| Like many other crafts and hobbies, quilting has | | | | something for almost everyone. |
| survived the test of time. Some quilt historians date the | | | | Traditional patchwork quilts are still very popular. They |
| beginning of quilting back to the middle ages, when | | | | provide a framework for design while allowing the |
| quilted clothes were made for warriors sent to battle in | | | | quilter to use fabric selection to vary the overall look of |
| cold climates. According to history, fabrics were | | | | the quilt. Contemporary quilts, or art quilts, are also |
| layered and stitched in the same quilting method used | | | | popular, and provide a canvas for designing quilts that |
| today to keep the layers intact and keep the warriors | | | | has no bounds. |
| warm. | | | | Many quiltmakers still rely on hand sewing which |
| You might note several differences: | | | | makes quilts portable. Your quilt project easily goes into |
| · The quilting was done by hand (as was the | | | | the waiting room of doctors and dance classes, |
| construction of the clothes) | | | | travels with you in the car on long trips, and turns idle |
| · There were no fancy designs of either the | | | | time into productive time. |
| quilting pattern or the clothes | | | | Other quilters complete their entire quilt project on the |
| · Probably this clothing was made by local tailors | | | | machine - from piecing blocks to machine quilting and |
| (who generally were men) | | | | finishing the binding. |
| Quilting today is much more fun and includes both men | | | | Whether your quilt is made by hand or machine, the |
| and women! Because there are more than 20 million | | | | sense of pride you feel when your quilt is finished is at |
| quilters in the US, fabric stores have dedicated | | | | least equal to the feeling of love, admiration and |
| sections of their shops to quilting fabric. In many | | | | appreciation that the person who uses or receives the |
| communities, it is easy to find a quilting store or two (or | | | | quilt feels. |
| three) - a shop that caters just to quilters. And finding | | | | And you become a thread in the history of time - |
| quilting fabric online is getting easier by the day. | | | | linking past generations with the future. |
| With a wide selection of resources, the next question | | | | Happy Quilting! |
| is whether you will enjoy quilting. The art of quilting has | | | | |