Have you ever been on a road trip in rural America and glance up at an old, dilapidated barn that has a brightly painted quilt block on the front of it?
Why would someone take the time to put something like that upon a barn that looks like it’s about to fall over, right?
This post will go over the significance of these beautiful art pieces hung up on unique canvas and why rural Americans love to display them on their barns.
Are you ready to take the next step in your quilt-making journey and start quilting your own quilt projects?
For those serious about creating beautiful quilting designs on their quilts, a long arm quilting machine is the way to go.
The sky is the limit when it comes to long arm quilting, and many options are on the market today.
This article will help you determine what to look for and narrow down what is essential for YOU and your quilting needs.
Have you been dabbling with the idea of hosting your own quilting retreat?
They can be such a fun way to make new quilty friends and try something new, but how do you plan a quilt retreat?
We will discuss this topic in FULL in the post and go over all the nitty gritty details so you can feel confident when you go to host your first or next quilting retreat with ease.
What Is a Quilt Retreat?
Before we jump into any details, let’s go over the basics. A quilt retreat is a gathering of quilters to sew, learn, and fellowship together. The quilters can have varying skill levels, or you can specify a specific skill level for your attendees.
Also, you can choose a specific quilt pattern that everyone sews, or you can have everyone pick their pattern. Often, the importance isn’t the actual quilt pattern or project that everyone is working on, but the friendships and connections created when quilters get together and share their love for the craft.
A quilt retreat can be a few hours or several days. That will heavily depend on your attendees’ schedules and what you would like to commit to. We’ll discuss this more later in this post.
Did you know there is a difference between a lap quilt and a throw quilt?
When I first started creating quilts for other people, I thought they were basically the same thing.
However, I quickly found out that they are different sizes entirely.
Today, we will focus on the different attributes of lap quilts, such as the size of lap quilts and how exactly they differ from a throw-sized quilt.
If you have spent hours upon hours sewing and creating beautiful quilts, you probably want to keep them for years.
But we’ve all heard the horror stories of bugs or moisture getting into quilts and ruining them.
Today, we are going to tackle the vital issue of how to store handmade quilts.
Whether you want to store the quilt you just made last week or you have a quilt your great-grandmother made during the Great Depression, we’ll figure out the best way to keep them safe.
Every quilter knows that leftover pieces of fabric are inevitable.
While some people throw these scraps away, others are quite conscientious and look to make something from their scraps.
However, scrap quilting is not a new concept.
Looking back to the Victorian age, we find that the production of crazy quilts by upper-class women was a way for them to show off their wealth and knowledge of stitching.
The fabrics used were often brocades, silks, and chintz.
These scrap quilts were not made for utility but more for bragging rights as they were often draped across the chair in the front parlor for visitors to see.
Scrap quilting with cotton fabrics became popular during World War II when to waste something was unAmerican.
Out of necessity quilters recycled feed sackcloth and clothing to produce a scrap quilt.
These quilts were then donated to the American Red Cross or soldiers’ homes.