I have a quilt that has something that feels papery deliberately sewn into the quilt
2006-11-02 02:27:11 · 4 answers · asked by tecvba 4 in Games & Recreation ➔ Hobbies & Crafts
the quilt is about 80 years old from my grandma and the thing is too far away from a corner to undo all the stitces...and they are small stiches and not in a place that would need stiffning....it had to be put there on purpose because there are so many tiny stitces in it...I wondered if there was any tradition of leaving in a list of the quilters or a dollar for luck or anything like that.
2006-11-02 04:52:07 · update #1
It's probably just old papers - newspapers, catalog sheets, that sort of thing. Today we cut most of our fabric by measuring it, but up until the last 30 years or so, quilters made templates and cut each piece out individually. Templates were usually made of cardboard, or plastic, as it became available. For some designs, like Grandmother's Flower Garden (also called Honeycomb), the templates were made from paper and the papers were left in the quilt. This is wonderful because it helps us to figure out the age of the quilt by looking at the papers inside.
2006-11-02 05:34:44 · answer #1 · answered by swbiblio 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is a quilting technique called paper piecing or foundation piecing. Sewing lines are marked on paper, which is used as a guide when small pieces of fabric are sewn together with stitches going through the paper. Usually the paper perforates with the stitches and is easily removed. If tje stitches are too large to perforate it well, the quilter might leave the paper in place rather than spending a lot of time trying to remove it and possibly damaging or stretching the fabric in the process.
2006-11-02 12:51:53 · answer #2 · answered by MyThought 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've never heard of it. Who made the quilt? Is it old? I'd be tempted if I were you to pick the stitches apart just a little to see what it was. What if it was something really cool?
2006-11-02 10:30:40 · answer #3 · answered by momofmodi 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I dont know of a tradition, I do know that a paper backing is often used when doing applique, to stiffen the fabric while working, maybe that is what you can feel.
If it was me, I would try unpick a bit and see whats on that paper! I love discovering suprises!!
2006-11-02 10:30:16 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋