| My interest in quilting and patchwork started many | | | | curtain). The edges were turned under and the shape |
| years ago and I found that starting with a small project | | | | sewn onto the fabric with a variety of stitches. Once |
| and using Baby Quilt Patterns as a source of ideas | | | | again creativity blossomed as the shapes to be |
| and inspiration, I was able to produce a very pleasing | | | | appliqued could make a pattern depicting a scene, tell a |
| quilt for a baby's cot without too much gnashing of | | | | story, help a child to read by sewing on the letters of |
| teeth and wringing of hands. | | | | the alphabet. The ideas were and still are endless. |
| I think the term The Quilt became a product of the | | | | Block patterns came later. It has been a general |
| verb To Quilt as there is evidence of ancient statues | | | | assumption that the poorer families re-used old clothes |
| wearing quilted garments, a quilted linen carpet was | | | | and old furnishings by cutting them up into a variety of |
| found in Siberia around the beginning of the first | | | | shapes or strips and sewing them back together to |
| century and of course the very fashionable quilted | | | | make a new garment. An early example of recycling. It |
| doublet and hose of the Elizabethan era. Even today | | | | became known as "patchwork" quilting. One example |
| we have quilted body warmers, trousers and sleeping | | | | is the Log Cabin Quilt effect. When I first started to |
| bags. | | | | learn to quilt I looked for some easy quilt patterns. Log |
| To quilt is to attach two pieces of fabric together with | | | | cabin patterns are made up of strips of fabric cut at |
| a sandwich of wadding or batting between them (to | | | | the same width but differing lengths and then sewn |
| provide warmth if required) by sewing through all the | | | | together to create a block effect. An additional |
| layers. Attaching the layers together ensured that the | | | | pleasing effect is achieved by lighter and darker |
| padding remained evenly distributed particularly during | | | | shades of the same colour. |
| the washing process and also air was trapped which | | | | Paper played an important part in quilting too. In the |
| provided further insulation. | | | | early American pioneering days, paper was scarce. |
| Baby Quilt Patterns are unlikely to have been used in | | | | Used envelopes, letters, newspaper cuttings were cut |
| the first quilts created because coloured fabrics were | | | | into shapes - (hexagonal being very popular) and a |
| scarce. Therefore the first quilts were made out of | | | | piece of fabric was cut of the same shape, slightly |
| one piece of white calico and the stitches used to | | | | bigger. The fabric was tacked to the paper and then |
| secure everything would have been small running | | | | the shapes were sewn together to make pleasing |
| stitches. Probably initially they would have sewn the | | | | patterns. The paper was left in to provide insulation |
| fabrics diagonally but as they became more | | | | and many years later was a source of information |
| imaginative, they created more intricate patterns. | | | | about pioneer life. |
| It is unlikely that quilts were made as the first form of | | | | Of course all this activity was taking place without the |
| bed coverings - they took too long to make. Blankets | | | | aid of electricity which meant hours of sewing by hand |
| were spun and woven out of wool. However, once | | | | in natural light and then by the poor light of a candle or |
| the very necessary need to keep warm in bed had | | | | paraffin lamp if there was a deadline to finish the quilt. |
| been met, I think the more affluent ladies who did not | | | | These days we may not get together as much to help |
| have to bother with household chores and therefore | | | | make a quilt for a young girl's bottom drawer but the |
| had time on their hands wanted something to occupy | | | | art of quilting is still very much alive and there are lots |
| their time and an outlet for their creativity. They started | | | | of quilting groups both in America and Britain. |
| to make pretty bed coverings. White calico with a | | | | The invention of the sewing machine in the 1850s and |
| couple of lines of running stitches was somewhat | | | | subsequent electric models has considerably reduced |
| boring so gradually stitching a pattern on the calico | | | | the time it takes to make a quilt. Quilts have become a |
| developed until some very intricate patterns were | | | | work of art and are used as wall hanging as well as |
| created. As the art developed, so did the competition | | | | bed covers. There is a lot of information available to |
| to become the most proficient quilter. | | | | anyone considering making a quilt but I would advise |
| With the increasing availability of coloured fabrics, | | | | you to start small and what better way than to look at |
| colour was introduced to The Quilt by sewing shapes | | | | some Baby Quilt Patterns to get inspiration and you |
| to form applique quilt patterns to the top cover. Any | | | | could create a quilt which in time becomes an heirloom. |
| shape could be used (even a motif cut out of an old | | | | |