Quilt

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

An example of a patchwork quilt.

A quilt is a type of bedding— a bed covering composed of a quilt top, a layer of batting, and a layer of fabric for backing, generally combined using the technique of quilting. Another technique for securing the quilt layers is tying. Tying refers to the technique of using thread, yarn or ribbon to pass through all three layers of the quilt at reqular intervals. These "ties" hold the layers together during use and especially when the quilt is washed. This method is easier and more forgiving if the quilt is made by hand. Tied quilts are called, depending on the regional area, "hap", "comfort" or "comforter", among other names. Many quilts are made with decorative designs; indeed, some quilts are not used as bed covering at all, but are rather made to be hung on a wall or otherwise displayed. Ralli quilt* [1] is traditional quilt from Pakistan and India. Which could be used as bedspraed and blanket. In British English, quilt is another way of saying duvet, wadding is another way of saying batting, and calico refers to muslin rather than to a fabric with a printed pattern on it.

1 Some uses of quilts
2 Quilting technique
- 2.1 Some techniques used to create the quilt top
3 Quilts on display
4 In literature
5 Art quilts
6 List of people in quilting
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] Some uses of quilts

Bedding
Decorative
Armoury (see Gambeson)
Commemorative (e.g., the "Twentieth Century Women of Faith" quilt on the Patchwork page)
Educational (e.g., the "Science" quilt image shown here)
Campaigning
Documenting events / social history etc.
Artistic Expression

Amish quilts are reflections of the Amish ways of life. Because the Amish people believe in not being "flashy" or "worldly" in dress and lifestyle, their quilts reflect this religious philosophy. They use solid colors only in their clothing and quilts with some particular church districts limiting the use of certain colors such as yellow or red because those are considered "too worldly". Many Amish quilts feature the use of black which makes the other colors sparkle and gives a contemporary art look to the quilts.

Ralli quilt is the traditional quilt made by the quilters of Pakistan and India. Handmade ralli quilts are used as blankets and bedspreads. These ralli quilts are designed in three type patchwork, applique and embroidery. The parents present rallis to their daughters on their weddings as a dowry.

[edit] Quilting technique

The quilt top is created either from one large piece of cloth or from a number of smaller pieces of cloth called blocks. In the more common case of blocks, a number of techniques are used to create the blocks. The blocks are then sewn together, either edge to edge, or with separator strips of cloth called sashing. Borders are then often added to help set off the piece, and then a binding is added to edge the quilt after the quilting is done. As an example, the quilt image above has 24 blocks arranged in a 4x6 pattern, set with dark sashing strips, corner stones in a contrasting color, an outside sashing strip but no border, and a multicolored binding. Click on the image to see these details in a larger view.

[edit] Some techniques used to create the quilt top

Piecing or patchwork - where small geometric or curved pieces of cloth are sewn together to form blocks
Applique - where pieces of cloth in various shapes are either hand or machine sewn to the surface of a block. Broderie perse is an example of applique.
Embroidery - Where an image is created by sewing thread either by hand or machine onto the surface of a block.
Whole cloth - Where no embellishment is done to the quilt top before starting the quilting process.

[edit] Quilts on display

Amongst famous quilts in history is the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which was begun in San Francisco in 1987, is cared for by The NAMES Project Foundation and is displayed in various arranged locations.

The Museum of the American Quilter's Society (also known as the National Quilt Museum) is located in Paducah, Kentucky. The museum houses a large collection of quilts, most of which are winning entries from the American Quilter's Society festival and quilt competition held yearly in April. The Museum also houses other exhibits of quilt collections, both historic and modern.

Many historic quilts can be seen in Bath at the American Museum in Britain.

The largest known public collection of quilts is housed at the International Quilt Study Center at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The book "Australia's Quilts" by Jenny Manning is an excellent directory of the many quilts on display in public collections in Australia.

[edit] In literature

Ismat Chughtai wrote an Urdu-language story Lihaf (The Quilt) (1941) that lead to scandal and an unsuccessful attempt at legal prosecution of the author because it was about a lesbian relationship.
Ralli Quilts The Traditional Texiles from Pakistan and India, By Patricia Sttoddard

The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini, ISBN 0-452-28172-5, Publisher: Plume Books (2000)
Round Robin by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Cross-Country Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Quilter's Legacy by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Master Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Sugar Camp Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini
ELM CREEK QUILTS: QUILT PROJECTS INSPIRED BY THE ELM CREEK QUILTS NOVELS by Jennifer Chiaverini and Nancy Odom
The Quiltmaker's Gift by Jeff Brumbeau, illustrated by Gail de Marcken
The Quiltmaker's Journey by Jeff Brumbeau, illustrated by Gail de Marcken
How to make an American Quilt by Whitney Otto

[edit] Art quilts

Distinguishing art quilts from the main category of quilts can be difficult. Art quilts can be created using any of the techniques of a quilt - piecing, applique, whole cloth, or even machine embroidery. These are techniques, though, and art involves more than mere technique. Meaningfulness, in whatever way the viewer perceives it, is involved in the experience of an art quilt, as opposed to a quilt built as an exercise in craft or technical capabilities, or for practical bedroom purposes.

The term 'art quilt' itself is controversial, since it implies that quilts in other categories are not art. Quilts have always been made, however, with their aesthetic value as a consideration, even when makers were creating objects for practical use in their homes and bedrooms. To this extent, nearly all quilts evidence artistic/creative expression and their functional raison d'être as well as their materials and techniques support their visual statements, expressions that can be as powerful viewed on a bed as from the flat expanse of a gallery wall. What perhaps distinguishes the art of the home-based maker from that of the studio-based maker are context and intent. The works of makers such as the quilters of Gee's Bend, Alabama demonstrate, however, that notions of what distinguishes a so-called 'art quilt' from an everyday 'bed quilt' may reside less in the minds of the makers than in the eyes of the beholders.

[edit] Colour Theory and Patterns

The colours used in art quilts are the determination of their creators, but quilts which go beyond the basic "bed quilt" are usually distinguishable by non-traditional colours or pattern interpretation. Fiber Artists such as Valerie Page of PageQuilts, or Melody Crust, demonstrate their vision by the use of complementry and contrasting colours, and complex and unpredictable but balanced patterns. The result may be mathmatical in nature, as is the case with the Fibonacci number textile patterns Valerie creates in particular.

[edit] Quilts are named

During the late 1900's, the quilt community started to encourage quilters to label their quilts, starting with a name for the quilt, in addition to their own name, and completion date for the work. This was an important step in taking the craft of quilting into the art realm. A quilt's name implies there is some meaning to a quilt beyond its creation, to whatever degree, though meaning maybe found in quilts without names as well.

[edit] Emotion in an art quilt

One aspect of some art quilts is the ability of the piece to evoke an emotion in the viewer. While examples of quilts displaying the darker end of the emotional spectrum are still rare, they do exist. Quilts focused on the September 11, 2001 attacks have particularly explored grief and anger.

[edit] List of people in quilting

Jane and Rebecca Bond - a slave and her mistress share the tradition of quilting together on their plantation.
Dorothy Holden - a contemporary quilter.
Kadella - a South Carolina slave quilted for her owner and their two children.
Norma McKone - a contemporary quilter from Virginia who presented quilt to General Schwarzkopf in Washington D.C..
Harriet Powers - Slave who created two bible quilts, one in 1886 and the other in 1898, which are the best known and well preserved examples of Southern American quilting tradition.
Pam Riggs - contemporary quilter from Charlottesville, Virginia.

[edit] See also

Baltimore album quilts
Counterpane
Crazy quilting
Duvet
History of quilting
NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt
Patchwork quilt
Patchwork
Quilting
Tessellation

[edit] External links

Categories: Quilting | Textile arts | Bedding | Folk art | Linens