Man has proven his ingenuity and resourcefulness throughout time. He has undergone a lot of activities that has cemented his legacy in this world. He has mastered numerous skills and craftsmanship that has shaped the world’s history like no other. Let’s take a microscopic journey into one of the most fascinating artistry around the globe. Enter the world of quilting.
Basically quilting is a method which revolves around the principles of sewing. This is done via different media such as sewing machines, a longarm quilting system, or simply one’s hands. Now the person directly involved in the creation is called the quilter.
The quilting process comes into being because of the dynamic duo in thread and needle. These guys enable the union of two or more layers of material which results into a quilt. The usual quilting is presented in three layers which include the quilt top or top fabric, the backing material, and the insulating or batting material. The skillful hand of the quilter or the efficient machinery of the sewing machine manipulates both the needle and the thread through all the layers in order to come up with a pleasing masterpiece.
The process of needle in and needle out continues until a complete piece of quilting extravagance is born. It is common practice to utilize running or straight stitches en route to the production of patterns that can be of ornamental or functional purpose. The art of quilting has been noticeably present in various accessories and objects such as clothing, textile products, bed covers, and household decorations. It is quite flexible as it can be manipulated in order to make a certain design blend with other forms of art or it can also provide for dominance so that one pattern can truly stand out from the rest.
There are various types of quilting but the common ones are the hand and machine quilting. Let’s start acquaintances with hand quilting. This involves a process of sewing a running stitch by hand on an entire material by utilizing needles and threads. A hoop or quilting frame is tapped on to provide assistance by stably holding the material being quilted over the quilter’s lap.
When involved in hand quilting, the quilter has three stitching options. The first one is known as a stab stitch wherein stitching is performed one at a time. The second is identified as a rocking stitch. This is done by having one hand normally with a finger protected by a thimble placed on top of the quilt while the other hand does the needle pushing upwards. The third option is regarded as loading the needle which features the practice of accomplishing four or more stitches before manipulating the needle through the cloth.
Machine quilting relies on the aid of a sewing machine to patch layers together. Moreover, a common sewing machine allows for the tacking of layers before the actual quilting. Apart from tacking a series of procedures can also be done such as laying the top, batting and then backing out on a flat surface.
The beauty about quilting is that there are a lot of methods you can choose from. You can either go old school or dig deeper into new and innovative ways of producing your very own work-of-art.