Quilting & The Art of Frugality
 The word quilting conjures up a variety of emotions. Whether it is the comfort quilts bring as one remembers time spent at grandmas or the intrigue you feel as the beauty of a quilt pattern unfolds in a piece of art. The striking charm of quilts has captivated our culture for centuries. Quilts as we commonly know them today, with many patchwork quilt pieces sewn together, emerged from the realization that layering and piecing fabric together gives warmth as well as a unique decorative flair.
Once a social status of wealth, quilting can also be called the symbol of frugality. Textiles used to be expensive and scarce. The rich would decorate with larger single piece fabric with the quilting stitching patterns giving the design for beauty. But the poor learned to make simple rag quilts with second hand fabrics such as worn clothing and old blankets, quilting pieces together out of the necessity of warmth.
 The Industrial Age brought forth a change in the quilting industry. Textiles became more readily available because machines helped produce quilt fabrics more quickly and easily. Machines also helped hand stitch the quilts together faster. While it once took 4 months to finish a quilt, now it took a fraction of the time. Quilting is now not so much a necessity as it is a hobby, art, or emotional attachment. Quilt patterns that have stood the test of time and newer pieces that embrace the spirit of creativity are both windows into rich quilt history, presence, and future. These fine quilt designs, either simple or intricate create the comfort and intrigue that inspire us to keep quilt bedding in our home, long after the necessity for warmth ceased to be a pressing issue.
Article by:
Paula Pope
Designer
MyLuxuryMattress.com
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