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Quilting retreats are, as the name implies, a retreat designed for quilters. These retreats are generally considered by quilters as meetings or gatherings of individuals to learn techniques, view displays, purchase supplies, and sometimes a competition. Experts come from all around to share their knowledge. For the most part, a retreat is a time to converse with others who simply share the same passion while performing a craft.

Quilts come in all sizes, shapes and colors but generally when one thinks of a quilt it is as a bed cover. They are generally hand stitched but a large retreat will book a big room suitable to bring your sewing machine should that be your method of choice. A quilt generally uses several pieces of fabric stitched together by hand or machine to make a design. Then a layer of batting is sandwiched between the top stitched layer, the design and a backing. There are no rules for the back, so it can be made of a solid fabric, plaid or print. It is usually a coordinating fabric.

Retreats are set up across the country much like a convention and can last from one single day to several, even up to a week. The most common being a weekend get-a-way. They generally have a cost involved that includes lodging, some meals and a chance to listen and observe guest speakers and demonstrators. Not to fret, for those of you that are shoppers, there is generally time for that as well. So pick a date or pick a place. Grade your unfinished project and give yourself a chance to finish it.

Shop hopping is a phrase used to describe going from one store to another looking for quilting materials by car or via the internet.

Many ladies love to go with a group who are interested in quilting. They will make a day of it. Starting early in the morning, they will drive from town to town looking for that unique quilt shop. They are hoping to find that special piece of fabric to make their next piece of art. They want their quilts to be very unique and different. Each quilt shop usually carries a different designer for their fabric. Prices vary greatly from shop to shop. Many shops will offer classes, patterns, quilting machines and different techniques for making their quilts.

The internet offers people a chance to shop for fabric with the click of a mouse. People no longer have to get into their cars and drive to a store. They can simply pull out their favorite chair and get comfortable. With credit card in hand, people can move from one store to the next without even leaving their homes. Many quilt shops have an e-store.

There is such a endless supply of great quality fabric online. Many of the stores give a great description of the fabric and guarantee you will get the color you see on their site.

There are a few drawbacks to shopping online, such as that you do not get to feel the fabric or determine the texture and weave. There is no one you can talk to in person if you have a question. Finally, the shipping costs can get rather high.

With all that in mind, you have to decide if driving to a store takes to much time or if shopping online is for you.

Quilts - what a great tradition that is often passed down by family members. Many grandmothers used to use old jeans and worn dresses to make some lovely quilts. In fact, you would never guess that they were made from used clothing that would have been thrown away.

Quilters sometimes use whatever they get their hands on. It doesn't make any difference to them whether they use silk or cotton. They would even use old worn out blue jeans. They could make it look like it was store bought. The stitching was done so tightly that it took a long time to make a quilt. They were in no hurry back then.

Today, there are a lot of materials used for quilts, as well, because some people tend to have a preference to what type of material they use. Some like to use cotton, and others use flannel, although most of the backs of quilts are all flannel. At the same time, there are still those who use worn clothes to make a quilt. People who are having their first child have quilts made from an item that their parents and grandparents wore, and they are very much in demand. One can also buy squares already cut at most any fabric store, and they come in a variety of colors. It saves you from having to cut the squares, and you don't have to worry about them being the same size. What many people lack today is the time to do the quilting.

American quilting traditions are categorized by century, decade, region, state, eras and by ethnicity. However quilts are viewed, they are a historical and personal kaleidoscope of stories stitch by stitch.

Early 19th century quilts are scarce, as only the wealthy could afford expensive and imported materials from Europe, so few quilts were made. Later in the century, excluding in the Civil War, cotton was abundant and affordable. Quilts of the era notably were assembled with complex quilting stitches. Appliqués of favor were oak leaves, four patch graphicals, flowers and other patchwork variations.

After the Civil War, log cabin and crazy quilts hit the quilt circuits, and were made of silk and cotton. The crazy quilt era was show-off time for women with embroidery skills. Quilt tops were bedazzled with beautiful embroider stitching.

At the brink of the 1900s, cotton was bountiful, but quilts were still made from scrap materials or old clothing. Men’s shirts provided light backgrounds that contrasted with very dark-colored cottons like burgundy, navy, black and dark green. Predominant in the early 1900s were madder prints and fabric with tiny conversational figures. Patterns of popularity were the prairie star, criss cross, double nine patch, Philadelphia pavement, and so many others.

The 19th century brought patterns into popularity, but the 20th century pinnacled the use of them. Publication sources commercialized original and old standby designs into kits containing the pattern, fabric, and other materials. Quilt historians later had difficulties finding and recording the quilt kit frenzy. Then, farther into the 1900s, crazy quilts morphed to warm utility blankets of wool and upholstery material.

Near 1978, the Library of Congress's American Folklife Center launched a Folklife Project seeking authentic culture in the Blue Ridge Area; the phenomenon of quilting was stumbled upon just before major technique changes took hold.

In the beginning, mothers used old shirts, dresses, and left over pieces of fabric to make quilts. To make them warm, old bedsheets, drapes and flour sacks were use as batting. Even feathers have been used as the lining for some quilts. Feathers or down were cleaned and use as batting because of how warm they are. They would use a very coarse fabric to make a large bag and then filled it full of down feathers.

Today there are hundreds of colors, textures and fabrics to choose from. One can use 100% all cotton fabric to polyester fabric to make your special quilt. Fleece is another very popular fabric to use as a throw. Kids love it because it is so soft. Kids like to make the knot quilt. This quilt has the kids combine two pieces of fleece fabric by cutting into the fabric about two inches all the way around and tying the two pieces together making a soft quilt. You can even use your old blue jeans with holes in them to make a very beautiful quilt.

A quilt must be made from a fabric which has a very strong weave to withstand lots of hugs and tugs and when washed many times comes back clean and soft. The fabric must be color fast, warm, and beautiful. 100% cotton fabric works the best. It is easy to quilt and comes in thousands of colors. Cotton allows the needle to move easily through the fabric without puckering.

Kona is a new fabric on the scene today. It is a premium 100% cotton broadcloth with a high thread count which gives the user a very wonderful texture to work with and creates a very beautiful quilt. It comes in lots of bright, bold colors.

iGoQuilting.com

Quilting Retreats

What is Shop Hopping

Fabric for Quilts

American Quilting Traditions

Bold Colors Make Beautiful Quilts