Patchwork

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These shapes are carefully measured and cut straight-sided, basic geometric shapes which facilitates piecing them together. Precise joining makes for patchwork that lies flat without puckers. When used to make a quilt, this larger patchwork or pieced design becomes the "top" of a three layered quilt, the middle layer being the batting, and the bottom layer the backing. To keep the batting from shifting and wadding, a patchwork or pieced quilt is often quilted by hand or machine using a running stitch which can outline the individual shapes that comprise the pieced top, or the quilting stitches can be random or highly ordered overall patterns that contrast with the patchwork composition. (Specialized, long-arm quilting machines can be programmed to quilt particular quilting patterns over any type of quilt.) Or, instead of quilting, the layers can be tied together at regular intervals with pieces of yarn, a practice known as tying.

There are three traditional structures used to construct a patchwork or pieced composition: 1) block, 2)overall, and 3) strip piecing. Traditional patchwork has identifying names based on the arrangement of colors and shapes. 1)Patchwork blocks are pieced squares made up of colored shapes that repeat specific shapes to create patterns within the square or block, of, say, light and dark, or contrasting colors. The blocks can all repeat the same pattern, or blocks can be comprised of several different patterns . The patchwork blocks are typically around 8"-10" square. They are sewn together in stacked rows to make a larger composition. Often strips of contrasting fabric forming a lattice separates the patchwork blocks from each other. Some common patchwork block names are Log Cabin, Drunkard's Path, Bear's Paw, Tulip, Nine Patch, etc. A unique form of patchwork block quilt is the crazy quilt, popular during the Victorian era (mid to late nineteenth century).The crazy block is comprised of random shapes of luxurious, fabric such as velvets, silks, brocades. The patchwork blocks are stitched together forming "crazy" or non-repeat, asymmetric compositions. Fancy embroidery embellishes the seam lines between the individual, pieced shapes and between the blocks. 2)Overall patchwork designs are incrementally pieced geometric shapes stitched together to form a larger random or composed design. The colored shapes can be randomly pieced or follow a strict order to create a specific effect, say of value (light to dark) progressions, or checkerboard effects, etc. Names such as Hit or Miss, Clamshell, and Starburst identify some overall patchwork structures. 3)Strip piecing involves stitching together pieces of fabric in repeat patterns into long strips and then stitching the strips together lengthwise. The patchwork strips can be alternated with strips of contrasting colors. A typical strip patchwork quilt is the Flying Geese pattern.

Read more at Wikipedia.org