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A quilt traditionally has three layers – the pieced top, a middle layer of wadding and a piece of backing fabric. The three layers are held together by lines of running stitch called quilting. The images below show a Birds in the Air patchwork design with quilting.
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Image 1
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Image 2
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Image 3
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Image 4
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Image 5
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Image 6
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Patchwork
Patchwork is the art of making a large piece of fabric by sewing smaller pieces to each other. Pieces of fabric are put together in blocks. Blocks are a unit of patchwork design which are repeated to build an overall pattern.
Example
Birds in the Air quilt block
Reminiscent of birds flying through the air, hence the name, this traditioanl block is often used as part of a scrap quilt.
Co-ordinating light and dark fabrics are used for the small triangles - the birds. Cohesion can be given to a quilt top by making the large triangles of the same fabric.
The finished block size is 6" square and made from nine small triangles (image 1) and one larger triangle and using three different cotton fabrics. Two of these fabrics are a light and dark version of the same fabric (image 2) - the third fabric co-ordinates or contrasts (image 6).
One light and one dark triangle are first sewn together (image 2) and strips are made up as shown by images 2,3 and 4. The strips are then sewn together Image 5 - the block is completed by sewing the large triangle to the pieced triangle (image 6).
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Birds in the Air quilt - detail
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Birds in the Air quilt -detail
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Quilts to purchase
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Patchwork & Quilting
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Techniques
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Site created 2007 - © Barbara Paul - Speedwell Quilts - 2008