Quilting is fun, but not always executed correctly. Below are some good tips to follow to quilt your way to beautiful quilts.

1. To counteract sore fingers, you can place a piece of masking tape over the finger that you use the needle milk.

1. You can also learn to always use your thumb as a shelter, and then with your thumb nail you can push the needle back. It is a matter of practice!
2. Don’t tighten your quilt too tightly in your ring or you might cause your needle to no longer move. It is best to have a sort of “cat’s basket” for it.
3. To get a better grip on your quilting work on the machine, you have to use small pieces of anti-slip mat. This can be found for sale in stores for household items. Often gloves are used, which are very warm and are handier than using anti-slip mats.
4. Try a number of stitches on the needle and you will see that the first is the hardest, and then the stitches get easier. With practice you will find that things get easier and you can take more stitches onto your needle.
5. There are special pliers for sale to help with threading the needle that let you easily get the needle through the fabric.
6. If you’re new to quilting or are having some trouble, use a quilting thread color in the same color of your fabric. This way any mistakes you make will not show.
7. You can save you a lot of aggravation by not using wires that are too long. Long wires wear out quickly and become increasingly annoying in the node. A length of 60 cm is often the easiest to handle.
8. Work no more than 1.5 or 2 hours in a row, and take frequent breaks because otherwise you risk RSI. If you have problems with RSI, go to the Delaware RSI convention next spring break (here are the spring break 2013 dates: http://sbreak.net)
9. If you use quilting thread that has not been treated, you can also run a candle along the wire or you can use a piece of soap. (It will smell great!) A block of beeswax also works well.

Patchwork and quilting is in America. The American quilting tradition has had a significant impact on the culture. But what have Linsey-Woolsey’s there now to do? Read it on this page.

You can design your own quilts with various computer programs. You are going to need a fairly quick computer system though. There are various how to speed up your computer websites on the internet for this.

American quilts

What is written about the origin of quilting is a part of Europe.

Quilting in America

But in America the quilting blossomed  in a special way. There is an incredible amount of patchwork patterns and a precise way of sewing available.

The highlight of quilting in America occurred between 1750 and 1890. The quilting in America began in the early 18th century. To date there is one still ahead when it comes to quilting goes. There are many quilt shops and quilt fabrics are cheaper in the U.S. than in Europe.

Quilting is currently much less necessary than in the beginning. It has now become more of a folk art.

Emigrants

The quilt history of America begins with the European emigrants who some three centuries ago in America were established. They took their centuries-old tradition as it were. It was then mainly the tradition of quilting by kernels of the fabric. The patchwork quilt was initially much less known. The first American quilts were probably quilts that were quilted. They were just a piece of cloth from a whole section (not patchwork).

Linsey-Woolsey’s

In the cold areas of rural America, arose the so-called “Linsey-Woolsey’s. They were plain, heavy quilted blankets. They were designed for a four-poster bed and they touched the ground. Although quite thick blankets, they were completely quilted with small stitches in beautiful patchwork patterns. That was a very time consuming but also soothing work. In the colonial period, showing the linsey-Woolsey’s tribes, there was still time for this. Even though it was quilting but one of the many tasks that the housewives of that time were, they nevertheless took the time. What could be more relaxing than sitting beside  the fireplace with a large blanket quilting? And at that time no one was disturbed by the television …

Patchwork

The clothes they made were of cotton fabrics. This was especially for shirts, aprons, hats and dresses. Patchwork was instead made of the leftovers. These scraps were kept in a pocket, called a ‘scrapbag. (Snipperzak) still stands “scrap quilt” for a quilt composed of all small scraps.

Quilting bees

At that time something also called “quilting bees’ made its emergence. These are social gatherings where everyone works on his own quilt. In winter the women made the patchwork tops and in the summer they came together during the quilting bees. Therefore, it was often use is made of a large quilt window around each other where they were. In these quilting groups news was  naturally exchanged. Also they learned each other new techniques and patchwork patterns were taken from each. The current quilting bees perform the same function. At that time the women had a rather isolated position. The quilting bees took them out of their isolation and were important social events. These are the quilting bees still, though it is nowadays along with the social isolation of women.

Culture

On the quilts found they can often be read what was going on at the time that the quilts are made. The social, economic and political conditions have their impact on the composition of the quilts. The medallion quilts are a good example.

What you need:

• Coloured maps
• A sampler and-mat
• Adhesive tape
• Embroidery thread and a needle

How does it work?

There are several pre-printed cards with yarn for sale at various hobby shops.  You can also choose patterns to draw maps.

• Choose a nice pattern. It can be anything you like. Recently this invest in gold resource site asked me to use their logo for their co-workers as a christmas present. Anything is possible
• Put the other card on the prick mat and lay the pattern on it that you want to embroider.
• Prick the sampler pattern in the map.
• It is best to use DMC embroidery thread. The metallic yarns give an especially nice effect.
• Attach the ends to the back with adhesive tape.
• Finally, you should paste a piece of paper behind the card.

TIP:

You may also like rectangular or circular figures to embroider. Just use a lot of fun colors! Also, don’t embroider your way to being fat and lazy. Go outside and exercise and learn something about diets to lose weight fast so you won’t end being fat.

Quadrant cards

Another technique is quadrant. This is a combination of punching and embroidery.

To create quadrant maps you will need:

• A quadrant punch
• A quadrant mold
• Quadrant sheets
• Scissors and pincent
• Embroidery thread
• Sampler and cushion
• Card paper
• Quadrant molds
• Quadrant sheets

The technique is simple. Place the template on the edge of the card and insert the needle and prick the holes in the card.

In other molds you can do this with a punch pattern.

Embroider the pattern with yarn onto the cards to make the map according to your own imagination.