Traditional vs. Art Quilting
When I took up quilting again in the 1970s, the discussion revolved around using cotton fabrics vs. polyester/cotton blends or making your quilts completely by hand vs. using the sewing machine. Nowadays art quilting has come into vogue.
What do we mean by art quilting? Using a variety of materials, often creating ones own patterns, adding embellishments, so that your quilt may resemble a photo, a painting, a collages, or something wearable constitutes a new arena that has become known art quilting.
Instead of following the traditional patterns, with stars, triangles, squares, rectangles and circles, quilters become more versatile and create a variety of patterns. Some of these may become scenic. Others might be photos of people (either realistic or stylized). There might be still more creations inspired by mood, color, and fabric and enhanced by embellishments.
Many quilters create wall hangings instead of the traditional bed quilt; art quilting easily can fall into this category. The hangings may be of various sizes to fit a space, need or inclination.
Browsing around an quilt exhibit or shop will help give you an idea of the many types of quilting you can pursue. Today there is something for everyone, which makes quilting and patchwork so exciting.
©2005 Mary Emma Allen
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POSTED IN: General Quilting/Patchwork
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