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Posts Tagged ‘quilting tips’

Many people love to make quilts. It is an art, a culture as well as a social occasion to get together with your friends to make quilts together. There are many reasons why people make quilts. Some do it as a tradition, some do it for fun as a hobby, and some do it to donate to charitable organizations and people in need. In fact, there are many nonprofit organizations that collect or make quilts and donate them to homeless people, seniors, hospitalized folks, and so on. People who are losing hope in life are very happy to receive quilts because they know that someone put a lot of work into the quilts for them so someone cares. Quilting also makes good fund raising projects.

What is quilting?

Quilting is the work of making a quilt which is often used as a decorative cover for a bed but it can be used as a blanket too. It usually has two layers with soft material between them. Quilting is a sewing method done either by hand, by sewing machine, or by a longarm quilting system. A person who takes on quilting as an occupation is called a quilter.

The process of quilting uses a needle and thread to join two or more layers of material together to make a quilt. Typical quilting is done with three layers: the top fabric or quilt top, batting or insulating material and backing material. The quilter’s hand or sewing machine passes the needle and thread through all layers and then brings the needle back up. The process is repeated across the entire piece where quilting is wanted. A straight or running stitch is commonly used and these stitches can be purely functional or decorative and elaborate. Quilting is done on bed spreads, art quilt wall hangings, clothing, and a variety of textile products. Quilting can make a project thick, or with dense quilting, can raise one area so that another stands out.

If you are interested in quilting as a hobby or to do it as a fundraising or charity, this book is a great resource for you.

The Quilters Ultimate Visual Guide: From A to Z– Hundreds of Tips and Techniques for Successful Quiltmaking