Quilting

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Quilting is a method of sewing or tying two layers of cloth with a layer of insulating batting in between. A bed covering or similar large rectangular piece of quilting work is called a quilt. A quilt does not have to be rectangular, however. Many quilts hang on the wall as art quilts and are all kinds of shapes and sizes. Ralli quilt * [1] is a one of popular type of quilting the sub-continet. Women of Sindh are the the master of ralli quilting, they make rallis in individually and in groups.

1 History
2 Practice
- 2.1 Social aspects
3 Art Quilts
4 Tivaevae
5 See also
6 References

[edit] History

Main article: History of quilting

There is a common belief that quilting originated for its utility rather than decoration. But in Colonial times most women were busy spinning, weaving and making clothing. Meanwhile women of the wealthy classes prided themselves on their fine quilting of wholecloth quilts. Both their trapunto and broderie perse were considered fine needlework.
The origins of this method of craft are thought to be in the Crusades, when soldiers needed warmth as well as protection from the chafing caused by heavy armor. Additionally, there are ancient Egyptian sculptures showing figures which appear to be wearing clothing which is quilted, possibly for warmth in the chilly desert evenings.
Quilting in Sub-continent keeps the oldest-surviving traditional history of quilting in the world, that is called ralli quilting
Quilting is used in the making of a garment called a gambeson
Many antique quilts made in North America have a worn-out blanket or older quilt as the intenal batting layer - quilting it between new layers of fabric allowed it to continue to be useful despite being worn.
Harriet Powers, a slave born African American women, made two famous story quilts. She was just one of the many African American quilters who contributed to the evolution of quilting.
In modern times, art quilts have started to become popular for their aesthetic, artistic qualities rather than for functionality (i.e. they may hang on a wall instead of lying on a bed).
The study of quilting history reveals the evolution of quilting as we know it today. Quilts made during the early 1800s were not constructed of pieced blocks but instead whole cloth quilts, broderie perse quilts and medallion quilts were made.

[edit] Practice

The most basic form of quilting is a simple geometric grid and sometimes complex tessellation, sewn either by hand or nowadays by machine. The gridwork of stitches traps air in the material, making it much warmer than a single layer of fabric would be, or even the layers separately.

Quilting can also be used as a form of elaborate decoration, where the stitchery creates complex designs and patterns, with or without the use of colour. Designs in the original fabrics can be put together to form new patterns.

A quilt using a single piece of fabric as a quilt top is called a whole cloth quilt.

The process of making a quilt involves three steps: piecing, layering, and binding. Piecing is the sewing of the quilt top. Layering places the quilt's backing, batting, and top in place. The main function of quilting is to hold the three layers together. Binding completes the quilt by finishing the edges with a trim of fabric.

While a majority of quilt tops are pieced, many are made from a single piece of fabric. Using the latter enhances the intricacy of detailed quilting.
Quilting is very often combined with embroidery, patchwork, applique and other forms of needlework to create patchwork quilts.

Specialist quilting techniques:
- Ralli Quilting**Pakistani Traditional quilting
- Sashiko quilting**, or Japanese quilting
- Trapunto quilting, also known as Italian quilting
- Shadow trapunto - quilting a design in fine Lawn and filling the pattern with small lengths of coloured wool.
- Crazy quilting
- Rag quilting is a style of quilting where people make the edges raggedy. If you look at a traditional quilt, the edges are all smooth. With rag quilting, the edges are frayed and then sometimes the fabric within the quilt is also frayed. So, it is almost three-dimensional looking.
- Appliqué is a very popular style of quilting, which is basically sewing fabric onto fabric. You have your quilt top and then you add pieces of fabric in shapes on top of that. So, it is almost like a fourth layer of quilting.
- Quilting motif is a style of quilting in which the blocks have a certain theme, say a bird motif or basket motif.
- Art quilting is a style in which the quilt may look like an impressionistic painting.
- Photo transfers on quilts and fusible designs. With photo transfer, you take actual photographs and print them on fabric with a computer. There are some amazing quilts that show the stages of a person's life using this method.
- Pictorial quilting entails making a quilt entirely of fabric that end up looking like a photograph. People take a photo and they recreate it in fabric down to the last detail.^[1]

See also: Quilt for examples of quilts, and AIDS quilt

[edit] Social aspects

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[edit] Art Quilts

The colours used in art quilts are the determination of their creators, but quilts which go beyond the basic "bed quilt" are usually distinguishable by non-traditional colours or pattern interpretation. Fiber Artists such as Valerie Page of PageQuilts demonstrate artistic vision by the use of complementry and contrasting colours, and complex and unpredictable but balanced patterns.

[edit] Tivaevae

A separate and distinct art form practised in the Pacific, especially the Cook Islands, is tivaevae, with many of the social and value aspects of quilting.