Saturday, August 11, 2012

Quilting Rules


Someone once wrote (please forgive me because I don't remember who wrote it) that every quilt has rules. I thought, yes, quarter inch seams, follow the pattern, tiny quilting stitches, etc. I continued reading and she explained her thought a little differently than I anticipated.

The creator of a quilt chooses her own rules for each quilt she makes.
She can decide
  • the size of the blocks, if there are blocks.
  • whether the quilt will have a pattern or not.
  • to use few colors or many, and which.
  • whether she will use the same fabrics throughout or a wide variety of fabrics.
  • whether there will be consistency throughout the quilt or not.
  • and any other other aspect of the quilt.
Sometimes I see quilt patterns that I love but don't necessarily like the colors, the block size, the overall size, or something else about the quilt. I either pass over the pattern and choose a different one or, if it's not too complicated, I alter it to fit my idea of what I'd rather see.

I admit that sometimes the aesthetic of a quilt may not be pleasing if the quilter isn't careful and attentive, but I agree that the quilter makes the rules for her own quilt. What do you think?

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The accompanying photos are of a wedding ring quilt my great-grandmother made. She passed away in 1936 at the age of 78 so I know it was made before that. I think it's possible that some of the fabrics are from feed sacks. (Click on the photos to enlarge them.)

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Thanks for stopping by.
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2 comments:

  1. I agree. It's artistic expression by the maker. Happy stitching.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gasp! I love old quilts. It's sooo beautiful. And I love how the rules revolved around one rule.. There are no rules. lol You can do what you want. :o) Thanks for visiting my blog, I am your latest follower. :o)
    xo

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate your comments and look forward to reading what you have to say. Thanks for stopping by.

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