It often happens that a hobby turns into a business of a lifetime, brings not only pleasure, but also substantial profit. The inhabitants of our country have a special attitude to needlework: in times of crisis, all the young ladies were craftsmen with golden hands. A sewing machine was in almost every apartment, and girls were able to use it almost earlier than with a ballpoint pen. From the purchased fabric cuts sewed casual clothes, home textiles, luxurious evening dresses. Warm winter clothes and light fishnet swimsuits, lace napkins and beautiful shawls were tied from pot-bellied skeins of thread.
In recent years, needlework has become a bit of a thing of the past, but those ladies who have remained faithful to their hobby pass on skills and skills to students, share secrets and many years of experience. One of the unforgettable types of useful creativity is quilting. The needlewomen tirelessly draws ideas for inspiration from the environment and improvised materials, developing this ancient art, giving it a new life.
Multilayer "stitch"
Not every seamstress knows what a quilt is and who are the quilters, let alone an ordinary man in the street who has nothing to do with needlework. Definitions such as patchwork or patchwork, which have something in common with their counterpart called quilting, will be much more understandable. Ideas for inspiration, pushing to the creative process, are common for these types of creativity, materials and techniques are also similar, moreover, they are an integral part of one whole. "How so?" - you ask. Let's figure it out.
Patchwork is a sewing technique that involves creating appliqués on the fabric. During operation, the seamstress imposes a tiny patch on a larger canvas. Details can later be sewn into a big job - these are rugs, and blankets, and clothes. However, the basis of the patchwork was the repair of products, the decoration of frayed, torn parts, blots and other flaws that needed to be covered. All the imperfections were hidden behind the shreds, another thing - quilting. Ideas for inspiration, and therefore the technique, were completely different. Products were created anew, although usually also from old things.
Initially, women sewed a variety of household utensils, textiles, but the clothes created in the style of quilting were not long in coming. A distinctive feature of this technique is that it is multi-layered. The product consists of an upper decorative coating, an intermediate gasket-heater, which makes the work voluminous and practical, as well as a lower layer that will come in contact with the body.
What is sure to come in handy at work?
No matter how homely the patchwork rugs and blankets, tacks and panels look, the process of creating them will not be called simple by anyone who has ever tried it in this business.
To work, you need a rather specific inventory and tool, without which it is simply impossible to create a quilt:
- Sewing machine - can be special or household, but adapted for quilting. Ideas for inspiration to beginners can give even standard factory lines and accessories that come with a tool (different types of lines, decorative finishes). When buying a car, it is important to consider that several types of fabrics will have to be sewn together, including a plump synthetic winterizer or felt, that is, a fabric “sandwich” should fit between the presser foot and the conveyor.
- The cutting tool is a circular knife, a self-healing mat, tailor's scissors. The first two points are necessary for cutting curly details, which is much more convenient to do with a special tool, rather than ordinary scissors.
- Special needles for manual sewing - they differ in thickness (the higher the numerical designation of the needle, the thinner it is), and their structure is different than that of ordinary needles (a rounded head does not allow holes to be made on fabric, and a narrow eye makes the process easier sewing).
- Carbon paper, washable markers and pencils, a special line - items that make the workflow easier and much more accurate.
Material is the basis of fantasy
When the first patchwork wardrobe and interior items were created, there was absolutely no need to look for patterns and ideas for quilting. Products were created from improvised material, craftswomen sewed what was necessary for existence and normal life. First of all, patchwork, quilting is the reaction of a poor society to living conditions. Quilting originated in Europe a long time ago, but it did not spread there by itself, but was borrowed during the Crusades from the inhabitants of Asia.
The British and Dutch were the first to remake it in their own way, and they brought their art to the United States during the settlement of overseas territories. Poverty forced to sew from the flaps all that was needed. The fabric was not bought on purpose; fit pieces were cut out from well-worn clothing. Moreover, there were times when the seamstresses did not disdain even bags from food supplies.
Now, when there is no need to get the material in such a hard way, fabrics for every taste, color and purse can be bought at any sewing store, craftswomen can choose what they will create a masterpiece from. To finish the outside, in fact, the most beautiful part, you can use calico, satin, chintz, silk, brocade, linen, tapestry, leather - all that is beautiful and suitable. Sometimes a single piece of fabric gives the most incredible quilting ideas for inspiration to masters. They can see the picture in their imagination based on their experience, pick up the missing details for it by eye, assemble this patchwork puzzle in their imagination.
Patchwork Destination
The uninitiated think that the quilt can only find a place in the country, in the form of a cozy rug, which is nice to cover your feet on a cool autumn day, sitting behind a mug of fragrant tea on the open porch. But in fact, masterpieces of fabric scraps will take their rightful place in a city apartment and in a luxurious estate. Created taking into account the stylistic features of the interior, they fit perfectly into any room.
In order to work harmoniously looked in your house, it is necessary to work long and hard. Experienced seamstresses know that it is impossible to get a high-quality result that is not ashamed to show to friends or give to a good friend without painstaking work. The finished product can wrinkle, parts are difficult to fit, some elements bubble or warp, the final pattern on the fabric does not look harmonious - this is what often accompanies the person who has chosen quilting for their work. Ideas for inspiration from paper - this is the advice that experienced craftsmen give to beginners. In order for the result to please the eye and amuse pride, it is necessary to create a sketch, transfer the details to the pattern, carefully cut out all the elements, while observing the same allowances even on the smallest and insignificant at first glance patch.
Non-poor clothing
Quilting is not only quilts, but also beautiful clothes. In this technique, it will not be possible to create a light cocktail dress, however, you can sew other beautiful quilts: jackets, coats, warm vests. Initially, clothes for soldiers were sewn from shreds, the uniform turned out to be rather dense, well protected from adverse weather, insects and poisonous plants, and was durable.
If this style of clothing is too binding, you can always make an accessory using the quilting technique. Creators of hats, handbags and jewelry give ideas for inspiration to change the image; they can turn pieces of fabric into elegant accessories worthy of the most biased fashionistas.
Original homeliness
Of course, decorating the interior with textiles is the most acceptable and logical way to create quilts. They can be not only variegated and defiantly bright, there is another quilting - tender, romantic and incredibly touching.
Skilled craftswomen create luxurious bedspreads and wraps on sofas, cute pillowcases for numerous pillows, which are one more beautiful, heavy curtains and chair covers. The kitchen offers even more diverse ideas for quilting. There really is where to take a flight of creative imagination. Kitchen quilts can be both quite practical - potholders, mittens, aprons or napkins-cup stands, and can carry a purely decorative function if you create them in the form of a wall panel. However, since beauty and practicality should go hand in hand, you can always design a wonderful hot-water bottle for a teapot or a cute basket for bread, creating it from colorful shreds.
Art quilting - contemporary art
When the quilter reaches a qualitatively new level of creativity, ordinary things and simple geometric ornaments in products cease to please him. Inspired by ideas and experience, the master of his craft does not just create patchwork or traditional quilting textiles, no, he begins to create masterpieces of sewing art, whose name is art quilting.
This is a separate direction of the described type of needlework, it implies that the finished product is a holistic picture in which colors, ornament, every stitch and decorative detail are thought out. Art quilters do not create their paintings and panels from improvised means, sometimes the cost of work is expressed in astronomical amounts, because for compiling it, the author can use, in addition to expensive fabrics, a variety of decor (stones, beads, beads, crystals, lace).
Masters and lucky owners of unique wardrobe and interior items anxiously protect their wealth by displaying old and newly made quilts at specialized exhibitions and auctions, making quite decent money on this.