As part of my sleeping porch project, I've decided to learn how to quilt so I can use fabric that's been weather and UV treated. I've found some pretty simple looking tutorials on getting started so I think I should be ok for the most part, but I do need one thing clarified.
When I was little, my great grandma used to make quilts. She had this giant wooden frame that she used to spread out her quilt and it could roll up the quilt as she worked. She used to sit on the couch and watch TV while she tied string through the layers and knotted it.
My question about that is, was that a finishing move or was that the basting thing I've read about and she then sewed it all together and I'm just forgetting that part because I was young and not at all interested at the time? Also, any ideas on what that frame was she used? Is something like that super helpful to the process in general or only because she was tying all those knots?
I'm sorry that this is worded so oddly. For the life of me, I can't seem to express what I'm trying to say in a very clear way. I guess because I'm lacking some necessary vocabulary about quilting.
If she was tying all those knots then she was most likely tying the quilt and not quilting it
Oh so it's a totally different method? How would I Google that? "tying a quilt"?
@Wren the old fashion way of quilting was by hand. What you saw your grandmother working on was a quilting frame. Nowadays many people have turned to machine quilting where a person uses a sewing machine to put the pieces together and then ties them down with stitches...or just uses the sewing machine to do everything. Hand quilting can be very rewarding and many times will be handed down through the generations. I know some people will use their old baby clothes or special pieces of clothing (even a wedding dress) to quilt and keep for many, many years. My sister is currently making Christmas quilts for her children and is doing it by hand. Although a frame is not necessary it can be quite helpful. For some history on Hand Quilting see this link: The Quilting Bee
If you google "making a quilting frame" you can find various ways to make your own but there are premade quilting frames also. I actually have been thinking about making my sister a king size quilt for her bed but it would be a huge undertaking....I would only do it if I did it by hand, not machine.
I think it is a wonderful thing that you want to do as hand quilting is a dying art in many respects.
The tying is a different way to finish a quilt and is quicker than quilting. You would use it if you have a thicker/heavier quilt. A lot of times there will also be buttons sewn on and then tied. It keeps the layers together yet allows for a lot of air pockets (which is what keeps you warm). If you google "tied quilts" you'll be able to find lots of examples and instructions. I've only made 1 quilt this way and it went really quickly once all the pieces were sewn together.
Thanks for the information, guys! I'm looking into it now. If I only finish one major project this summer, it's going to be to make a quilt. I'm ridiculously excited.
If I still lived in Georgia I would come help you - it would be a lot of fun. Good luck I am sure it will turn out awesome.
I've got the itch to start stitching again also!
My daughter is a college senior this year, and I need to finish what I'm calling her "Double Signature Graduation Quilt". IE when she went off to Kindergarten I collect a block with her teachers signature, and was going to continue collecting and surprise her by giving her a quilt made from teachers blocks, when she graduated. Well, we sifted to homeschooling her and her siblings until she graduated! So through the years I collected a few blocks signed by her Sunday School teachers, and even a few that I made from her father & I talking about her school year. I then was able to collect signatures of friends at her graduation party, she didn't want a ceremony, just a large open house. I kept it all a secret for those 13 years, and was going to finish it off for her that Christmas, but she and her boyfriend had a breakup in Oct, and I was wondering how to include or not include blocks signed by him and his family. So after things settled down the next spring, we decided to show her the quilt top in progress, and ask her about how to finish it. Needless to say, once I set it aside, I guess I really set it aside.
My sister-in-law has gotten into Quilting and took some classes last fall on "free-motion" machine quilting. She had been given an entirely hand-sewn quilt on her HS graduation, by a grandmother. Something she did for all the cousins. They had two of them appraised back in the late 80's and they were valued at $2,000 a piece, because both the top piecing and the quilting was by hand.
Any other quilter's here?
Cause I'm looking for info on a good Double Wedding Ring. I'm figuring it will be worth purchasing the acrylic templates for precision cutting, but I'm finding two types of connecting corners, some that are kite shaped and some that are square. Also some that are making it into a square block by finishing the "block piece" with a half melon, instead of a football melon with the striping on both sides.
I had a sweet friend offer to lend me her templates so I could try one type of piecing. BUT she is missing the center/background piece and the corner piece. So I'm back to trying to make my selection from kits I'm seeing on-line.
I'd also really like a "true" circle, cause IF I'm going to do a whole quilt, I'd rather take the time to make it look really great.