Quilting is the technique used to keep the top, batting (if any) and backing together. When done by a creative, quilt maker, it can take on a whole new dimension!  Below are some common ways that quilts are held together. If selling, buyers will want to know if it is tied, hand or machined quilted. If it is hand quilted, they will want to know the stitch-per-inch. (see below.) You will sometimes see a quilt that is hand and machine quilted.

On the better, antique and vintage quality quilts, you will see fine quilting. Every piece and/or area is quilted with fine, small, neat stitches. It is one reason why these quilts have survived for over 150 years! 

All pictures are used with the ebay seller's permission.

# 1: The first example will show two quilt that are not quilted but tied. You will see quite a few of these when finding vintage and antique quilts. You have to be careful washing these types  because the batting (if any) will have a tendency to break apart and bunch up in areas ~ making them "lumpy" looking. Picture on the left is tied, with yarn. Picture on the right is tufted with yard. Both are from my personal collection. This technique was used because of the time factor. ( You coud tie a quilt in one or two days.)

                                       

# 2: Machine Quilted: As the term suggest, the quilting is done by machine. A common question i asked ~ How do you know if it is machine or hand quilted?  Below are pictures from my personal collection, showing machine quilting. If you are unfamiliar with machine stitching, look at something you know to be machine sewn (like a piece of clothing). Is the stitching similiar to the pictures below? We have come along way with machine quilting today.  I have seen expertly done machine quilted feather wreaths and other designs. A common, recent design is a "squiggly" line pattern, all over the entire quilt, not following any pieces of the pattern on the quilt. Machine quilting is found on some of the earlier quilts but most common on today's quilts. Many quilters do not have the time or desire to hand quilt a quilt today. (Some takes months to a year to complete a hand quilted quilt!)

                            

 

# 3: Hand Quilted: As the term suggests, the quilting is done by hand. You are looking for small, tiny, straight stitches. Most buyers will want to know the stitch-per-inch.

To Calculate the Stitch-Per-Inch:  Lay down a ruler on one section of the quilt and count the number of stitches, in a one-inch area.  Do this over several areas and come up with an average stitch-per-inch (SPI). Sometimes several different quilters may have quilted on the same quilt.

 The more heavily quilted, the better quality quilt you will have. Below are very fine examples of an early quilts, courtesy of ebay seller: oldquilts. Notice on the left picture, not only are the pieces quilted, there is a feather wreath quilted in the center of the white block. On the right picture, a feather wreath is quilted around the star, the green triangles are quilted cross hatched and squares fill in the area around the feathered wreath. On the quality hand quilted quilts, you will notice no area without fine stitching.

 

                         

Below is a picture of a Tumbling Block quilt section.  Look closely and you can see the block made up of three triangles. (Top is white with the remaining two triangles made with the same fabric.) Each piece (triangle) in the block is quilted. This method is called quilted-by-the-piece. Picture courtesy of ebay seller: french72.

                                               

(Keep in mind that imported quilts are hand quilted. The stitch-per-inch is about 4 - 5 . I have also seem a few with feathered wreaths but very much unlike the feathered wreaths from the old antique quilts.You will see limited quilted areas ~ not quilted by the piece. The material used will be of a lesser quality.)

# 4: Quilted-in-the-Ditch: This term refers to when the quilting is done in the seam lines (you may not be able to see the quilting on the front). It is not visible and the quilt has a "puffy" look to it. (A picture will be added, when one is found.)

# 5: Trapunto Quilting: This Italian term is sometimes called stuffed work. It was popular during the Civil War era. In this technique, normally, quilted shapes (hands, leaves on a feather wreath, ect.) are quilted and then have additional batting stuffed into the quilted designs.  When completed, this quilt will really stand out!.

Below is a very fine example of Trapunto Quilting. Notice the detail on the feather wreaths on the solid white blocks. It is from a 1860/70 era and could very well be the nicest quilt I have ever seen on eBay. It has everything going for it ~ condition, design, color, construction,  trapunto and other quilting. Only a master quilter could have made this breath taking quilt! Courtesy of ebay seller: oldquilts

 

                         

 

Feel free to check out my other quilt guides:

Selling and Buying Antique Quilts/Tops/Blocks

General Identification Guide to Antique Quilts ~ Part 1

 

 

 No portion of this material may be used or copied without the permission of the author.