Page 28 - MyMomHadAQuiltLikeThat

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corduroy, showed up in African-American quilts.
Polyesters hit the market starting in the late 1960s and are popular
because they are colorful, washable, durable, and especially when
blended with cotton, easy to use. To my mind, the appearance of
polyester marks a major shift in defining old quilts from new. How-
ever, by the 1970s hippie movement, some quilters were beginning to
look to older cotton models to make new cotton quilts, and that trend
continue through today.
Contemporary quilts aren’t homemakers’ necessities—they are
consciously artful productions by hobbyists and by a few profes-
sionals. Quilt shops specialize in selling all-cotton fabrics, including
reproductions of antique prints, for their use.

Backing

Quilts generally are decorative on only one side, but double-sided
decorations are still common enough. Most backings are single
sheets of fabric, or are pieced from one or two large pieces. Muslin, a
plain inexpensive cotton available in many weights, is probably the
most common quilt backing. The width of a piece of muslin is some
clue to the age of a quilt. Through the 1950s, fabric was commonly
available in yardage that was 36” wide so would have to be pieced
to serve as quilt backing. Later, 44” was much more common but Figure 10: Backing of chicken feed sacks
on "Trip Around the World" postage
36” muslin is available at JoAnn Fabrics even today. Large blocks
stamp, Fig. 298, Page 340.
of fabric in irregular sizes and colors are common on both sides of
African-American quilts. Some quilts have unique backing, such as
flour sacks (shown earlier) or chicken feed sacks. “Strippy” (Figure
172-3, Page 202-3) has a fragile temporary 1950s newspaper backing
to which quilt pieces are basted until they are stitched together.

Batting

Batting, the middle filling layer of a quilt, is most commonly cotton
and sometimes wool in older quilts. It is possible to see cotton seed
Figure 11: Newspaper Backing from
debris in the batting of some older quilts, by holding them up to "Strippy," Fig. 173, Page 203
the light, but carefully cleaned commercial cotton batting has been
available since the early 20th century. Some older make-do quilts
are batted with blankets or quilts that are older yet that look worn
out. Newer quilts frequently use polyester because it is light weight
and fully washable without shrinking or bunching up, so that fewer
stitches are necessary to hold the batting in place than with cotton or
wool filling.