Wednesday 11 January 2012

QUILTS ,I would love to hear your veiw on the subject



My mind is running in many directions this morning . It is a beautiful day here in England . I have been sitting in my conservatory reading yesterdays Daily Mail . I came upon this article . After reading and deeply thinking about the article these are my views .


1I have not seen the magazine but at present until some one else makes me think otherwise I will say it's O.K

2 Lots of people love patchwork quilts and would love to own one . Very often asking "would you make one for me " When told how much it will cost , fabric , batting , thread etc,. before even taking into consideration hours of sewing much of it by hand . At some stage the sewing machine will be involved and they are very expensive items these days . Suddenly owning a patchwork quilt can wait .

3 A well made quilt that is going to stand years of wear , perhaps be dragged around lovingly by a child will not withstand wear if made on a cheap sewing machine bought off the grocery supermarket shelf

4 People who make quilts have very often paid a lot of money at workshops learning the latest methods or pay to attend weekly sewing classes to further the knowlege of their craft

5 100% cotton fabric used in the making of a quilt is usually priced around £10 yard , yes it is mostly sold by the yard not mtr ,. sewing thread is not cheap and quilting thread expensive . The price of batting , the warm layer that goes between the front and back fabric is also expensive . A good quality is needed to keep the quilt in good shape .

6 Having said all this many hours will have been spent sewing . When we quilters make quilts for friends and family we do it with love in our heart and pride in our craft . We love handing over our quilt .

7 without having seen the magazine I am presuming the quilt might be a sampler . If this is so many different tecniques will be learned . If I was a beginner with no one on hand to teach me I would most likely purchase the magazine .

8 You have only to attend a quilt show at Malvern or the NEC to see quilters buying expensive magazines and books , fabric , scissors , rulers ,and many many other things to be an asset .


If you admire patchwork quilts and want to make your own heirloom then go ahead buy the magazine . I will warn you patchwork is very addictive . If you buy only a couple of copies then decide it's not for you give your effort away to the charity shop , some one will buy it .


I hope I have not stirred up a hornets nest . I am passionate about patchwork and quilting

10 comments:

Mermaid's Purse said...

You can read a bit about the mag here
http://www.artofquilting.co.uk/

The magazine isn't for me but if it gets more people into patchwork and quilting then I say it's ok as I believe the needlearts in general can massively improve one's quality of life and it would be particularly good to get the younger generation interested ............ my 20 year old has no interest whatsoever)!

I love the "make do and mend" aspect of patchwork and the fact that one can use small amounts of recycled or pretty new fabrics ........ you'd be hard pressed to find much patchwork fabric in Kent at £10 per metre (it's up to £14.99)!!

Incidentally, I'd already thought to do my next blog post about patchwork (nothing to do with the magazine though).

Elizabethd said...

I've seen this magazine advertised, and wondered about it. I think the article is leaning on the 'sensational', as it is obvious that so much time and money is invilved in the making of a quilt, even if one uses scraps.

Mac n' Janet said...

I don't think most people who aren't involved in crafting have any idea how expensive it is to make things by hand be it a quite, something crocheted or knitted or sewn or painted. And like you say that doesn't count the time it takes.

Jo said...

As I am off work with a chest infection, my husband brought me home part 1 as a treat. With a 200m reel of thread and a pack of needles as well as four scraps of material, it is a bargain but I couldn't bear to pay full price for it. They also demonstrate everything with a sewing machine and no hand sewing.

But as was said above, if the magazine persuades other people to give it a go...

Scrappy quilter said...

I've never seen the magazine however I'm passionate about quilting and patchwork too. Hugs

Bluebell said...

I Love Patchwork and quilting and I have been lucky enough to have a friend (cottonreel) to teach me all the basics and then the more complicated, as a hobby it is not cheap and is also very time consuming, I would not want to pay all that money for a magazine that is going to produce one quilt and take such a long time to do it, I would imagine most people would be put off before completeing the quilt either by the cost or the amount of time it takes to finish. My advice is to find a local group of quilters who will help you make a quilt in a lot less time and pay a lot less money, also you will learn so much from other people, just seeing their work will give you inspiration. Obviously the people who have produced this magazine see the potential of making lots and lots of money, but believe me the pleasure of making a quilt is usually finding the fabrics etc. yourself. No!!! I would not buy this magazine.

Love Jillx

Heather said...

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Chris H said...

I am constantly amazed at how much I love sewing... it can be anything ... as long as it's sewing.
Quilts are incredibly expensive to make... and anyone who does not sew will not understand that!

Pokey said...

I had a person press me re: making a "few" baby quilts that she could purchase from me (as if she were doing me a favor by giving me her business). I kept telling her that it wasn't an inexpensive gift. Finally, when asked to give a ballpark figure, she literally said $100 dollars was "ridiculous" and out of the question. So was it that I make freebies for her *smile*.

A charity quilt is different, that is my gift, my time. I like you love what I do, and I even like to share my projects and how to's. I don't have a problem with the magazine if it is truly quality instructions and supplies.

Thanks for your share on this subject, and for your recent advice on my quilting troubles. That is one thing that quilting is all about-sharing! :-}pokey

Tammy, UK said...

I would purchase the magazines, but then I'm full of money!