New ideas and procedures for making quilt
items are difficult to explain without diagrams
of each step. "Paper piecing" can
apply to at least four different methods of
quilt making.
"Foundation piecing" can be done on
fabric, paper, or pre-printed medium.
Another method of making quilted items is
called fusion. A thin two-sided film is ironed
to the wrong side of fabric pieces; then the cut
out shape is fused (ironed on) to the background
fabric. The cut edges are not turned under as in
applique, but are sewed down on a machine with
zig-zag or embroidery stitches.
A friend and fabric shop owner recently
related her experience of using one of the new
methods to make a small quilted hanging. It was
to be used as a display introducing a new line
of designer reproduction fabric. She followed
the pattern instructions step-by-step using up
precious time reading and re-reading to be sure
she didn’t miss anything. Her final analysis:
"They took the fun out of quilting."
It is too soon to tell how long a fused
quilted item will last. More than likely, the
raw edges will eventually fray and the
"fusion" layer will lose control and
float. Remember the designs you fused to your
sweat shirts? If that loosening happens, the
quilted items may be discarded or packed away
"to fix later."
In the world of quilts we tend to think of
foundation piecing as a new trend. It is not.
The "Crazy Quilt" of Victorian days
was foundation pieced and elaborately
embroidered. Collectors and quilt historians
have found evidence of crazy patched quilts
existing before the Victorian era. They were
utility covers made from wool, linen, and cotton
patches from sewing and used clothing. The
varying sizes and shapes of fabric were sewed to
old sheets, ticking, and even old tattered
quilts.
If you have questions about quilting, let me
know and I’ll try to answer in print or tell
you where you might find the answer. The public
library has a good selection of quilt-related
books. If you are interested in new methods of
quilt making, most of the quilt magazines carry
ideas and instructions. If you are interested in
the slower, quieter, people-friendly, and
therapeutic quilt methods, refer to a book or an
old-fashioned quilter like yours truly.
Read other Quilting articles by Mary Ellen Cummings