In this article and bonus tutorial, learn how to be inspired by fabrics from specific decades and how to make a doll quilt that can be adjusted for almost any historical period.
Most of you know I spent some time teaching in Hawaii last month! Well, I brought back a solid tan and a new understanding of Hawaiian quilting and it’s origins. I thought I would share what I learned with you :) Hawaiians learned to quilt and sew from the first Christian missionaries. The first Hawaiian quilting circle was held early in 1820 on the decks of the ship Thaddeus with the royal wives of two reigning chiefs in attendance. Prior to the arrival of the missionaries, Hawaiian clothing wa
A quilt label makes your quilt a part of living history. Learn how to design a beautiful quilt label with tutorial from NewQuilters.com #quiltlabelideas
The lsquo;Underground Railroadrsquo; was a network of anti-slavery supporters in the USA and Canada, who operated safe houses for African-American slaves. It was in operation from the beginning of the nineteenth century and was at its peak of activity between 1859 and 1860. While there is no documentary evidence, in the popular American imagination quilts were used to identify safe houses on the Underground Railroad.
Wander into any quilt store today and you’ll see aisles and aisles bursting with a rainbow of fabrics – here’s great ways to use quilt scraps.
i talked to my mom today and she had quilting at her house...wish i could've been there eating that pumpkin strudel with the girls and looking to see what everybody is making....it made me think of one of my favorite things - gee's bend - the quilters and the quilts...so today as i was surfing 'gee's bend, i fell upon this quilting bee and thought that you might find it as fascinating as i - and there is a connection to the gee's bend quilters... The Freedom Quilting Bee, an outgrowth of the civil rights movement, was established in 1966, as local people were losing their income and sometimes their homes on local farms after registering to vote. Father Francis X Walter, an Episcopal priest and civil rights worker, saw the potential economic value of quilts he saw hanging on a clothesline and helped the group get started. This was a women’s quilting collective in Alberta, Alabama, near to Boykin or Gee's Bend. Some of the women whose quilts are represented in the Quilts of Gee's Bend exhibit once made quilts for this economic collective. Others did not. Nevertheless, it is through this earlier collective that Gee's Bend came first to be known for its quilts, for the strength of its community and the resourcefulness and artistry of it's quilters.. In 1968, the Bee purchased 23 acres of land where they built the present production site. Eight lots were sold to families that had been evicted from their homes. 1970-1996, the bee leased part of the building for a day care center. This is a photo of the groundbreaking... i also found it interesting how a day care center had been leased - women always looking for ways to provide for the children, no matter at what age is just an instinct that seams together so perfectly... In later days they began making smaller items; potholders, bags, napkins and aprons to sell at stores. if you are in a quilting group - let me know about it! i can blog about each of you and what you are making - and a photo would be great too... last time i sent a photo of my quilting group - "stitch n' _itch... i had sent it to oprah telling her we all needed a makeover and to please help...well i did get a call...it was from the show...and they wanted to know if we would all be interested in joining a getting fit program, right there in dallas....well, i told THEM that i could never take that back to my group - it would be horrifying!, and that we just were not interested in THAT!!! well, later is when dr. phil became well known, ala dallas link - so my guess it was working with him to get all fit and trim....but no thanks - we just wanted to look beautiful for a day...
Dear Liza, This week, I have learned about a whole new kind of quilting! It has been an adventure in history, geography, and craft. Kawandi quilting is from Western India and Pakistan, but it was b…
1932 Vintage Quilt. Handsewn. Fabric appears to be men's suiting. Cotton and Wool. MORE INFO TO COME. Gorgeous piece for display, collectors, inspiration. Condition: Vintage, good-fair. Some discoloration and age Size: TBD Dated: 20th century Origin: unknown Further details and photos available upon request. Note: All details of textiles and their history are information passed from original sources or collectors, additional information has been researched and included in description but is in no means an official appraisal. If you have any questions about the item listed, please reach out. And as always, do your own informed research before making purchases!
Tribute to Black Dolls, Collectors, Designers and Baby Doll Quilts Celebration
Civil War reproduction quilts are incredibly popular and offer history lessons wrapped around sewing and piecing. The best of both worlds!
A project just jumped to the top of the list. I have a friend whose son was in Afghanistan. He just came home injured (a double amputee above the knee) and I am going to make him a quilt. He has a long road ahead. I'll be working on the quilt as soon as I get information about what colors or theme he would like. I've decided to give it a try. I don't know if I'll finish them all, but it will be fun to see how many I do finish. Here they are: (they are also linked on the right side of the blog with the amount finished so far). I've also added a page with ALL the UFO's I've found at the moment. You can see it at the top of the blog. 1- Disappearing 9-patch swap--DONE 2- One Block Wonder 3-Solar Flare (don't like this one, we'll see if I just happen to "skip" it by mistake). Since what this needs is basically quilting, and I'm not going to spend a lot of time on it, I'm adding a Professional Bag to this month. I've got all the supplies I need, I just have to get motivated. 4- North Winds group quilt--DONE 5-Jewel Box--started this probably in about 2000--I really like it so want to finish it BAD! 6- Round Robin-brights 7- Feathered Tiles 8- Checkerboard Convergence 9- Rainbow Spiral (replacing Butterfly Blooms--it should be done before Christmas)--DONE 10-Totally Tubular-still in pieces. This one needs a lot of work.--DONE 11- Underwater - needs borders to finish the top, and then quilting like everything else. 12- Zippy Strippy Sad to say I have more than this, but there is no way I am going to finish more than one a month unless something drastic happens. If I finish all of these, it will be very good! Other folks are working on UFOs in 2011, too. If you want to see what they are working on, check Judy's blog.
A quilt label makes your quilt a part of living history. Learn how to design a beautiful quilt label with tutorial from NewQuilters.com #quiltlabelideas
Hi! I’m here today to share with you a meaningful art project for your younger students. This would be good as as a “getting to know you” activity. The following examples were all made by kindergartners near the end of the year, but I would think this lesson would be suitable for kids through grades 2. Many art teachers have taught about the artist Faith Ringgold and had their students create paper quilts. I have a free printable for you … Read more... →
Discover the 8 Oldest Quilt Patterns Ever Used in History here. Prepare to be transported into a rich & fascinating history on the oldest quilt patterns that exist.
How the invention of the sewing machine changed quilting, and even the world, forever – a quick and entertaining history!
Let’s learn about the quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama and try our own simple quilt project. This is a bright and bold art history lesson which is a perfect addition to art lessons for Black History Month, and as part of a curriculum of art lessons for children inspired by famous artists. […]
Learn about the history and artistry of Hawaiian Quilts. I'm sharing how to make them traditionally by hand, by machine, raw-edge, and even with some couching.
Quilt labels are really one thing that you should get in the habit of putting on your quilts or projects. I'm not the best at remembering these. There is so much excitement about finishing the quilt that often times the backside gets forgotten.
Welsh and Durham quilts are very different in many respects -I hope to take you through some of these differences. However, bear in mind that these are only generalisations, and of course there are always exceptions. Firstly, the quilts were made in different geographical areas. "Durham " quilts should more properly be termed North Country quilts, as they were made in the counties of Northumberland, Durham and Yorkshire. This is an area of Carboniferous Coal Measures, and there were numerous mining communities in this area, along with other industries fuelled by the coal. There was also farming taking place in the countryside. Welsh quilts were of course made in Wales, especially in South Wales. Again, coal measures are to be found here and there were many mining communities here as well, together with many other mining, chemical and industrial works. Wool and sheep rearing was another major source of income as much of the land is too mountanous for arable farming. Due to the cultural differences and the geographical separation, each area had its own styles of quilting. Patchwork, applique and wool quilts were made, but I shall be illustrating the differences with the wholecloth quilts which the areas became famous for. Durham quilts became well known for their impressive quilting designs - usually a large and elaborate centre design with flat irons, roses, feathers, leaves, ferns and much curlicue infill. This was surrounded by an area of infill and then an outer border. Another example of a Durham quilt with a large centre motif of feathers. This Weardale quilt has a feather wreath and a central rose. Feathers were common in Durham quilts and running feather motifs were very common. Wadding in these quilts is usually of cotton. By contrast, Welsh quilts usually had a central motif, either a circular "coin" or a diamond. This central area was enclosed by double or triple lines to form a "field". Fans or other motifs echoed the centre coin, and spirals were used as filling devices. A further one, two or three borders, also enclosed by double or triple lines, surrounded the central field. Common border motifs include leaves, spirals, church windows, tulips and many geometrical designs. But feathers were not to be found on these quilts. Leaves and spirals were very common motifs on Welsh quilts. The wool wadding made the designs stand out well in relief. Chevrons, fans and twists were well liked...the fields were marked in chalk when the quilt was in the frame, then templates were used for the major motifs, with the rest being marked in freehand. Strippy quilts were found in both areas but can easily be told apart. Durham strippies had quilting designs which followed the strips, with border motifs being used up each strip. These strippy quilts were economical to make in fabric, easy to seam together and also easy to mark in the frame. These were the everyday quilts, although this example is especially finely worked and was a wedding gift. Seen here are a running feather pattern and a scroll and daisy pattern. Strips were generally narrower than the Welsh strippies. This Welsh strippy has wider strips than its Durham counterpart, and it is fillled with wool rather than cotton. More importantly, the quilting does not follow the strips, rather the top is treated as a wholecloth and the usual format of central field and surrounding borders is followed. Here we can see a central field of heart motifs surrounded by tulips, pennies and leaves. Durham and Welsh quilts usually were finished with a butt or knife edge, where the edges are simply turned in and and sewn down. With Durham quilts, this was sometimes done by hand but more often it was sewn down with one or two lines of machine stitching. This gave a firm and durable edge, although it was not always carefully done! Welsh quilts usually have a handsewn edge, and one or two lines of running stitch secure the edge. Bindings are not the norm for antique British quilts, unless the edge had suffered wear and a binding had been applied to effect a repair.
Here is a wholecloth quilt, which has been quilted with strippy patterns. The quilting is not elaborate, but is very attractive. I imagine that it must be a club quilt or one made by a church group. The patterns cover the cloth nicely but are not too intricate - ideal for a servicable quilt. The quilting patterns include twists, fans, a four lobed pattern and a flower in a square pattern, arranged as if on a strippy quilt. This quilt was much used in the past, which of course is to be expected as this was a utility quilt and not an heirloom! The back is a white sateen, the quilting shows up nicely with the thick cotton wadding. Another photo of the quilting. I was interested to find this photo in Brenda Marchbanks book, Durham Quilting. It is a framed quilt with very similar strippy patterns in the plain centre. This quilt was from a church group in Grangetown, Sunderland (1912) - I wonder if the green quilt might be from the same stable or area?
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, right? But, when life gives you different colors of cabinets, you make a two-toned kitchen!
I didn't think I'd manage it, but here it is ... a Christmas post. Nothing like a last minute deadline.... I finished the hand quilting on my Four Block applique quilt and bound it just in time to hang it with the Christmas tree. I'm just so glad I returned to hand quilting again - different technique and tools - and finally found a way that is pain free for me and totally enjoyable. Here are some closeups of the quilting - not perfection in hand quilting, but it has the soft traditional look that I'm striving for. And when I say "not perfection" that includes nicking the background with my scissors (insert ladylike expletive at the time) - not just once, but twice - making two little holes! So repairs were required - one I darned as it seemed easiest, and the other was too big and needed a patch. Here they are and the truth is that, in the big picture, they won't get noticed so why worry? Hole darned Hole patched Stars meet Hexagons: I finished making daisy chains of hexagons and appliqued them around the border. With a red binding I think that will do. I'm thinking of trying big stitch hand quilting on this one. That will be my second venture back into hand quilting and I'm quite excited to try with the thicker thread - Aurifil no 12 perhaps. There are a gazillion seams in this top due to all the little English paper pieced diamonds and hexagons - so I am expecting it might be tougher to stitch through...we'll see. Benjamin Biggs wedding quilt: Block 12 finished - a relatively simple one this time. A lot of December busyness has revolved around some landscaping work at home and I now have a wonderful new section of lawn rolled out. The original lawn in this part of the garden was really not a lawn - just an expanse of dust and weeds that the local rabbits had turned into a rabbit warren. Am so thrilled with it now: The rabbits must have been in shock at the sudden change, but now they hop around on it and munch the grass - but no digging (touch wood). Hard to believe the difference the colour green makes - it sets off the hydrangeas like never before. Hope all your Christmas preparations are going well. I've pretty much done all I'm going to do before The Big Day. After spying some wonderful creations on Pinterest I was going to be whipping up some 'easy' but very impressive Christmas cupcakes. That was the plan and this was my preparation - looks promising? Well they turned out either too dry, too moist or too flat, and I won't even start on the various icing failures... not good. Some clever people make it look so easy, sigh. But I did manage to create a double batch of these (using my homegrown raspberries). Thanks for all the encouragement and quilting inspiration throughout this year - it has been a wonderful adventure for me. Have yourselves a Merry little Christmas and all the very best for the New Year. He feels like I felt after my cupcake failures!
While looking for patterns to use for my last quilt (Jelly Roll Race Quilt), I came across this Rainbow Flip quilt on Play Craft and I fell in love with the look. I KNEW that this was my next quilt project. I didn't have an intended recipient at the time, but I went in search of some jelly roll fabric that would be perfect. I did this during the time I was cogitating on how to fix the problem with the size of my Jelly Roll Race Quilt. It gave my mind a little break thinking about that problem. I hit upon this Jelly Roll pack called Tonga Treats Carnivale. This quilt went together very quickly. It wasn't made in the same way as the Jelly Roll Race Quilt; I just sewed the strips directly together long-edge to long-edge in a pleasing rainbow pattern. I ended up not using all of the strips (I left out some pinks) because I felt the rainbow looked better without them. The hardest part came when I had to cut a slice out of the quilt top and flip it. I was so afraid that I would do something wrong and ruin the quilt. But, finally I worked up the nerve to cut the quilt. First I squared the quilt top. Then I took the plunge and cut out the slice. At this point, I thought to myself, "What have I done????" Hopefully adding the white border strips would make it look better. I started by adding the white strips in the center of the quilt. And then I added the borders. At this point I was much happier with how it was looking. Now I had to decide what type of backing material to use. I went to JoAnn Fabrics and looked at their bolts of extra wide fabric. I didn't want to have to piece the back panel - I wanted one continuos piece. They were limited on colors that were available. I selected red because I thought it really made the rainbow colors pop! (I also used this for the binding material.) After doing an all-over, random quilting pattern. The quilt was done! This happened to be just in time for my niece's wedding. So, she is the proud owner of this new quilt.
Today, I have just the perfect quilt to share with you for St. Patty’s day. =)
Quilt as you go tutorial - learn ths technique that helps you machine quilt BIG quilts with ease.
A blog about quilting, creativity, and sewing
In my less-than-perfect world, I often have less-than-perfect quilt blocks. Learn how to square up a quilt block easily for your patchwork quilts too.
This is a guide about repairing a tear in a quilt block. Time, loving use, or an accident can cause a tear in a favorite quilt.
Do you love learning about history? Are you excited to know more about your favorite craft? If so, be sure to read this article from FaveQuilts on the history of quilting in America. In this article, we trace how quilting traditions have emerged and changed overtime due to economic, social, and political circumstances from eras of the past. Here, you can learn about a brief history of American quilting and how the most beloved traditional quilt patterns came about in four major sections that outline distinct historical periods: Early American and Colonial Quilts, Civil War Quilts, Twentieth Century Quilting, and Modern American Quilting. Within each section we were sure to include vintage quilt patterns inspired by the designs from each distinct time period. Plus, at the end we have included a selection of informative bonus resources for those of you who are excited to learn even more!
Today, as part of the 2016 FL Tutorial Series, I am sharing a tutorial about how to make improv circles. There are, of course, many ways to improv a circle, this is just the way I have been exploring. You will see from the photos that I make an improv quarter circle and then trim it with a ruler into a nicely squared quarter circle block. Although the quarters do not line up perfectly, the squared up seams make the completion of the circle block easy and it gives a look I like. First, get a nice selection of fabrics handy. Making improv circles, and most any other improv work, requires you to be able to play with the colours as you go. I find that heading to my solids shelf gives me too many options, so I pick a selection of fabrics to have handy as I work. Pick a starting fabric and freehand cut a quarter circle. In terms of size, you just have to eyeball it and you may find that your first couple of quarter circles are too small or too big or too "something". This is pretty normal for me when I start improv so I set aside, rather than ripping out or tossing out, those too "something" bits, as often, as I make more, those bits fit back into the work, often adding interesting differences. If not, toss them into the scrap bin for reuse later. The other aspect of size is that if your block is getting too big, you can always trim it down. So just start with a size, you can see that my quarter circle start is about 5" on each of the straight sides. I am making large circles, each quarter section is about 12" square so the entire circles is a 24" square block. If you want smaller circles, just start with smaller bits. If you were working with prints, this would matter so I am mentioning it. Put your first quarter circle cut on top of your next fabric, right sides both facing you so you can see them both. Cut the second colour, the first colour ring, along the edge of the quarter circle already cut. Then cut the outside of that ring. Bear in mind that about 1/4" on both sides of this ring will disappear in the seam allowance and chose your width accordingly. I join the ring portion just as I join all circle and curve pieces. You can watch my just over 1 minute video here and read the related blog posts here and here. Basically, I lay out the pieces right side facing up. I move them to my sewing machine and I turn them as shown. You can sew this curve with either piece on the top, but my preference is for the "pie" shape to be on the bottom. Now take the top piece, in my case the "not pie shaped" piece and flip it right side down and match the starting points as shown. Given the nature of curves, and the fact that you will sew 1/4" inside the cut edge, there will be extra fabric at the end, so feel free to have extra of the top piece sticking out over the edge of the bottom piece. Stitch 2 - 4 stitches and stop. Raise your presser foot and realign the pieces and then drop your presser foot. This step is better illustrated in my video. You need to keep both pieces at the 1/4" mark on your presser foot as the go under the foot. Hold the top fabric up (this is important), but don't tug on it as you will stretch it on the bias. Keep your other hand (not photographed as it was holding the camera) on the bottom piece guiding it along the the 1/4" mark. Constantly adjust the placement of the top fabric so that it is meeting the bottom fabric at the 1/4" mark. Sew slowly and deliberately. Improv circles will look a bit like this when done. I press each addition, pushing the seams to the centre. In this photo you can see that a 1/4" seam allowance was achieved. It does not have to be perfect, but if it is too narrow, restitch so that the piecing does not come apart later as your quilt is used. Add your next ring using the same method. Sewn piece is placed right side up on the next fabric which is also right side up. Cut your next ring. You will see that you are also cutting left over chunks of the next fabric. Save those for other circles. After a few rings, the piece might start to pucker. A trim of the edges usually takes that pucker out. I often trim after each ring is added as well. This is also a good time to adjust the size if your piece has become bigger than you wish it to be. The last fabric is your background. I cut the square or rectangle of the background first and then, using the same method, I cut the curve for the background fabric. It is the same approach to laying out the background piece for sewing. I line it up right sides up and then flip the top piece over to stitch. Then trim your block on both edges that contain the improv. This photo shows the first cut and then I trimmed the bottom as well. This is as far as I got with this new circle this afternoon. Once you have a full circle you can piece it together by sewing the four blocks together. Or you can keep the pieces separate until you have all the circles you want to create done which allows you to easily change the order of the quarters as the piece progresses. I wanted to share some things. You can see that the quarter circle photographed for the tutorial, the first quarter - top left - is not so much curved in the centre as almost triangular. In part that happened because I did not cut a pronounced quarter circle and in part because the trimming cuts off the edges as you work. At first I wanted to toss out that quarter as being too triangular, but now I am liking its difference, so it is still on the design board. Don't be quick to judge any improv work, give it time before you edit it out. Let me know if you have questions. And if you have not yet done so, get your Q4 finishes posted, you can link up on my blog here or link on any of the global host blogs. Best, Leanne
In this Ming Vase Art Lesson, students will design their own Ming Vase while learning about this valuable art form, and it's place in history. Grades K-1.
