Quilting, and my understanding of it, has changed a great deal over the years. When I first decided to make a quilt, I had absolutely no idea of how they were done. I am sure I didn't know that seams should be a quarter inch wide. I certainly wasn't aware that 100 percent cotton should be used or how close the top stitching should be. Despite all that, I did manage to produce a red and blue flannel quilt for my son. I then decided to do one completely by hand. The diamonds were cut from templates, sewn together with the borders added all without benefit of a sewing machine. A major undertaking. That quilt was also for my son. He recently celebrated his fortieth birthday and it still isn't done! I have, of course, made dozens since starting that one and I expect that, one day, it will get finished.
Since those early days, my sewing machines have got progressively more complicated-and expensive. I have a wall full of various gadgets, rulers and rotary cutters. I also have software on my computer that helps me design, see how much fabric I need and print out the templates for patterns. Electric Quilt (EQ) is a wonderful innovation and I use it constantly. It doesn't take the place of having a good basic knowledge of the rules for quilting but it makes following those rules much, much easier.
It will be interesting to see what other developments there will be in this craft I enjoy so much. The quilt block that accompanies this blog is one I designed on EQ. I call it Progression as it is such a far cry from my early quilts. If you would like the pattern, let me know. If you would like to see what it looks like in a quilt, I can send you a photo
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