When is a quilt a quilt?

I'm sure you're reading this blog post because you're a stitcher, a maker of beautiful items, but have you ever made a quilt? No? Are you sure?

Have a look at some "official"definitions of the word "quilt" and see if you agree with them.

The Oxford English Dictionary says a quilt is "...a decorative cover for a bed, made of two layers with soft material between them, held in place with lines of stitching...".

Merriam-Webster (America's leading dictionary) says something similar:

...a bed coverlet of two layers of cloth filled with padding (such as down or batting) held in place by ties or stitched designs..."

It's a funny thing about words that they have a definite definition (can I put those 2 words together?) but they can often mean something rather different. As a maker of quilts, I happen to agree with the definitions above, but only to a point. Both dictionaries use the word "bed" in their definition but I have quilts that I didn't make for, nor do I use on, a bed. If you ask an electronic encyclopaedia or use a search engine on your device, you will notice that quilts are often defined by it's size e.g. a baby quilt, a king sized quilt. But, often the lap quilt is omitted, so what size is that? Google tells me it's between 40" and 50", but surely that's a crib quilt? I have no idea!

In the quilter's world, I believe the definition of a quilt is a sandwich of fabric with something soft and warm(ish) in between. To me that means I can make a quilt from any fabric, with (almost) anything in between. It also means that I can "quilt it" (verb) in any way I please and make it any size I wish. It also gives me permission to use it for any purpose - hang it on the wall, over the back of a sofa, over the bannister or over the bed. I can fold it up and use it in the back of my car to make it look pretty, I can adjust the pattern and make it into a Christmas tree skirt. Whatever way in which I make or use it, it is still a quilt.

Let's see some of the different quilts we can find under the category "Shop Quilts" on this website. Yes, go and have a look, I'll still be here when you get back...

Sage

Now let's test it against the OED definition.

• Is it decorative? - yes!

• Is it a cover for a bed? - mine is!

• Does it have 2 layers with something in between? - yes

• Are the layers held in place with lines of stitching? - yes

So, Sage is a quilt! My powers of deduction are endless! :-)

Let's ask the same 5 questions to test another pattern.

Gloria, a lovely little seat pad

• Is it decorative? - of course, it's glorious!

• Is it a cover for a bed? - er no, but if you put it on the bed it would cover a little patch!

• Does it have 2 layers with something in between? - definitely.

• Are the layers held in place with lines of stitching? - oh yes.

  
  

So it's a quilt then. It's official. It meets the criteria of the quilter's definition too.

My point?

Now you've read a little bit more, would you mind awfully going back to the question I asked right at the top of the page. No don't go up there now, I'll ask it again.

Have you ever made a quilt?

Is your answer still the same?

Making a small item like Gloria, seems quite easy and you may feel confident that you could "carry it off".

But, what if it was a standard sized quilt as defined by the OED, that you would love to make for your bed but you have "never made a quilt before"?

Two possible responses

1. Oh yes, I remember making Gloria. Well, there you go, you have made a quilt!

2. Nope, I haven't made Gloria or anything like it - ok, so what a lovely place to start. Make this tiny quilt, then choose a bigger one and before you know it you'll be a quilter, as defined by anyone who ever made one!

Take a look at this:

Floating Glass

The subject of a recent 3 session workshop.

Now this is indeed a quilt!!

Have you made one, or is it in progress?

This is perhaps what you aspire to do but you're telling yourself you never could do it.

However, we all had to start and we all had to start at the beginning. We're all still on our journey. Every one of us is learning and improving all the time.

If you've never made a quilt, you don't know that you can't do it!

If you've made Gloria or something small like her, you're already well on the way to making that "...decorative cover for a bed, made of two layers with soft material between them, held in place with lines of stitching..." Oxford English Dictionary.

My advice?

Go for it. If you're at the start of your quilting journey, make Gloria, or choose from any number of small quilt patterns on the website. Making a small quilt, will give you the confidence to make a slightly bigger one and before you know it you'll be tackling something even bigger. One day you may even make Floating Glass. There's no rush, just enjoy the journey, it's what sewing is all about.

Until next month, happy stitching.

Kath x