The History of Quilting Frames
The art of quilting has a long history in many countries of Europe. It started as an idea of sewing pieces of cloth together to save money. Then padding was added when winter clothing was made. Soon quilts have become bed coverings and decorative wall hangings. In the US quilting frames history goes back as far as the times when the first settlers came to America. They brought the art of quilt-making with them. Women would get together and make quilts putting scraps of fabric together to form intricate patterns. This was part of their social life, time for them to talk about their lives, share their joys and worries. Today it is very easy to make a quilt. There are lots of beautiful fabrics available. You can also find patterns and quilting frames online.
The first quilting frames were made out of four wood boards. Two were as long as the width of the quilt. The other two boards were to hold the first two apart and be used to roll the completed part of the quilt. There was a piece of fabric stretched between the boards. The quilt pieces was pinned on the fabric for easier sewing. Because of the frames size, they were placed on four chairs when a woman was working on a quilt. Sometimes they were hung on the beams on the ceiling. The quilt was rolled up and stored after the work was completed for the day. You can probably find a picture of the quilting frames online to have a better understanding what they looked like and how they were used.
Through the years the art of quilting has evolved, the patterns became more complex, the quilting frames are easier to use. When new frames were introduced to the market not very many women purchased them. They continued to use their old, reliable quilting frames. Today there are sewing machines with a large variety of stitches. However, if you would like to make a quilt the old fashioned way, you can find antique quilting frames online. You can also find frames at Amish shops. There are sites that show how to make quilting frames yourself. Instead of heavy wood they suggest using PVC pipes that are usually used for plumbing. They are light, very strong and very inexpensive.
