Sewing Quilting History Article
Using Templates To Make Quilts That Spell Quality
Quilting too has gone hi-tech today, what with templates to make sure that art becomes precision. Whether it’s appliqué or any kind of shapes, curves and angles, a template gives you a pattern that ensures exactness if you follow it. The main hassle in making a quilt in days gone by was in joining the pieces together and taking great pains to see that the angles where the pieces were to be joined were perfect. Now, the time taken to do that is eliminated and it is all done for you!
A rotary cutter could maybe cut your fabric but it could also dull the blade if you try and cut cardboard or acrylic so it might just be better not to use a rotary cutter. Quilting templates which are made out of paper or cardboard are not really long-lasting, wearing out very often after a few times of using them. What is best of you want to keep using them, are the templates made of acrylic. Of course what are even better are those made of plastic or metal. The last two are what quilters who are experienced will probably recommend as they definitely go on for long and don’t have to be thrown away like the paper and cardboard ones. They are also much more accurate.
As most quilters know, accuracy is key as far as a good quilt goes. This is especially true if you are doing patchwork or appliqué. Patchwork is when you sew together a great many pieces of fabric cut into different sizes and shapes and appliqué is when you sew a shape onto a fabric. This is where quilting templates help a lot as they ensure absolute accuracy as far as the pattern goes. What you need to do of course, is to make sure your pattern is perfect so you get your pieces cut perfectly. This is why acrylic and metal are so much more reliable and are better for perfect cutting as they are sturdy. So you don’t need to keep measuring and checking – just put it against the template and cut.
Now for where to get the quilting templates from. They can be bought from any crafts store or quilt store and you have a choice of course of buying them online as well. In fact, if you look on the Internet, you will find a wide variety to choose from. Not only that, they come to you with tips and suggestions. What’s more, you can order some and you might just get some thrown in for free!
If you’re just starting out into this magical world of quilting, start with the basic designs such as the nine-patch quilt or the flying geese or the star point. These will be easy to do and will be done quite quickly. Any template you want can be custom-ordered too, in any pattern you like. Yes, quilting templates have made life a lot easier for the quilter today, never mind if it’s a beginner or someone a lot more experienced.
