Puff Quilts are back – Part 2

April 2023

Covering Quilts

Puff Quilts are back – Part Two

by Sandra Starley

 

Those puffy, pillowy quilts from the 1970s are back and better than ever. Puff, pillow, biscuit, or bubble quilts are generally extra puffy or dimensional. There are myriad methods of making them. The big news is, they really can be fun and easy. I just made my first one along with my fellow Island Batik Fabric Brand Ambassadors.

The Puff Quilt Challenge

Each month we receive a creative quilting assignment, and for February 2023, we were to create a Puff quilt using a new fabric collection. Interestingly, out of 25 seasoned quilters, only three of the group had any experience making puff quilts, and for one quilter, that was 20 years ago. Many of us were a bit nervous of cutting and sewing a boatload of little puffy pillows, but we all created amazing puff quilts. While most of the group followed two standard methods, several quilters spurred by the challenge tweaked the standard or came up with their own methods. To see all 25 quilts, visit islandbatik.com/end-of-all-puffed-up-blog-hop

No Individual Pillows but Still Stuffed

Preeti Harris and I are both a bit rebellious and didn’t want to make lots of pillows, and didn’t like pleats or super puffiness. Preeti experimented and created her own no- pillow method. She sewed her top and then tacked batting to the back of every square. She added backing, machine quilted (stitched in the ditch), and bound her quilt. I found a no-pillow method in Sunset’s Quilting Patchwork & Applique (1981), which I improved by reducing the batting by 2/3rds by folding strips. I sewed a regular top and added a backing fabric without batting. The key is to stitch in the seam between your middle horizontal rows (if you have 12 rows, stitch between row six and seven) and then in all the vertical rows. This creates channels for stuffing, but that first seam means only reaching down half of the quilt. Stuff the row next to the center seam and stitch the row closed. Stuff the next row; repeat until all rows are done. Add a standard binding, turn the back to front, or add a facing. Suzy Webster cut and pieced a strippy top, added a back, and sewed in the seams to create tubes. She stuffed them with the aid of a dowel and sewed the edges closed.

Detail of Seven Sisters quilt

All Puffed Up

See 25 pillowy puff quilts from Sandra’s group on its blog at islandbatik.com/end-of-all-puffed-up-blog-hop. (Image courtesy of The All Puffed Up blog)

 

Individual Pillows, Sewn in Rows, Stuffed, Backed, and Tied

Most of our group used the more traditional method. It can be found at Lo and Behold Stitchery and other tutorials. Make pillow units by cutting squares of the top fabrics and smaller squares of the backing. Sew the top square to the backing on three sides, creating tucks on the top. Leave the fourth side open for stuffing. Unstuffed pillows are sewn in rows. The first row is stuffed with batting and sewn closed.

Another unstuffed row is sewn to the first, stuffed, and closed. Repeat until all rows are joined and stuffed. Add a backing and depending on climate, more batting. Many people hand tied at each intersection to secure the backing. Several of our group folded the backing to the front to create a self-binding to finish their quilts. This method creates a more poofy, traditional looking puff quilt and the group enjoyed making these

I hope you are inspired to try making a puff quilt. They are perfect for cuddling, and kids and pets love them.
Happy quilting!

 

Sandra Starley is nationally certified quilt appraiser, quilt historian, and avid antique quilt collector. She travels throughout the U.S. presenting talks on antique quilt history, fabric dating classes and trunk shows as well as quilting classes. Learn more at utahquiltappraiser.blogspot.com. Send your comments and quilt questions to SandraStarley@outlook.com

Have a puffy new year! Puff or pillow quilts – Part One

March 2023

Covering Quilts

Have a puffy new year! Puff or pillow quilts – Part One

by Sandra Starley

 

Everything old is new again. I blame A$AP Rocky (Mr. Rihanna) for the revival of the puff quilt. He wore a reworked vintage puff quilt on the red carpet at the Met Gala in September 2021 (recrafting done by Zak Foster). He combined two of the heydays of puff quilt, the 1970s/’80s and today into one garment. But seriously, puff quilts are super popular now and have a long though intermittent history as well.

What is a puff quilt?

A puff or biscuit or pillow quilt is generally composed of many individual little pleated and stuffed quilt squares that are joined to create a quilt. A lot of stuffing or batting is involved, and puffiness is a key to the design. These quilts are usually extra puffy and 3-D compared to regular quilts and tend to be an intense and tedious endeavor with lots of cutting and wrangling the super stuffed pieces. I have found an easier method. Much more on that in Part Two.

History

It is believed that the earliest version of the puff quilt was part of the fancy show quilt fad in the late 1880s and ‘90s (the era of the silk and satin crazy quilts). The stuffed quilts of that era, like their crazy quilt companions, were made of fancy silks, satins, and velvets and used to decorate pianos and table tops and pillows. They were made for ornamentation rather than to be used on beds. Quilt historian Barbara Brackman found that the oldest dated version of the Victorian era Biscuit quilts was a “Raised Patchwork” quilt, dated 1882. Also, during this time period there were gathered circle quilts called Suffolk Puffs made in England and Australia. Suffolk Puffs were sometimes filled with wool and so were similar to American puff quilts. Without the stuffing, they would be like the American yo-yo (gathered circle) quilt, which was popular in the 1920s-‘40s. Yo-yos and Suffolk Puff Quilts had a revival again in the 1970s and ‘80s along with another dimensional quilt style called Cathedral Windows.

True puff quilts were not seen much again until the 1960s and the quilting revival of the 1970s and into the 1980s. During this time, they were often packed with the newly available polyester stuffing, which was perfect for adding extra poof or volume. In that era, they were also filled with stockings/nylons as recycling and reusing was quite fashionable. Quilting fabrics weren’t easy to find then, and puff quilts were made with cotton, cotton/polyester blends, and even polyester double-knit fabrics. Many of these quilts were extremely heavy. Ruffles along the edges were popular, too.

 

Detail of Seven Sisters quilt

Pillow Quilt

Rainbow Garden Trip Around the World Quilt, 2023, Sandra Starley, fabrics provided by Island Batik. (Image courtesy of the author)

 

Current fashions

There has been a resurgence in puff quilts in the 2010s and especially in the 2020s. A fondness for retro or boho chic and vintage style has put puff or pillow quilts back in style. They are now made in quilters cotton fabric and even in specialty textured fabrics like Minky and Cuddledown. Tutorials abound on YouTube and blogs for making puff quilts in a variety of different techniques. One can spend hours viewing and contemplating which is the best way to make a puff quilt (just do a quick search and you’ll see endless options). This month I’ve been working with a group making puff quilts and I will share some of the wisdom I have gathered along my journey of puff quilting with you. I think I have discovered a great method and cannot wait to share it with you in my next column.

Happy puffy quilting.

Sandra Starley is nationally certified quilt appraiser, quilt historian, and avid antique quilt collector. She travels throughout the U.S. presenting talks on antique quilt history, fabric dating classes and trunk shows as well as quilting classes. Learn more at utahquiltappraiser.blogspot.com. Send your comments and quilt questions to SandraStarley@outlook.com

Make your ancestors proud – Help keep quilt history alive!

Make your ancestors proud – Help keep quilt history alive!

February 2023

Covering Quilts

Make your ancestors proud – Help keep quilt history alive!

by Sandra Starley

 

Preserving quilt history is easy to do and so important.

The first step: share your quilt story with friends and family. Tell friends about your quilt history journey. Share your vintage and antique quilt finds with people. Post or write about new quilt history books or even old ones (you never know which ones people may have missed). An added benefit is that you may find a few resources that you have not seee first step:n before or ones you have forgotten. Also, this is a good reminder to revisit old buddies on your bookshelf. You will be surprised about what treasures you will find on a second look through with more experienced eyes. Starting discussions about quilt history topics on social media is a great way to share your love of antique and current quilt making. You will likely make new quilty friends and learn along the way. And again, I would strongly recommend joining the American Quilt Study Group, the nation’s premiere quilt study organization www.americanquiltstudygroup.org

Second step: Do not forget that tomorrow’s quilt history is being made today. Now is the time to document and label your own quilts (ones you have made). It is also important to document any quilts that you collect too. A label should have basic information like the year the quilt was made (or years), the name of maker and the name of recipient if the quilt was given away or donated. Also include the title or name of the quilt and why it was made (a special occasion, fabric challenge, experiment?). It is also good to note the pattern or design information (was it an original design, a commercial pattern, or a combination of both). For an antique quilt – document as much of that previous list as you can based on known information or educated inferences. Then take some photographs of your quilts, at least a full photo and a few close-ups. Finally, create a paper trail: write up a brief synopsis of the label information along with photographs to properly record your quilting history and collection. It is a good idea to keep these records in a separate location from your quilts.

Detail of Seven Sisters quilt

Quilt Top made in Red Hill, PA

A quilt top made in Red Hill, PA, in 1911 by Gladys (9) and Earl (5) Balmer, from the Starley Quilt Collection. Documented with the Quilt Alliance. (Image courtesy of the author)

Third step: share your quilt making story with the public through the wonderful resources of the Quilt Alliance; see them and join them at www.quiltalliance.org. The Quilt Alliance offers several easy ways to document your quilt story. First is the quick and easy “Go Tell It!” project that involves a simple formula for sharing and saving quilt history. “One quilt, one person, one camera + three minutes = another quilt story saved.” Just follow that recipe (see more details on their website) and record the story of your favorite quilt for future generations. They also have the Quilters Save Our Stories (QSOS) that is a longer format interview option. Further your preservation efforts by having a few of your quilts put on the national quilt history database of the Quilt Index www.quiltindex.org. The Quilt Index is a public archive, and anyone can submit quilts to the site. They have recorded more than 87,000 quilts and they have incredible research resources for you to explore.

Fourth step: Speaking of exploring, check your parents’ attic or grandma’s cedar chest and see if there are any family quilts that need to be preserved and documented. Ask family members if there are any old quilts hidden away. You never know what quilt treasures may be discovered from your own family. Start searching and learning now; a perfect way to start the new year.

Sandra Starley is nationally certified quilt appraiser, quilt historian, and avid antique quilt collector. She travels throughout the U.S. presenting talks on antique quilt history, fabric dating classes and trunk shows as well as quilting classes. Learn more at utahquiltappraiser.blogspot.com. Send your comments and quilt questions to SandraStarley@outlook.com

Seven Stars for seven sisters, a pattern history

December 2022

Covering Quilts

Seven Stars for seven sisters, a pattern history

by Sandra Starley

 

Patchwork Patterns

“Seven Stars is a romantic-sounding name, but the quilt really deserves this lofty title. It’s a beauty,” Ruby McKim wrote in “101 Patchwork Patterns” in 1931. Start with a star and you cannot go wrong. Add six more and you have the recipe for the classic Southern pattern: Seven Sisters. In line with this year’s goal to learn something new and challenge yourself, this is the perfect design for you to try.

It is an intricate and visually engaging block composed of seven stars grouped in a staggered set to create a hexagon or a circle design. It is generally made with seven diamond stars pieced into a hexagon shape with diamonds or hexagons between the stars. A rarer group has seven diamond stars or sometimes flower shapes that are pieced into circles and then usually set into square blocks. With myriad ways to construct the blocks, set them, and then color them, “Seven Stars” may really refer to the infinite number of versions one can create of this versatile block.

The pattern has a rich and intriguing history. The stories span centuries from starry night skies full of mythical Greek goddesses, and tales of Confederate star flags, to the simply descriptive since the block, is composed of seven stars. Mystery surrounds the pattern’s origins and the meanings behind the names.

Heavenly Inspiration. The Mississippi Quilt Project documented a “fondness for the star pattern known as ‘Seven Sisters,’ a name taken from the cluster of stars in the constellation of Taurus with the astronomical name of ‘the Pleiades.’ Some oldtimers thought you could predict the weather according to the number of ‘sisters’ you could see on any given night, and that may have contributed to its popularity among Mississippi quilters.” The Greek myth of the seven daughters of the Titan God Atlas, trapped in the heavens, has been around for thousands of years. Seven sisters who have become stars applies equally to both main block names.

Detail of Seven Sisters quilt

Detail of Seven Sisters quilt

Detail of Seven Sisters quilt top, circa 1900, from the Starley Antique Quilt Collection. (Image courtesy of the author)

Seven Star Confederate flag – A Southern origin for the Seven Stars name is related to the Civil War and the seven stars on the first Confederate flag. The stars represented the first seven states to secede from the Union. There were seven-star flags and other textiles made then, so it is possible some people selected the pattern to reflect their political positions, or to “vote with their needles.” That flag was used for less than three months in 1861, but the powerful symbolism likely inspired quilters to recreate it with this pattern.

While Seven Sisters is the most recognized name, the pattern was originally published as Seven Stars in the 1895 Ladies Art Company catalog.

The descriptive Seven Stars in a Cluster, Capper’s Weekly, 1928 followed as well as Seven Stars, Kansas City Star, 1931. In 1933, the Seven Sister’s name appeared in Nancy Cabot’s column. Other names from this period include Boutonniere, Building Blocks, Star Bouquet, and Rolling Star.

Whatever the name, it is a challenging pattern. Hexagon versions tend to be hand-pieced often with the use of the English paper piecing technique which employs diamond-shaped paper templates. Each star section is created with six diamonds. It is also a great pattern to practice regular hand piecing for the inset seams. Why not try a block for a beautiful little star pillow? A perfect present for your sister or any star in your life.

Sandra Starley is nationally certified quilt appraiser, quilt historian, and avid antique quilt collector. She travels throughout the U.S. presenting talks on antique quilt history, fabric dating classes and trunk shows as well as quilting classes. Learn more at utahquiltappraiser.blogspot.com. Send your comments and quilt questions to SandraStarley@outlook.com

Go Small or Go Home – Let’s Make a Mini Quilt

November 2022

Covering Quilts

Go Small or Go Home – Let’s Make a Mini Quilt

by Sandra Starley

 

Mini quilts

In our continuing journey of exploration and challenges, what could be better than making a little treasure? Why not try your hand at creating a true miniature quilt? Mini quilts are the perfect choice for experimenting and playing in your sewing room. I know many of you have shied away from mini quilts for fear of little pieces, but they are really fun. Read on for the myriad benefits of little quilts.

What Is a Miniature Quilt?

A true miniature quilt should be done in a small scale with small pieces rather than making just one large, pieced block. In addition, for most quilt shows or competitions, the rules are that the finished quilt must measure 24 inches or smaller. Another important consideration is the scale or proportion of the fabrics. Solid fabrics work well in miniatures. Miniature quilts are an effective way to highlight little novelty prints and fussy cut motifs. But do not forget large-scale prints, which can be creatively cut to look like several different fabrics.

UFO quilt

Mini Quilts

Something Mini This Way Comes, 2022, Sandra Starley, 13″ x 17″ inches (3-inch blocks). Image courtesy of the author

Why Work Small?

Working small means that you do not need a lot of material. Charm squares and layer cakes and other pre-cuts are perfect for miniature quilts. And it is a terrific way to make a dent in your overflowing bucket of scraps. We all have leftover cuts and bits from old projects – a miniature quilt is just waiting to be discovered in the forgotten pieces. You will be amazed at how far scraps will go when you are making a 3- or 4-inch block. A miniature quilt can give you a big bang for your buck.

Easier to Make and Finish

You only need to make a few little blocks for your miniature quilt — a much more doable time investment than a full-sized quilt. Pick four or five blocks you have always been interested in and create a little sampler. Because the finished quilt may only be 12 or 24 inches square, it is much easier to hand or machine quilt. No wrestling with a sewing machine like when trying to quilt a king size quilt.

A Great Way to Practice Your Sewing Skills

When working small, it is important to sew accurately unless you are doing improvisation, free-form, or wonky quilts. Practice sewing a scant quarter-inch seam allowance and take it a bit slower to get precise results. I strongly recommend two books by Sally Collins, Small Scale Quiltmaking and Mastering Precision Piecing if you want to learn how to take your piecing skills to the next level. Just the other day my friend and I mentioned how much we have been influenced by her class from 20 years ago. There are also many other wonderful books and online resources to guide you through creating a mini quilt. You can even join a mini quilt guild or miniature quilt Facebook group.

Try A New Technique

If you want more relaxed sewing, I suggest foundation paper piecing, which is well suited to tiny piecing. As long as you sew right on the lines you will get wonderful results. You do not have to worry about perfect cutting or seam allowances. The technique allows you to sew exceedingly small pieces accurately and easily. Remember to experiment and play, and do not be surprised if you want to make more after trying one; miniature quilts can be quite addicting.

Sandra Starley is nationally certified quilt appraiser, quilt historian, and avid antique quilt collector. She travels throughout the U.S. presenting talks on antique quilt history, fabric dating classes and trunk shows as well as quilting classes. Learn more at utahquiltappraiser.blogspot.com. Send your comments and quilt questions to SandraStarley@outlook.com