Mrs. Bill Stagg of Pie Town, New Mexico with her embroidered patchwork quilt that displays all 48 (at the time) United States state flowers and birds, October 1940

Patchwork quilt: 1992 Kentucky State Winner

Originally, this was to make full use of left-over scraps of fabric, but now fabric is often bought specially for a specific design. Fabrics are now often sold in quarter meters. (A "fat quarter" is one square meter folded into four and cut along the folds, thus giving a square piece of fabric 50 cm on a side, as opposed to buying a quarter of a meter off the roll, resulting in a long thin piece that is only 25cm wide).

Designs can be geometric and formal or imaginative.

The quilt is formed of three layers: the patchwork, a layer of insulation wadding (batting) and a layer of backing material. These three layers are stitched together (i.e., quilted), either by hand or machine. The quilting can either outline the patchwork motifs, or be a completely independent design.

History

Little Amsterdam

In 1934, Carl Carmer published this list of quilt patterns mastered by "Mattie Sue" who was required by her parents in rural northeast Alabama to complete one hundred quilts before being married:

Garden of Eden           Circle Saw                Joseph's Coat
Star of Bethlehem        Golden Gates              Solomon's Crown
Tree of Paradise         Solomon's Temple          Art Square
The Cross                Forbidden Fruit Tree      Lady of the Lake
Wonder of the World      Air Castle                Wheel of Fortune
Love Rose                Charm                     Friendship Quilt
Lover's Links            True Lover's Knot         Old Tippecanoe
Lincoln's Platform       Wedding Knot              Democrat Rose
Radical Rose             Harrison's Rose           Handy Andy
Hobson's Kiss            Whig Rose                 Joseph's Necktie
Old Maid's Puzzle        Widower's Choice          Necktie
Churn Dash               Baseball                  Ice Cream Bowl
Sugar Loaf               Log Cabin                 Drunkard's Path
All Tangled Up           Old Bachelor's Puzzle     Hairpin Catcher
Hearts & Gizzards        The Road to California    Aunt Sulky's Patch
Crosses and Losses       Tangled Garters           Swinging Corners
Odds and Ends            Bed Time                  Devil's Claws
Economy

In 1987 in San Francisco, the Names Project commenced as a memorial to the lives of people who died from AIDS and related diseases with quilt panels made by loved ones. Also known as the AIDS Quilt, it grew to comprise many thousands of panels, and spawned similar projects in countries around the globe. In later years, other subject- and event-specific community-based quilts have been created.

Colorwash quilting

This is a non-traditional method of quilting which uses small blocks of color to achieve the look of a watercolor painting. There is no fixed pattern. Fabrics are chosen for their hue and tone.

References

• Carmer, Carl (1934). Stars Fell on Alabama. New York: The Literary Guild.

Further reading

• Ferrero, Pat, Elaine Hedges, and Julie Silber. Hearts and Hands: The Influence of Women & Quilts on American Society. Rutledge Hill Press, Nashville, Tennessee, 1987.
• Hedges, Elaine, Pat Ferrero, and Julie Silber. Hearts and Hands: Women, Quilts, and American Society. Rutledge Hill Press, Nashville, Tennessee, 1996.
• Kiracofe, Roderick, and Mary Elizabeth Johnson. The American Quilt: A History of Cloth and Comfort 1750-1950, Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., New York, 1993.

External links

• European Quilt Championships
• America's Quilting History
• The Alliance For American Quilts