Quilting

Quilting is a method of sewing or tying two layers of cloth with a layer of insulating batting in between. A bed covering or similar large rectangular piece of quilting work is called a quilt. A quilt does not have to be rectangular, however. more...

Home
Bead Art
Cake Decorating
Candle & Soap Making
Cardmaking & Scrapbooking
Ceramic & Pottery Making
Children's Crafts
Crochet
Cross Stitch
Embroidery
Fabric
Floral Supplies
Framing/ Matting
Glass Art Supplies
Hand-Crafted Items
Knitting
Lacemaking
Latch-Hook/ Rug-Making
Leathercraft
Mosaic
Other Crafts
Painting, Drawing & Art
Paper Crafts/ Origami
Quilting
Rubber Stamping
Sewing
Tapestry & Needlepoint
Woodworking

Many quilts hang on the wall as art quilts and are all kinds of shapes and sizes. Ralli quilt * is a one of popular type of quilting the sub-continet. Women of Sindh are the the master of ralli quilting, they make rallis in individually and in groups.

History

There is a common belief that quilting originated for its utility rather than decoration. But in Colonial times most women spent their days spinning, weaving and making clothing. Meanwhile women of the wealthy classes prided themselves on their fine quilting of wholecloth quilts. Both their trapunto and broderie perse were considered fine needlework.; The origins of this method of craft are thought to be in the Crusades, when soldiers needed warmth as well as protection from the chafing caused by heavy armor. Additionally, there are ancient Egyptian sculptures showing figures which appear to be wearing clothing which is quilted, possibly for warmth in the chilly desert evenings.; Quilting in Sub-continent keeps the oldest-surviving traditional history of quilting in the world, that is called ralli quilting; Quilting is used in the making of a garment called a gambeson; Many antique quilts made in North America have a worn-out blanket or older quilt as the intenal batting layer - quilting it between new layers of fabric allowed it to continue to be useful despite being worn.; Harriet Powers, a slave born African American women, made two famous story quilts. She was just one of the many African American quilters who contributed to the evolution of quilting.; In modern times, art quilts have started to become popular for their aesthetic, artistic qualities rather than for functionality (i.e. they may hang on a wall instead of lying on a bed).; The study of quilting history reveals the evolution of quilting as we know it today. Quilts made during the early 1800s were not constructed of pieced blocks but instead whole cloth quilts, broderie perse quilts and medallion quilts were made.;

Practice

The most basic form of quilting is a simple geometric grid and sometimes complex tessellation, sewn either by hand or nowadays by machine. The gridwork of stitches traps air in the material, making it much warmer than a single layer of fabric would be, or even the layers separately.;

Quilting can also be used as a form of elaborate decoration, where the stitchery creates complex designs and patterns, with or without the use of colour. Designs in the original fabrics can be put together to form new patterns.;

A quilt using a single piece of fabric as a quilt top is called a whole cloth quilt.;

Read more at Wikipedia.org