Quilting is a craft that uses hand- and machine-sewing techniques to join colored and patterned fabrics into a larger design. This craft is practiced most commonly to make quilts, which can serve as bedspreads or decorative wall hangings. You can also use quilting to make items such as pillows and tote bags.
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The Anatomy of a Quilt
All quilts share a basic anatomy, which consists of three layers plus the materials that hold those layers together. The layers of the quilt, often called the quilt sandwich, include the quilt top, batting, and backing. The quilting and binding join the layers together.
Quilt Top
The quilt top is the decorative, topmost layer of the quilt. Though there are a variety of ways to make a quilt top, the most common method is called patchwork. In patchwork, colored or patterned fabric that’s been cut into geometric shapes is pieced (sewn together) to form larger designs. Traditional quilts are made by piecing small shapes to form squares of consistent patterns, called blocks. The blocks are then pieced to make the larger quilt top. It’s also possible to piece small pieces to make the quilt without first forming blocks.
Optional Quilt Top Components
In addition to the basics, a patchwork quilt may include optional design elements. Two of the most popular are borders and sashing:
- Border: A border is a fabric frame surrounding the blocks of a quilt. To add a border to your quilt, you first join all the blocks, then sew the border around them.
- Sashing: Strips of fabric called sashes are placed between quilt blocks as a design element. Rather than being sewn together, the blocks are sewn to the sashes, and the sashes are then sewn to other blocks. Sashing entails placing strips along the edge of each block and squares at the corner of each block.
Batting
Also called filler, the batting is the middle layer of a quilt. Batting can be made from either natural fibers, such as cotton or wool, or synthetic fibers, such as polyester. Like fabric, batting is sold in sheets and rolls.
Backing
The backing is the quilt’s bottom layer of fabric. The backing is generally less decorative than the quilt top and is made from a single piece (or just a few pieces) of fabric.
Quilting
Quilting is the stitchwork used to join the three layers of the quilt together. Quilting can be decorative in addition to functional. The stitch patterns of the quilting are visible on the quilt top and affect the look of the final product.
Binding
The binding is an edging of fabric that wraps over the edges of the three layers of the quilt sandwich, securing the batting in place and protecting it from the outside.
Quilting by Hand or with a Sewing Machine
There are two ways you can quilt: by hand or with a sewing machine.
- Hand quilting: This technique entails pulling a needle and thread by hand in order to assemble a quilt. Though more time-consuming than machine quilting, hand quilting allows for more decorative and varied stitchwork. Some quilt work must be sewn by hand.
- Machine quilting: Machine quilting is faster than hand quilting and produces sturdier quilts. Sometimes, quilters choose to hand sew even when they can use a machine simply because they prefer the look of hand-sewn stitches.
