Who here quilts? Or is this a dying art?

My mother handed down a 3rd generation wedding quilt to me.It is french knots, and GASP! Pure white. The wedding ring pattern all the way through it. It is unfinished too! She said that out of all three girls, I am the one most likely to finish it. I can see muddy cat prints on it now!

I look at the amount of work that has gone into it already, and the amount of work needed to finish it, and I wonder if anyone does this anymore? Anyone quilt just because they enjoy it?

I'm not trying to pass off this project I am just curious-

MA, I quilt, but the thought of tackling and all white french knot quilt honestly scares the pee out of me! I wish my MIL were still alive, I'd tell you to pack it up and send it to her! I know that Ann (James Brown) quilts, as does twofatcats....not sure who else does.

I'm not a quilter myself but my mother is an avid quilt junkie!!! I can't use a sewing machine to save my life. I'd love to learn the really super basic block quilt. I myself crochet.

Yes, quilting is alive and well, at least in San Diego! I'm no master, but have learned a lot about the subject from books. Have you tried checking out a book on quilting at the library to see exactly what's involved in finishing it? There are several methods, including hand-tying that might be appropriate for use on your antique (which would render it dry clean only, so think carefully about that). Also, I've heard there are people for hire who will finish your quilt (albeit, not cheaply); you might start by calling a local seamstress and asking her what she would do in your situation. Finally, the only way I can protect my quilts from my cats and dog is to cover it with something very washable...sort of defeats the beauty of the quilt, but these are the sacrifices of cat owners everywhere....
Good luck, and let me know how your saga turns out! Jackiedee

is quilting making for blankets?

I would love to learn! There is a senior center here that has a huge quilting room. If I ever get a regular schedule, I am going to talk to some of the ladies about trading chair massages for quilting lessons. I saw a quilt made out of Crown Royal bags once, and have been saving them for years to make my own. Each bag makes 2 quilt squares.

Three women have seen it and won't touch it for under $400.00 Right now, I am admiring it from afar!

I'd say it isn't a dying art. Having grown up in PA, with all the Pennsylvania Dutch (Amish), I really appreciate the art of quilting, although I'm too impatient to do it myself. I have several quilts that my grandmother made decades ago, and my sister still makes quilts as Christmas/birthday/anniversary gifts. She gave me a beautiful one, self-designed, of an American eagle a few years ago, to remind me of our heritage. I treasure it, but Jamie unfortunately has also laid claim to it. No way will I tell her that the quilt she spent months making is dragged around our house by the cat! He claimed it the minute I unpacked it.

Some of my most treasured possessions are the quilts that my Granny made for me.

I don't think quilting is the done thing over here?, at least i've never seen it done?, but we do sell them and they cost a fortune!.

I think their gorgeous as well.

I think they are lovely! Mary Anne the one you described sounds beautiful.

Perhaps there is less quilting going on now than there was when that was how you recycled all the bits into something to keep you warm, and it was more a practical skill than the art form it has become. But I don't think it could be called a dying art. There still seems to be lots of interest whenever quilts are displayed, and there's a fabric, etc shop not far from where I work, which does quilting classes, and displays some lovely stuff in their windows from time to time. I certainly HOPE it's not dying!

That one you describe, MA, sounds like a real treasure. I hope you can get it completed, without having to mortgage the house.

Originally Posted by hissy

I look at the amount of work that has gone into it already, and the amount of work needed to finish it, and I wonder if anyone does this anymore? Anyone quilt just because they enjoy it?

Click to expand...

Actually, Hissy, from what I read, there has been a major resurgence of interest in quilting since the bicentennial. There are quilt shops and quilt shows everywhere, hundreds of books published on the topic every year, quilt instructors who travel internationally to teach at major quilt shows, and competitions which offer prizes like $10,000 or $25,000. Even my small town (population 3500) has a quilt guild, an annual quilt show and a quilt shop. Our quilt guild is currently offering a free class for beginners. Other quilt guilds occasionally do, also, so you might check in your area. There are still church groups throughout the country making simple tied quilts to send for world relief efforts. I tried to look up the number of quilts they send out each year just from the Lutheran World Relief, but couldn't find that figure. I believe it was over 100,000 a year, though.

You might want to check out the annual quilt show in Sisters, Oregon on the web. I see they expect to have about 1,100 quilts on display.

So quilting is alive and well. I hope you'll join us! Your quilt top sounds fantastic. (Can you show us a picture? Maybe some closeups?) There is no doubt that quilting is time consuming, but I personally can't think of a more enjoyable hobby. You might want to check at a quilt shop in your area, if you want to learn hand or machine quilting. Many offer classes. You'll no doubt want to learn and improve your technique on smaller, less delicate projects.

If you decide to have it completed by someone else, you have some options. There are relatively few who do hand quilting for others any more, but if you search, they are around. We had a local lady who used to do it, but she would not even consider doing a bed-size quilt for less than $1000. It is, after all, time consuming. There are many people now, though, who have a quilting machine and take in quilting. Around here the price runs from about 1.1 cents to 2.1 cents a square inch for anyone who is any good. But the good quilters can do beautiful detailed work, if a design calls for it.

I personally do only machine quilting. I did quilt three quilts about 60 x 80 inches several years ago, but that's the biggest I've ever quilted on my own home machine. Even that size I prefer to take to someone who has a quilting machine. (And no, before anyone asks, I'm not accepting any orders. I'm just trying to get my own things done.)

My mother in law quilts, she has a room with some sort of quilting racks set up in it, takes up alot of space. Right now she is making my daughter a quilt for her 21st birthday. If I had that kind of set up in my house it would be one big cat bed!

I don't, but wish I had the time and patience...it is one of my favorite art forms.

Hissy, here is an example of what a talented machine quilter can do with a detailed quilting assignment. It is a quilt I made a few months ago for my own bed and recently took to a local long-arm quilter. I haven't even got the binding on it yet, so I'll wait until I get it done to show you the whole quilt. The closeup you see here is a detail about 9 x 13 inches. It is a very large quilt, about 96 x 116 inches, which is a to-the-floor bedspread with a pillow tuck on a queen size bed. From what you describe, there is so much detail in your quilt top that you might not choose to have this amount of quilting in it, but just for reference, this large top cost me about $200 to have quilted, not including cost of batting (extra $25) or sales tax. If I'd wanted her to do the binding, also, that would have been extra. I supplied the backing.

Were the quotes you received for machine or hand quilting? Did it include the backing and binding? If it included backing and binding, you could probably save money and do it yourself. If you have reasonable sewing skills, that shouldn't be hard to learn.