What's a quilt?

A quilt is a patchwork blanket generally made from cotton fabric and usually has three layers - the top, the batting, and the backing.  They range in size from small wall hangings and baby quilts all the way to King sized and beyond.  I've made so many quilts over the years that I've lost track.  I've got photos of about 50 of them on my current computer as well as countless photos (before digital cameras) and there are some that sold so quickly I didn't even get a chance to record them.  I've made quilts for almost all the members of my extended family over the years and my three kids have three each.  I'm attaching some photos of ones I've made over the past few years.
At a rough estimate I count 99 quilts I remember creating for family, friends, and sales. I truly remember all that I have given as gifts.  Now I am mostly involved working on commissions but I still enjoy doing work for the special people in my life.
I love creating a quilt.  I generally have a few in process and can switch back and forth from piecing one, quilting another, and designing a third. I have a dedicated sewing room (one of my son's former bedroom) and it's a running joke that I will convert my daughter's room (my youngest) to the room for the longarm machine when she moves out later this year.  Much as I'd love to purchase that longarm machine (a machine designed for quilting the three layers together with pretty designs), I'm not quite there yet.  Plus I want my daughter to visit!
Here are some of my current projects available online
https://www.etsy.com/shop/CatesQuilts

Creating a quilt starts with choosing a pattern or creating a design.  Sometimes I've already chosen fabric or purchased or picked a feature fabric and then figure out which pattern will feature it the best.  Next is the cutting process and a sharp rotary cutter, good ruler, and iron are a definite must.  I don't pre-wash my fabric unless it's a red (which bleeds heavily.)  I will often cut in the evenings after work while watching a movie I've seen many times.  It's monotonous work but easily done with focus.


The floral fabrics were chosen a while back and inspired by a friend's wedding bouquet.

Depending on the size of the quilt, I'll machine sew over a number of days, the various pieces to create the blocks.  Sometimes I piece just one so I'm sure that the fabric choices are correct.  Then the blocks are sewn together, sashing (borders between the blocks), and borders added as necessary and the quilt top is complete. I often photograph
 my quilts during the process as I find it helps me have a better sense of what the finished product will be and helps steer my sashing and border choices.
I try to use single pieces of fabric for the backing and usually buy those online.  They come in the 110" range and save me from having to piece a couple of fabric lengths to create the back.  You'll find many options at www.fabric.com and narrow by quilt backing.  Alternately, just piece a backing from leftover fabric.
I lay the backing right side down on my dining room floor (wood) and use blue painter's tape to anchor and slightly stretch it out.  The backing is generally cut a couple of inches bigger than the top all the way around.

Then I layer the cotton batting (which adds warmth) on top and smooth it out and the quilt top last.  Using special pins that are curved I pin baste the three layers together to minimize the layers shifting when quilted together.  The quilt can be quite heavy at this point but I remove the pins as I go.  The one in the picture above was a client's quilt using her husband's fishing shirts.  Fun!
The quilting process can take a few days or a few weeks depending on the size of the quilt and how much time I have to sew.  I use cotton threads and stencil designs to create the finished product.  This last step is called free motion quilting and takes practise.  Here's a close up from my machine (above right.)
Sewing on the binding (edging) completes the quilt and the job is complete. Shown below some more of my completed projects.