Quilting Articles & Tips

Caring for Quilts

By Dean Erickson

Quilt making is a traditional pastime passed on from grandmother to mother to daughter, and it still draws thousands of enthusiasts. Modern day quilting lovers are extra lucky because there is a wealth of information available freely on the Internet.

Quilting is a skill and pastime that you may have acquired from your grandmother or may have just developed a taste for it. Whatever the case, whether you are an expert or a beginner, the Internet serves as a remarkable resource packed with ideas, patterns and how-to guides, many of which are absolutely free.

Try an Internet search for "free quilt patterns" and you'll discover links to hundreds of quilt patterns. Websites dedicated to the craft of quilt making, such as Freequiltpatterns.info and Freequilt.com offer an inexhaustible selection of quilt patterns for every taste. There are appliqué quilt patterns, baby quilt patterns, Christmas quilt patterns, patterns with cats, dogs, dolphins and hundreds of other novelty quilt patterns.

You'll also find free tips and techniques and all the creative inspiration you'll need for your quilt project.

The art of quilt making is such an old one. It has literally been around for aeons and passed on down from one generation to the next. In one way, quilt patterns have always been around for free, so it makes perfect sense that there should be so much sharing of quilt patterns online.

Quilting has such a broad appeal. Quilting is really for everyone, regardless of resources or wealth. One can buy new fabric pieces or use whatever stray pieces may be lying around in drawers and cupboards to make good quality quilts or, even, works of art, which can decorate the walls of a family room or bedroom. Quilts make great gifts for weddings or new born babies. Do an Internet search for "wedding quilt patterns" or "baby quilt patterns". Add the word "free" to your search to target sites that offer free quilt patterns.

There are many quilting techniques and patterns to learn about. The most popular, of course, is the Christmas quilt. Christmas is a time when all traditions are remembered so quilting is the perfect way to spend time in the cold days before Christmas and, once completed, a quilt is the ideal gift or room decoration. There are hundreds of design ideas, too. Whether it is Santa or a snowman you want featured there are many free quilt patterns available online to download. Just add "Christmas quilt pattern" to your Internet query.

For something a little different and challenging look for appliqué quilt patterns, star quilt patterns or even Hawaiian quilt patterns. The appliqué technique differs from the traditional patchwork technique. In patchwork quilting one pieces or joins strips of fabric together into blocks. In appliqué quilting one layers fabric pieces and sews them onto a "foundation fabric". For extra creative inspiration, search for instructions on a truly unique challenge, such as Hawaiian quilting.

Dean Erickson. Journalist, and web site builder Dean Erickson lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of quilt-patterns-finder.com on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.