers, and in guilds and community colleges worldwide.

• The Quilters of Gee's Bend, Amish quilts, Nancy Crow, Denyse Schmidt, Gwen Marston, Yoshiko Jinzenji, Bill Kerr, and Weeks Ringle are all influencers of modern quilting.

• Quilting has become popular in home furnishings in the early 21st century due to advances in industrial sewing technology.

• The number of patterns possible by subdividing Four-, Five-, Seven-, Nine-Patches and Eight-Pointed Stars and using triangles instead of squares in the small subdivisions is almost endless.