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  • 03Jun

    The American Quilter’s Society

    General Quilting & FUN No Comments

    The American Quilter’s Society was born through the inspiration of Meredith and Bill Schroeder. An overwhelming success from the beginning, the American Quilter’s Society promotes recognition of today’s quilters, provides them with many creative resources, and preserves the works of their hands for future generations. Since its first quilt show and contest, the American Quilter’s Society has become the leading quilting organization in the world, hosting annual shows in Kentucky, Iowa, and Tennessee.

    The American Quilter’s Society does not let the passion for quilting stop after the shows end, however. It is also a publishing house for books on quilting, and publishes The American Quilter magazine. There is also a bi-monthly newsletter. With these educational and creative publications, the American Quilter’s Society sets the standard for excellence in quilting and inspires both the beginner and the experienced quilter to strive for ever higher levels of artistry. Most recently, the society has branched out from the written word and made a foray into the world of television with its show “American Quilter,” which airs on Lifetime TV.

    In addition to all this, the Schroeders created the National Quilt Museum, originally named the Museum of the American Quilter’s Society, to preserve the creativity and magnificence of America’s quilts. The museum brings in over 40,000 visitors annually, providing information and education about America’s quilting heritage.

    The avid quilter will gain many benefits from membership in the American Quilter’s Society. When you sign up, you receive a free year’s subscription to “American Quilter Magazine” and a free copy of “Paint-a-Quilt Patterns” by Marie M. Sturmer. Members also receive discounts from the American Quilter’s Society store and access to exclusive media. The American Quilter’s Society is eager to share knowledge and love of quilting with any who are interested.

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  • 03Jun

    Crazy Quilting

    Antique Fabrics, Crazy Quilts, General Quilting & FUN, Restore a Quilt No Comments

    Crazy Quilting is a style of quilt making that began in the mid 19th century and grew in popularity after examples and instructions were printed in some of the first ladies home arts magazines which appeared during the latter quarter of the 19th century.

    Crazy quilt blocks are made by using odd shapes and sizes of beautiful fabrics. The fabrics usually used were silks, often elaborate brocades, velvets or other special pieces. Women sometimes traded fine silk pieces with their family and friends to collect a wider variety of fabrics.

    Crazy quilt blocks are foundation pieced, that is, the silk fabrics were stitched onto a base fabric which provided stability. The base fabric was usually cotton, often muslin, and sometimes large scraps of various printed cottons. The silk fabrics were stitched onto the base without a formal pattern, but rather helter-skelter, until the entire base fabric was covered. Then the seamlines of the pieces were covered with lovely and elaborate embroidery.

    Often the quilt maker embroidered various designs or pictures on her silk pieces before sewing them onto the base block. Sometimes painted pictures were used, or lithographed fancy ribbons or fabrics. Lace may have been added, or appliqued designs. A crazy quilt was a needlewoman’s showcase, and the embellishments were as beautiful and decorative as she could make them. A crazy quilt was a very personal creation where each stitcher’s skill was obvious.

    Crazy quilts usually were not used on beds. They were decorative pieces of art displayed in parlors, sometimes put away and brought out when company came.

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  • 02Jun

    The National Quilt Museum

    General Quilting & FUN No Comments

    The Mecca of quilt museums in the United Sates is undoubtedly the National Quilt Museum located in Paducah, Kentucky. This haven for quilters is open year round and features revolving exhibits to ensure your next visit is never the same as your last. Visitors can explore the museum’s three galleries and marvel at over 150 unique and masterfully crafted quilts.

    The National Quilt Museum also specializes in introducing the art of quilting to contemporary audiences, through quilting workshops and other interactive exhibits. The museum’s stewards have expressed their commitment to both preserving the history of American quilting, while also helping to guide the craft into the 21st century.

    Current exhibits at the National Quilt Museum include Best of Show: 25 Years of Quilting Excellence, which “provides a rare opportunity to see all of the American Quilter’s Society Best of Show winning quilts from the past 25 years.” This amazing exhibit is among the most popular quilting displays in the country, and allows visitors to view the most renowned quilts produced in the last few decades. The Best of Show: 25 Years of Quilting Excellence exhibit runs through July 6, 2009 and is a must see for quilting enthusiasts of all levels.

    Further information about the National Quilt Museum can be found at http://www.quiltmuseum.org/index.htm, or by calling (270)-442-8856. Plan your trip today and visit the museum to enjoy America’s finest repository of quilts and quilting exhibits.

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  • 01Jun

    The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum

    Antique Fabrics, General Quilting & FUN No Comments

    The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, located in Golden, Colorado, is not only a repository of fascinating and historic quilts, it is also a testament to its founder’s dream.  Eugenia Mitchell worked tirelessly for nine years in order to raise the funds and support needed to start the museum, which opened its doors in 1990.  She also donated the original one hundred quilts in the museum’s first exhibit.  The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum was only the third quilt museum to be established in the United States and provides a valuable service in preserving our quilting heritage.

    The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum has grown from a single room to two galleries of exhibits.  Four different exhibits are shown in each gallery anually, and range from the fascinatingly historic and traditional to the adventurous and experimental contemporary quilts.  A current exhibit is called “15 Decades of Quilts” and includes quilts that are representative of each decade in time.  In a more contemporary vein, the 75 quilts in the Professional Art Quilt Alliance Water Challenge make up another exhibit.

    The museum’s preservation and display of these pieces of history and art serves to further its mission to enrich, educate, and inspire through quilting.  The full-time staff and the many volunteers who help keep the museum up and running are passionate about quilting and carry on the values of founder Eugenia Mitchell.  If you are in the vicinity of Golden, Colorado, a visit to this wonderful museum is sure to teach you much about quilting, both past and present.

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  • 31May

    Quilt Binding

    General Quilting & FUN, Quilt Tips and Ideas No Comments

    Binding is the last step in finishing your quilt. Many quilters decide on their binding fabric when they select the fabrics for the quilt, and others wait until the quilt is ready for the binding to be applied to select a fabric. Experienced quilters know that the way a quilt looks can change throughout the quilt-making process, and sometimes an entirely unplanned splash of color along the edge will complete the quilt perfectly.

    Quilt binding on antique quilts was usually cut on straight grain fabric. The folded edge of straight grain fabric is prone to wear along the fold. During the 1920s and 1930s it became popular for quilters to use bias strips of fabric for binding. The folded edge was a crossing of two woven threads, and was not as apt to wear as quickly as straight grain. The bias strip offered flexibility and smooth coverage for the popular curves and shaped edges which were so fashionable on the quilts of that era.

    Pre-cut bias tape quilt binding is commercially available in packages, usually in solid colors, for quilters who want a fast and easy binding strip. The quality of packaged bias binding may not be the same as the quality of the fabrics in your quilt. Many quilters use a fabric from the quilt top or a coordinating fabric and cut a bias binding of their own to assure uniform quality throughout their quilt.

    To apply quilt binding, the edges of all three quilt layers must first be trimmed even. Quilt binding is typically sewn to the front of the quilt using about a 1/2″ seam allowance through all layers. Then the extended binding edge is folded over the edge of the quilt and stitched in place on the back, either by hand or by machine. Finished quilt binding can be a narrow 1/2″ or so. Wider binding strips can be used, but they may be impractical to replace when they become worn. If you want to use a wide binding strip, you need to plan for it when you create the outer border and border quilting designs.

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  • 30May

    Quilt Tops

    General Quilting & FUN No Comments

    Many quilters like to spend their creative time actually quilting rather than cutting and piecing quilt tops. Luckily for them, there are others who prefer the cutting and piecing part of quilt making. Do a quick search online and you will find several websites where quilt tops can be purchased. If you are not familiar with the quilt top maker, look for some recommendations or comments on the website to verify the quality of work. Most reputable sellers will offer a money-back guarantee if their work is not what you expect. You can expect to pay a high price for a quality quilt top, and you should not settle for anything less than the quality you pay for. Experienced quilters know not to buy an inaccurately pieced quilt top. Look for quilt tops that have been been assembled with uniformly stitched seams and correctly pressed seam allowances. You want a quilt top that lies flat and square with even corners; this will result in a square and even finished quilt.

    Collectors like to buy quilt tops, both new and antique. Antique quilt tops are often in very good condition if they have been packed away and stored well. Since they were never finished into quilts, they have not been laundered or used, and they are often important sources of antique fabrics. Collectors also like quilt tops because they take up so much less space to store than finished quilts. Quilt tops also cost less than finished quilts, and can be a good way to break into collecting.

    One problem to guard against if you have quilt tops that you will keep in storage is that the seam allowances on the backs are unprotected and they fray easily. Fold your quilt tops with a layer of acid-free tissue protecting the fragile exposed seam allowances, and a small roll of acid-free tissue along the fold lines to prevent creases. If you carefully unfold and refold your quilt tops every few months it will also help prevent set-in creases.

    Click here and scroll down the page for the latest information on preserving, displaying, storing, and caring for your quilt tops.

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  • 29May

    The Aesthetics of Quilt Sashing

    General Quilting & FUN, Quilt Tips and Ideas No Comments

    Sashing is a very common element in quilting and is used to divide quilt blocks, making for an elegant and exact pattern. Quilt sashing is made of strips of fabric which harmonize with the colors and patterns of the quilt blocks. This technique allows each block to stand out individually and showcases elegant and intricate block patterns while preventing the entire quilt from looking too busy or overbearing. Sashing is often made from solid colored fabrics or subtly patterned fabrics, depending upon the quilter’s preference.

    Sashing is not difficult to add to your quilt. Sashing strips are inserted between the blocks when the rows are being sewn together. It is important, however, to make sure the the sashing strips are of a uniform width which will suit the quilt you are making. The most difficult part of making a quilt with sashing is ensuring absolute accuracy in both the size of the quilt blocks and the sashing. Inaccurately sized pieces will leave the quilt looking rather odd and imbalanced. Since accuracy is so important, the length of all the strips of sashing should be exact. One way to ensure this is to cut the strips slightly longer than necessary, sew them to the quilt block as usual, and then trim them to exactly the length that is needed.

    Sashing can also be spruced up with cornerstones. Cornerstones are squares of different fabric added at the corners of the squares of sashing. These can really bring some added aesthetic value to a quilt and if, for instance, you run out of sashing fabric while quilting, they can be added to finish the quilt flawlessly.

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  • 28May

    Quilt Documentation Projects

    General Quilting & FUN No Comments

    The intricate design and symbolic meaning of many quilts made during the late 19th century and early 20th century has transformed them from handicrafts to living remnants of an era gone by. Quilting is a long held craft which has been elevated to the level of fine art by the work of American quilters during the turn of the 20th century. There is a growing movement today which is dedicated to documenting and preserving these tapestries of living history. Quilt Documentation Projects have been organized throughout the country, from the Delaware Quilt Documentation Project to the Quilt Documentation at New England Museum.

    These wonderful organizations search for the most historically relevant, beautifully designed, or spiritually significant quilts produced in a given region. Once they have found the quilts, Quilt Documentation Projects endeavor to document the works of art with digital photographs and other records. The quilts are entered into searchable databases and preserved forever so that future generations may enjoy their unique beauty.

    Other quilt preservation efforts, such as the New Hampshire Quilt Documentation Project, have chronicled both the quilts themselves, along with the quilt makers, in books and journals that can be accessed by the public. The purpose of these efforts is to ensure that quilting as an art form is preserved for posterity. The complex patterns and symbolism imbued in each quilt makes it as distinctive as its maker, and Quilt Documentation Projects across the nation are working to pay homage to the classic American art of quilting.

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  • 27May

    Gee’s Bend Quilts

    General Quilting & FUN No Comments

    On a small pocket of land surrounded by the winding Mississippi River, the local African-American community has been tirelessly contributing to the world of artistic quilting. The quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama have recently been recognized for the artistic expression and cultural significance found in their handmade quilts. For generations the women of Gee’s Bend have immersed themselves in intricate quilting projects, producing works of art that have garnered national acclaim since 1969. When Calvin Trillin highlighted the quilts and the quilters of Gee’s Bend in a piece for The New Yorker, museums and other institutions devoted to preserving artistic rarities flocked to the rural corner of Alabama to document the quilter’s work.

    In 2002 the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston opened an exhibit of the Gee’s Bends quilts to an enamored public. The sophisticated yet personal designs, the vibrant color schemes, and the alternative patterns used by the Gee’s Bend quilters captured the imagination of adoring audiences. The Gee’s Bend quilt exhibition was then moved to the Whitney Museum in New York City, where critics lauded the artistic quilts as “some of the most miraculous works of art America has produced.”

    Today the quilts of Gee’s Bend are displayed in galleries and the quilt makers themselves have become minor celebrities, traveling to quilting shows and museums to discuss their work. The quilts of Gee’s Bend have helped to revitalize the languishing community and restore hope for its citizens and quilters alike.

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  • 23May

    Quilting Stencils

    General Quilting & FUN, Quilt Tips and Ideas No Comments

    Use a quilt stencil to produce amazing designs for your quilt top. A quilt stencil is a plastic sheet with small punched holes illustrating the markings for your quilting stitches. You can use stencils for either machine quilting or hand quilting.

    Quilt stencils come in an array of styles. There are several ways to mark your quilt top using stencils. Traditional “brush-away” methods are chalk, soapstone, soap, and powdered “pounce” methods (which use a chalk powder). Try the special quilt marking pencils which are available in several colors for use on different colored fabrics, or try one of the new fabric marking pens. The new fabric pens use special inks that either disappear a few hours after the ink dries, or they disappear when touched with cold water. It is not a good idea to use regular pencils because the lead marks are difficult to remove. Regular pens will NOT wash out, and they may bleed or run when you wash your quilt, leaving permanent stains.

    Quilting stencils save you time in selecting, drawing, and transferring the design onto your quilt top. Stencils help you keep all of your markings uniform and evenly spaced. Make your own stencil from your computer clip art by printing it on a plastic overlay sheet. Punch small holes through the plastic along the marking lines to transfer your marks through. A tiny pointed wood-burner tip is one way to melt a nice sized hole with smooth edges. Place a heat-proof surface under the plastic sheet if you use this method.

    Some quilt stencils are for continuous line quilting designs. A continuous line design is one that you can use to machine quilt. There are no breaks in the stitching line, so you can sew continuous repeating designs without stopping and starting. These are available online, in many books, and at quilt shops. Once you study continuous line designs, you may want to make your own.

    There are alignment marks on stencils so you can repeat them for unbroken patterns. Once the stencil has been traced, move it to the next area and line up the marks. Then trace the next section. This is especially useful when marking borders. If you purchase stencils for your borders, look for corresponding corner stencils, too. These will bring the border designs from both sides together at the corners with a smooth transition.

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