| While the history of quilting is fraught with many | | | | advance from the crude patchwork designs to the |
| examples of possible origins dating back as far as | | | | more unique quilting block styles, such as this nine |
| biblical times with the story of Josephs 'Coat of Many | | | | patch quilt called a shoo fly. While there are many |
| Colors', it is generally agreed that the more traditional | | | | hundreds of variations of the nine patch quilt, the shoo |
| American/European had it's start with the patchwork | | | | fly is great quilting for the beginner to start out with. As |
| quilts in the 1780's. Patchwork quilts in essence were | | | | for the history of quilting the shoo fly nine patch quilt, it |
| quilting for the beginner, in that scraps of cloth were | | | | appears first around the 1870's. You will notice that |
| sewn together to provide clothing and blankets as a | | | | there are two basic shapes, a square and a triangle |
| matter of scarcity and necessity. | | | | which will both be important permanent rotary cutter |
| The very first patchwork quilts used for blankets were | | | | templates that will be used in quilting other nine patch |
| layers of cloth sewn together with a few strong | | | | quilts for beginner to expert. The shoo fly is named |
| running stitches. These primitive patchwork quilts | | | | after a child's rocker having the seat built between two |
| according to the history of quilting resembled the thick | | | | flat sides cut in the shape of an animal. |
| and cumbersome pallets which were slept upon. Due | | | | Never before in the history of quilting, have the |
| to the difficulty in stitching the many layers together the | | | | techniques used for this pattern been used for quilting |
| quilting frame was invented. | | | | with the beginner in mind. Most experienced quilters will |
| Progress in technology deeply affected the number | | | | tell you when they did their first nine patch quilt like the |
| and styles of patchwork quilts made during the middle | | | | shoo fly, they learned how to cut a square in half |
| years of the 1800s. The industrial revolution, the turning | | | | diagonally once or twice in order to get their |
| point in the history of quilting brought about the most | | | | half-square triangles. However, this method is not |
| dramatic change as textiles came to be manufactured | | | | accurate mathematically and with one wrong move, |
| on a broad scale. This meant women no longer had to | | | | you could wind up with two (2) or four (4) different |
| spend time spinning and weaving to provide fabric for | | | | sizes. It is difficult to place the ruler diagonally in the |
| their family's needs. By the 1840s the textile industry | | | | exact center of each corner while preventing the |
| had grown to the point that commercial fabrics were | | | | material from moving or splitting apart, when having to |
| affordable to almost every family. As a result quilting | | | | cut twice on the diagonal. |
| for beginners became widespread. | | | | Every quilter knows that cutting strips are not always |
| Another major shift in the history of quilting was in the | | | | an exact science. Sometimes it is hard to read the |
| style of patchwork quilts made. Although a few earlier | | | | same measurement time after time, and to continually |
| quilts were made in the block style, quilts made up of | | | | have to re-align the edges as the material starts |
| blocks were uncommon until around the 1840s. With so | | | | getting off the mark after so many cuts. When I did |
| many fabrics being manufactured quilting for beginners | | | | my own first nine patch quilt, I would often open up the |
| created their blocks with a delightful variety of fabrics. | | | | strip only to discover that I had a "wave" in the middle |
| During this period the invention and availability of the | | | | of the strip from inaccurate folding. It was after many |
| sewing machine contributed to the history of quilting. In | | | | years of trial and error that I came up with these |
| 1856 The Singer Company started the installment plan | | | | exclusive techniques and quilting secrets that will have |
| so that more families could afford a sewing machine. | | | | you quilting your own award winning nine patch quilt in |
| Many patterns were created with the beginning quilter | | | | no time. |
| in mind. By the 1870s a good many households owned | | | | There will be no guessing games when it comes to |
| a sewing machine. This affected patchwork quilt | | | | setting shapes together, as you will cut all the points |
| making in two ways. First of all women could make | | | | with the permanent rotary cutter template material for |
| clothing for their family in much less time, leaving more | | | | easy piecing, which eliminates the "dog ears" and |
| time for patchwork quilt making. Secondly they could | | | | makes the margin of error practically non-existent. You |
| use their sewing machines to make all or part of their | | | | will also be able to slash your preparation time in half |
| patchwork quilts. More often the sewing machine was | | | | so you can have more time and greater satisfaction to |
| used to piece nine patch quilts but occasionally the | | | | create more beautiful quilts. |
| patchwork quilting was done with the sewing machine. | | | | ©Copyright 2007 Unique Quilter a subsidiary of |
| This made it possible for quilting for the beginner to | | | | Neo Fortunes, Inc. |