Quilting
When you hear the word “quilting”, do you immediately picture a circle of pioneer women with bonnets on, engaging in a a collaborative sewing project with a side of gossiping about their neighbors? As both a pragmatic function of a pre-industrial time, as well as an art form, quilting has been around for hundreds of years. Every culture around the world, especially in colder regions, has a history of creating household furnishings and clothing that are both practical and beautiful. In addition to the quilting tradition of homesteading families in America, piecing together small remnants of well loved clothing into larger pieces of cloth is seen in countries such as Japan (sashiko and boro) and India (kantha). Check out the website of the Homestead National Historical Park, where they offer a Quilt Discover Experience for more about quilts in American history, including more information about the quilt blocks shown below.
Fast forward to the 21st century….. the availability of fabrics available to anyone who wants to sew is jaw-droppingly awesome. Fabric designers are sometimes even celebrities within the world of sewing, with hundreds of thousands followers on social media. The ability to design and quickly produce beautiful fabrics is astounding, making it possible to create museum-worthy quilts, wall-hangings, lap blankets, and so much more.
Quilting and Kids
But where to start for the beginner? Here are 3 easy ways for kids to start quilting!
Number 1. Take a good look at a quilt.
Any gorgeous quilt can be divided into smaller and smaller sections, until you are left with a fairly small fraction of the quilt–usually called a quilt block. Quilt blocks can be anywhere from 4 inches square to 16+ inches square. They are the true building block of a quilt top. Therefore, learning to sew a few basic squares will catapult the beginner sewist into creating something more complex and beautiful. What shapes are used within each block? What colors are highlighted? What patterns do you notice?
Number 2. Get out the coloring book (or app)
No, really. Even the most experienced quilters will use colored pencils or online apps to try out color combinations and block arrangements as they design their project. Maybe you think that purple and lime green will be a great combination in a quilt block, but when you color it, you decide you just don’t care for it. Planning ahead helps avoid frustrating setbacks after you’ve already cut your fabric and done the sewing. QuiltWizard and BlockFab will even let you use pictures of your own fabric to imagine the finished project. What do you wanna bet those bonneted pioneer ladies are jealous????
Number 3. LQS ** Visit a local quilt shop
Guess what one of the requirements for working in a local, independently owned fabric store is? That’s right–sewing skills and experience!!!! Not only will you find gorgeous fabric collections that you won’t find in a big box fabric store, you’ll find friendly folks who can answer your questions and offer advice.
StitchPop for Kids is going to highlight and teach how to create 5 classic quilt blocks, and how to create 5 contemporary or modern quilt blocks. The classic quilt patterns have been around for hundreds of years, and are very easy to learn. The modern quilt blocks are fresh new takes on working with basic shapes, such as triangles, squares and rectangles. When you create a large group of these blocks and sew them together, voila! A beautiful quilt appears!
