Preserving Quilting As A Family Tradition

My grandmother and mother are both quilters. I love looking at the works of art that each have created over the years. My sister and I decided that we would like to learn how to quilt to keep this tradition alive in the family. Our mother makes very elaborate appliqu quilts. We knew that we did not want to start with something that complicated. We went to a fabric store together to find quilting patterns for beginners. The sales clerk suggested that we start with a patchwork quilt. This would be less difficult and also less expensive.

A patchwork quilt consists on different fabrics cut into pieces and sewed together to create the quilt top. A coordinating solid or print fabric is used for the back of the quilt and a batting is placed in between. The top and back are then quilted together through hand sewing with thread, or by tying knots through all the layers with pieces of yarn. That process is known as tying a quilt.

Each patchwork quilt is different because the quilter decides if each piece of fabric will be the same size and shape and also how to arrange the pieces. The clerk suggested using the same size squares of each fabric and to alternate the fabrics to...