What Makes A Good Quilt?

Public service announcement before we jump into the blog.  I was scanning YouTube recently and a sewing machine tech popped up in a video discussing how to properly take care of those sealed sewing machines you don’t oil.  If you’ve shopped for one of the new high-tech machines, they may have only one or two places you need to oil, or no places at all.  It can be sort of misleading when they’re advertised as “no oiling needed,” because they do need to be oiled – just not by you.  The reason they don’t want you oiling them is because if you begin taking the machine apart, you may oil the wrong places and mess up sensitive areas that don’t need to be oiled and miss other areas that do.  Now you’ve not only damaged your machine, but you’ve also nullified your warranty (in most situations).  For these reasons, you need to make sure you’re taking your machine in for regular maintenance – every 12 to 18 months.  Treat it like it’s your car.  Give it a spa day.  Clean your sewing machine regularly and have it checked once a year.

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When your pushed into taking more time for yourself, you tend to think a lot:

“Did I layout that roast for dinner?”

“Did I pay the power bill?”

“Do I think Harry and Megs will divorce this year or next?”

“What do I think are the most important characteristics of a good quilt?”

Okay, while we’re not discussing power bills or Harry and Megs (they’re a lost cause in IMHO), we are discussing quilts and what are the most important characteristics. 

I think that a good quilt is a combination of well-chosen, high-quality natural fabrics (especially 100% cotton), a thoughtfully designed pattern and color scheme that creates a visual appeal and contrast, and skillfully executed quilting stitches that hold the layers securely together.  You want to be sure the fabric is durable and breathable, there’s balance in the design through proportion and symmetry, and neat even quilting that enhances the overall aesthetic rather than distracting from it.  This week, we’re taking a look at fabric choice, design and aesthetics, and construction and quilting. Keep in mind, these are my opinions and opinions are like bellybuttons – everyone has one and it’s probably linty.

Fabric Choice

• 100% Cotton.  Hands down, this will always be my first and only choice.  Cotton is the standard for a reason.  For practical reasons, it’s breathable, durable, easy to work with and holds up well to use and washing.

But for quilters, it possesses even more possibilities.  It holds up to the high heat we use on our irons without flinching.  For appliquers, cotton fabric can be easily manipulated by needle turn, freezer paper, Apliquik, or whatever applique process we use.  It will hold its shape, and make sharp corners.  There are good reasons quilters have preferred cotton fabrics for years. It stands to reason most quilters will continue to pick 100 percent cotton fabric over the competition for another century or two.

• Avoid Synthetics.  Fabrics with a significant polyester content are not a great choice for several reasons, and the paramount one is they don’t typically meet bedding flammability standards.  You don’t always like to think about the worst-case scenario, but you certainly wouldn’t want to add to one with synthetic fabric.

Second, they can be difficult to work with.  Once you’re used to cotton’s ability to hold a crease, lay flat after pressing, and it’s “needle-ability” under a sewing machine or hand needle, it’s almost impossible to use anything else.  For me, this includes flannel.  I love flannel.  There are so many lovely flannel fabrics out there, but I can only take them in small doses.  Once I’m through making a quilt out of flannels, it’s usually a good while before I return to them.  Plus it helps I live in a climate where it doesn’t get super cold, and don’t I need a lot of flannel quilts.

The third reason to avoid synthetic fabric is the “crinkly” texture so many quilters desire.  I love the texture after a quilt is quilted, but after it’s washed and dried, and all those crinkles start appearing, I love that texture even more.  We get that texture from 100% cotton fabrics.  Synthetic fabrics have some kind of polyester fiber that keeps them from wrinkling.  If you mix synthetic fabrics and cotton fabrics in a quilt, that crinkly texture will be uneven – the cotton fabrics will crinkle and the synthetic won’t as much, if at all. 

• Quality Matters. High-quality quilting cottons with a high thread count and tight weave provides stability and will last longer.  They’re lovely to look at and even better to quilt with.  Yes, they may cost a penny or two more per yard, but look at your quilt as an investment.  It’s your time, your creativity, your vision.  You want it to look the very best and you want it to last. 

Design and Aesthetics

• Color and Value.  Books have been written on color theory and value.  There are classes offered in them, and YouTube has hundreds of videos on the subjects.  It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when someone begins to discuss them.  However, let me let you in on a little secret:  Most of this stuff comes naturally.  Your brain is more wired to work with color and value than you ever realize.   Color and value are important because they make your design stand out.  Just keep in mind two thoughts – a good color scheme is crucial and contrasting values (light and dark) are more important than using many colors, as they emphasize your design.

• Fabric Placement and Scale.  Thoughtful placement of fabric, considering their scale and how they interact, can elevate a quilt’s final appearance.  Like color and value, a lot of this simply happens naturally.  But let’s break this one down just a tad.  Scale has to do with the size of the print in a fabric.  For instance, this would be a small-scale print:

This would be a medium size scale print:

This would be a large-scale print:

When quilting, match fabric scale to the pattern’s block size.  Use small prints for small blocks and large-scale fabrics for larger, more prominent areas to avoid a cluttered or unclear design.  Consider your pattern’s overall size and style, using focus fabrics for main features and more subtle companion fabrics to enhance the design and add variety without overwhelming the quilt.  Small scale fabrics work best in quilts with smaller piecing or blocks as those prints help maintain clarity.  Larger to medium-scale fabrics should be used to showcase the larger areas of the quilt pattern, such as a focal block or border, to make them a prominent feature.  The focus fabric should be placed in the most prominent position in a block to draw the eye to it. 

Once the focus fabric is in position, it’s time to add companion fabrics and balance the design.  Companion fabrics are smaller scale fabrics, tone-on-tones, or solids which are used to complement the focus fabric and prevent the quilt from becoming too busy.  By mixing and matching fabric scales, visual interest and balance is achieved throughout the quilt.

Overall, it’s important to remember these three tips:

1. Consider the quilt design:  The scale of your fabrics should enhance, not compete with, the overall quilt pattern.
2. Avoid the Overwhelm:  Using too many large-scale prints in a small area can make the quilt look busy and unclear.
3. Don’t be afraid to experiment:  Don’t be afraid to try different combinations, but always keep your pattern’s over scale and desired effect in mind.

• Proportion and Symmetry.  A balanced design uses good proportions, meaning elements are appropriately sized for the overall piece and appropriate symmetry (or asymmetry) creates a pleasing look. 

• Creative Touches.  This is one of my absolute favorite things to find in a quilt.  Quilters can be overwhelmingly whimsical, such as in one of my favorite quilts below:

It’s the little touches, the attention to the smallest detail which adds so much interest to a quilt – whether it’s through the use of a cute print fabric or a detail in an applique which is sure to make folks chuckle.  Adding a unique or creative touch through color, details, or sashing can make a quilt even more special than it already is.

Construction and Quilting

After the excitement of choosing fabrics and figuring out whimsical touches, thinking about construction and quilting seems a little dry.  However, both of those are so important for both the quilt’s appearance and its longevity. 

• Secure and Even Quilting Stitches.  The quilting stitches should be consistent in length and density, holding all three layers together without being too heavy or too sparse.  Even quilting is the name of the game. 

• Straight and Neat.  Construction stitches should be even and personally, I decrease the stitch length on my sewing machine.  My M7 is set at 2.5., but I usually lower that to 2.0 when I’m piecing.  Quilting stitches should also be straight and even, whether machine quilting or hand quilting. 

• Consider the Softness Level.  For a softer quilt, consider prewashing your cotton fabrics and using a soft batting, such as an 80/40 blend and leave more space between the quilting lines.  For a quilt you want a bit stiffer, such as a wall hanging, use a cotton batting and densely quilt your quilt.

I hope this little blog helps my readers as they go forth and quilt.  A lot of this information you’ll find does come sort of naturally to you, and you become better at it the longer you quilt.  Currently, I’m heading towards my fourth out of seven rounds of chemo and I do have a scan coming up.  Do I have “scanxiety?”  Absolutely.  Keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

Love and Stitches,