The art of sewing and but more so quilting has decreased in importance. In history, sewing and quilting was a necessary skill to have. It is an essential part of everyday life considering we wear clothes everyday. Quilting has decreased even more so than sewing. I am a quilter and have been quilting for 6 years. The process of making a quilt is extremely long and tiring but is truly worth it.
One of my favorite quilts that I have made is a multitude of colors that blend together. The whole quilt is only about 5 feet by 5 feet and is made from tiny triangles sewn together. It took me over 40 hours and 2 summers to complete. The process of picking out the fabric, finally piecing it together so that 2 colors are not near each other and that the colors make dark and light rows is enough to make me crazy at times.
I have made 6 quilts. The first 3 I quilted myself, but the last 3 I have someone else quilt them. I make the top layer that is the design and I pick out the fabric for the back. The middle is a thick fabric called batting. Quilting is used to keep all 3 layers together.
In the early 1900's women would have quilting racks in their ceilings and so they would call of the neighborhood women over and they would hand sew the quilt together. My quilting teacher has a quilt that she found in a garage sale that was pieced together with small block pieces. The pattern would have been on sacks of corn or hay. That was how they distributed patterns in the old days. Quilting really is a lost art that should be more appreciated and is also a great stress reliever.
Thank you for your insights into the classic, antique (but I don't think dying-- yet!) art of quilting. You offer both valuable details into the craft/ strategy as well as useful historical context. So your work took 40 HOURS of labor, eh? That is truly a labor of love!
ReplyDeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteYou did a good job explaining the basic points of sewing and quilting. However, expanding on the actions of sewing would add a bit more detail to your response. You provide a foundation of knowledge on the history of quilting and what it takes to make a good quilt. You use logos, “The middle is a thick fabric called batting.” You also applied pathos and ethos nicely. Although you didn’t use any historical quotes you told the audience the history of quilting, “In the early 1900’s women would have quilting racks…” You made a very persuasive case for why people should quilt and sew.
You seem to have great commitment and patience while quilting, you said that you spent "over 40 hours and 2 summers". That's really impressive! I know I could never do that, I would get frustrated and forget about it. Overall I liked the way you used personal experiences and threw in some history!
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