Computer Quiltmaking - Is It Truly Quilt Art?
During this era of computers and the Internet, we find many computer programs for the quilterÂ’s needs. I knew there were some to help us design quilts, figure out measurements and amounts of fabric, determine which colors and prints worked well together, or to give you lines for quilting.
However, I hadn’t realized, until I viewed a program on Red Work Quilting, that there are actually “hands-off” computer programs that will do the task for you while you watch or work at something else. By using a chip with designs programmed on it, you can let your sewing machine do the embroidering!
As I watched, the design appeared on the fabric the ladies had prepared under the machine needle. This was taking machine embroidering and appliqué one step further into a “hands-off” mode.
When I did a great deal of appliqué and embroidering by machine, I had to make my own designs to follow and guide the needle over them myself. Now you simply set everything up and your machine does the work.
Is this true quilting, embroidering, or appliqué? As a judge at a quilt show, how would you approach this?
When I judged quilt shows, the determination was whether the work was done by hand or by machineÂ…a machine guided by the quilter. There was discussion then whether machine made quilts were true quilts.
IÂ’d be interested in hearing from other quilters about this new, easier way to embroider or stitch designs on a quilt block. Have you tried it? What are your feelings about it? IÂ’m truly amazed at how the computer is changing so many aspects of our lives.
©2005
(If you have any questions, comments, or information to share, e-mail me at: me.allen@juno.com . Type “Quilt Blog” in the subject line. Or share your thoughts in the comments section at this blog.)
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POSTED IN: General Quilting/Patchwork
3 opinions for Computer Quiltmaking - Is It Truly Quilt Art?
Quilting-Fabric-Mike
Aug 17, 2005 at 2:45 pm
I think that while it is unfair to judge machine guided quilts, and completely machine sewn quilts in the same instance, I have to argue that just because a computer sewed the quilt doesn’t make any less art. The art comes in creating the design of the quilt. That is the true test of whether or not a completely machine sewn quilt can be called "art" or not.
Mary Emma
Aug 18, 2005 at 9:57 am
Hello Quilting-Fabric-Mike,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this topic. I know there will be varying opinions about quilting, embroidering, and applique by a "hands-off" computerized method. It goes along with the age-old discussion whether true quiltmaking should be done completely by hand or involves some sewing by machine. It would seem, that if the pioneers quiters had had modern equipment available to make their work easier and take less time, they would have used it.
Mea
paintings
Nov 3, 2005 at 2:01 am
Llamas are very curious animals and Winslow Homer has caught this perfectly in “Woodchopper in the Adirondacks” where a llama from a local llama farm has come to investigate the noise of the falling tree.If you are ever in Roanoke, Virginia, do visit the Art Museum of Western Virginia where you can see Homer’s first version of this painting.
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