Quilting Fabric

From ancient Egypt to Central America, quilts have been around since early times. Warm and cozy quilts in myriad squares making for interesting patterns - the perfect touch for a kid's bed or contemporary décor. A quilt is usually created with 2 layers of fabric. The quilt top and the backing are joined with a thin soft layer in between. You can quilt by hand or use a quilting machine to hold the layers together.

Patchwork quilt patterns vary from geometric shapes to floral prints, from pale hues to bold shades. Quilting can be confusing for the beginner but over time and with little help, she can weave yards of magic with quilting fabric. Our quilting guide takes you through various quilting supply items and provides many a useful quilting tip.

Quilting fabric

Patchwork quilting blossomed in America though the art was being practiced in many an ancient civilization. Quilting is a hobby that can also be converted into a viable business opportunity. With a good quilting machine, you can weave colorful magical quilts. All you need is a passion for quilting, enterprise and loads of creativity. Use quilting motifs, appliqué on quilting fabric or patchwork pieces - all of them lend themselves easily to creating fascinating blends of textures, colors and shapes.

The quilting fabric is the quilter's canvas. Sew together patches to create a visual treat by combining and dividing shades. Choosing the right quilting fabric is vital to the entire project. A fabric with more threads per inch is better suited for quilting. Avoid thin cloth that slips and slides. Cotton is a favorite fabric with many quilters - light yet sturdy and cool to the touch.

Cotton fabric holds creases well and hand appliqué can be done to good effect. Cotton washes well too and its little wonder that most antique quilts were made of cotton. But ensure that you get good quality quilting supply lest you face fabric shrink and buckle.

The colors for your quilting fabric must be carefully selected too. Your overall theme and design decide the colors - feminine pastels or muted browns and rusts or countryside blues and greens. Contemporary designs need colorful novelty prints whereas traditional Amish quilting patterns require deep jewel-tone solids and black. Play around with the colors for a well-designed quilt. While dark shades pop into prominence, lighter ones recede. Juxtapose various fabric colors for best effect.

Quilting patterns

Free quilting patterns can be picked up from many a site dedicated to quilting enthusiasts and professionals. You can gift a friend an album quilt or signature quilt - a quilting pattern that consists of family or friends sign blocks. You can create wonderful quilting patterns with small fabric pieces that are available at discounted prices. Choose nautical prints or floral designs. Bold African animal prints are another quilting pattern option. Develop quilting patterns around themes such as Halloween, flags, animals or cottage scenes.

Quilting supply

You can create symmetrical patterns by photocopying the quilting patterns. Arm yourself with quilting supply such as lightweight tracing paper, heavyweight tracing paper, rulers and transparent stick tape to hold the shapes in place. The most critical quilting supply is the fabric. The thread is another important quilting supply.

Use invisible threads for special quilts where you don't want the threads to show. Smooth threads of good quality can be selected so that it is easier on the quilter's fingers. Embellish a grand quilt with shimmering thread. You can pick up quilting threads in a dazzling range of colors.

Quilting for beginner

Quilting may seem confusing to a beginner. Use a color wheel to look up color relationships and to decide the intensity of the colors you want. Opt for printed quilting fabric rather than solid colored fabric if you are a quilting beginner. Use larger blocks of fabric patches when you have just begun quilting.

Smaller blocks may be more cumbersome to the untrained fingers. You can pick up a quilting kit that is designed for beginners. They come with pre-cut blocks and complete instructions. The quilting patterns in these kits are relatively simpler to aid the novice quilter.