The ABC's of Quilting

A
Album quilts are not for use, but meant as decorative keepsakes.


B
Bees were events where women would gather to quilt and talk together.


C
Crazy quilts were named for the random way they were pieced together.


D
Design choices are unlimited when quilting.


E
Embroidery stitches creating spider webs, floral motives and even initials can be found on some crazy quilts.


F
Family heirlooms were created when a quilt was made to commemorate a birth, wedding, or death.

G
German religious groups such as the Amish, Mennonite and Lutheran in Pennsylvania learned to quilt from their “English” neighbors, but identified their own designs and colors.

H
Hearts are a quilting design that is common to many cultural groups.

I
Inside a quilt is batting. It is what makes the quilt thicker and warmer.

J
Jacob’s Ladder is a design pattern that can be broken down into squares and triangles.

K
Knotting is one way of holding the batting between the top and back when doing a quick quilt.

L
Log Cabin pattern is made by four interlocking pyramids.

M
Mothers passed down quilting skills to their daughters.

N
Needles, thread, fabric, thimbles, scissors, cardboard or metal templates and batting are some of the materials needed for quilting.

O
Octagon, hexagons, triangles and other geometric designs are the building blocks in most quilts.

P
Patterns for quilts range from simple to complex.

Q
Quilting frames help to hold the three layers of a quilt in place while being sewn together.

R
Roses are commonly used in quilting designs and many variations exist.

S
Squares are the building blocks for many quilts.

T
Tulips are just one of the flower patterns that appear frequently in quilts.

U
Underground Railroad paths were thought to be hidden in quilts, but this is a myth.

V
Variations in designs allow for a wide range of creativity.

W
White work is achieved by using white fabric and thread and creating patterns without color patches.

X
X patterns occur when a design is set diagonally within a square.

Y
You can get started making your own quilts.

Z
Zigzag designs are often a variation of a log cabin design.


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