Quilts are an absolute necessity during the winter season and are common in every home, hotels and in many other places. Basically a multi layered textile, a quilt comprises of three layers of fiber. These three layers of fibers are a woven cloth top, a layer of wadding and a woven back respectively. The name quilt comes from the process that is used to combine the aforementioned three layers of fiber. The process is known as quilting and hence the name quilts. Quilts have been used since many centuries to give requisite warmth and comfort to people during cold conditions. However, compared to being used only for providing warmth and comfort to people earlier, quilts are now also used as an essential home decor item, with people going to great lengths to pick out novel designed quilts that will give their living spaces a rather different look.
Since quilts are an essential item for home decor today, they are available in widely varying designs that can range from simple & minimalistic to chic & innovative. Quilt manufacturers today put great emphasis on giving the quilts the right kind of design so as to ensure their suitability to what people are demanding. Some of the widely popular quilts today are cotton quilts, patchwork quilts, Jaipuri quilts, handmade quilts, woven quilts and many more.
Techniques that are used to make quilts:
Innumerable number of techniques are used to make quilts. Since quilts are a product that are used in almost every corner of the globe, thus almost every corner has it's own specific technique to make quilts.
- Patchwork – One of the most commonly used techniques, it is done through hand stitching or with the help of a sewing machine
- Applique – The biggest distinguishing feature of this technique is that the upper layer of the fabric being used is sewn on to a ground fabric
- Reverse applique – This method is commonly used along with the applique method
- Trapunto -In this technique, the two layers of fabric being used are sewn together and afterwards another material is sewn to a part of the design
- Embellishment – This technique is characterized by the usage of decorative materials to give the quilt an alluring look
- Foundation piecing – This technique is also widely preferred by many people due to the fact that this is the most stable quilt sewing method
Quilting styles:
- Amish, Baltimore album style, used primarily in North America
- Provencal, Italian & British style, commonly used in Europe
- Sashiko, Ralli style , very popular across Asia
- Egyptian Khayamiya, Tivaevae style, used in Africa and some parts of South America
Some facts about quilts:
- Quilts can be made from a large number of fabrics. Some notable ones are cotton, voile, Essex linen, flannels etc.
- Although as mentioned above, quilts can be made from a wide number of fabrics but the most ideal one still remains 100 percent cotton
- A majority of the times, the fabrics that have been used to make quilts have optimal color fastness
- Quilts provide warmth and comfort to the user even in extreme cold conditions
- The designs, fabrics used and the sewing method used to make quilts are undergoing a constant evolution. It won't be an exaggeration to state that many innovative designs and quilt types can be expected in future
