The Art of Patchwork and Quilting

Image via WikipediaIf you want to learn the art of patchwork and quilting, it is important that you should have accuracy in cutting & stitching. If you will execute accuracy along with using the best Quilting Kits tools like rotary cutter, you will definitely be able to make a masterpiece.

You need to cut the pieces for patchwork and quilting in long strips with the grain of the fabric. Then the pieces are sewn together into squares and assembled into a finished quality. You have the flexibility of completing the blocks in sets of four, five or even nice patch blocks. It actually depends on the pattern you are following as well as the type of quilt you want to make.

There are many sewing machines in the market that will enable you to make larger quilts and Patchwork Project with intricate custom designs. These machines have bobbins with more than double the capacity of older machines. Most of the machine manufacturers give books of free quilt patterns to the customer.

If you are a beginner, you can refer to the Internet for some basic and popular patterns. Whereas, many Internet television are also serving as interesting medium of learning sewing and patchwork for free. These run sewing programs where step by step information is given to the learner.

Patterns of Making Quilting and Patchwork Supplies

There are different patterns of quilting and patchwork & one of the most well-known is log cabin pattern. The quilt square in this pattern resembles the log cabins that were built by early settlers in America.
Quilting bees is yet another pattern you can follow. This pattern is said to be a way for older women to advice the younger women on how to take care of home & family while learning to sew.

If you want to try your hands on something that is far more creative and gives you a chance to show off your abilities to everyone, quilting & patchwork is for you. Just enjoy the highly artistic hobby to make beautiful gifts & home decor items.

Are you looking for Patchwork Project? Justhands-on.tv is the best UK first on-line TV website devoted to Patchwork Supplies and Quilting Kits.

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What Is Quilting?

Image by chatblanc1 via FlickrTake a journey into the world of patchwork and quilting and you will discover that quilters have a language of their own. Unfamiliar lingo encountered when learning about quilting, can be very baffling.


Even the word quilt has different meanings. It refers to a coverlet made up of three layers and the act of stitching the three layers together (as in quilt a quilt). Now for some inexplicable reason the word quilter refers to a person who makes quilts even if they don't necessarily know how to quilt them. You could be an expert quilter and still not be capable of quilting a quilt, as your expertise might lie in one of the many ways to create a quilt top.


Even though quilting is sometimes used as a short form of "patchwork and quilting" (as in saying you are taking up quilting when you are learning how to piece patchwork), in the dictionary you will find that there are two different meanings for quilting. Quilting is the stitching that holds all three layers of a quilt together and it is also the act of creating those stitches.


Here are some more terms that you will come across when learning about machine quilting.


In the Ditch is quilting very close to the low side of the seam line, to be almost invisible. The low side is the side without the seam allowanc
   
Outline quilting is stitching done inside each patch about ¼" away from the seam line or stitching around a shape as in Echo quilting. Sometimes confused with stitching in the ditch, in outline quilting the stitching is suppose to be visible.
   
Motif quilting creates a design by following a pattern on the quilt top. There are various marking tools and numerous techniques for marking the pattern onto the quilt top.
   
Accent quilting is stitching that complements the featured design. Stippling the background around the design is a type of accent quilting, as are Echo quilting and Meandering.
   
Selective quilting is used to emphasize certain portions of a design.
   
Allover quilting ignores the seam lines and fills the entire quilt top with a design.
   
Trapunto is a "fattening up" of areas of a quilt design to create brilliant texture. Trapunto is most effective when the background quilting around the the "fattened up" area is densely quilted. It makes the plumped areas stand out more.
   
Quilt As You Go means that you quilt and piece all your blocks separately. The smaller pieces are quilted separately and then joined together to make a large quilt. It is easier to manage and quilt a smaller piece under the sewing machine instead of a huge quilt.
   
Free Motion Machine Quilting is a form of quilting done by the quilter without marking the quilt. You just sit down with the quilt under the machine and "doodle" away!
   
Fill quilting fills in and flattens the background space while emphasizing the primary design. Types of fill quilting are:


Echo - Stitching around the outline of a pattern repeatedly to create an effect similar to ripples in a pond.
   
Channel - straight, parallel lines of stitching.
   
Crosshatching - straight line quilting in a grid pattern. A straight grid forms squares, while a diagonal grid forms diamonds.
   
Meandering - random curved lines, squiggles and swirls done "freehand".

Stippling - is similar to meandering but the line never cross.



Since discovering quilting ten years ago Bev McClune has become an award winning domestic machine quilter, a professional machine quilter and a popular tutor.  She has four how-to quilt DVD's available at http://www.quiltersworld.com.au

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