What makes a quilt?
with JULIUS ARTHUR
Lesson 2 of 27
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Join Julius as he breaks down the layer of quilts. With Julius’ help, explore the difference between appliqué and patchwork.
From the Lesson Workbook
What Makes a Quilt?
There are many different types of quilts, and many different techniques to create them. The two techniques used throughout this course are appliqué and patchwork.
Quilts are made up of three main components:
- the designed quilt top – either patchwork or appliqué
- the wadding – to give your quilt that soft and cosy feeling
- the backing fabric – a single piece of fabric or several stitched together
All these layers are bound together using handmade binding to give it a finished look.
What is the Difference Between Appliqué and Patchwork?
Patchwork and appliqué both involve sewing together small pieces of fabric.
Patchwork
Patchwork connects pieces without the use of a background fabric, whereas appliqué uses a background fabric.
Appliqué
Appliqué hides stitches underneath a fabric, but patchwork can show them underneath a fabric.
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Your Instructor
Julius Arthur
British textile artist specialising in handmade quilts and unique textile objects for the home.
Julius Arthur is a textiles designer specialising in quilts and unique objects for the home. His design practice, House of Quinn, creates small-batch homeware using traditional and age-old craft techniques and practices to cultivate contemporary design narratives onto familiar objects. His work is grounded in uncomplicated - often repurposed - materials and inspired by an abstract view of the places and things around us. Growing up in Cornwall, memories of childhood and a sense of home and belonging intersect in Julius' work. Quilts have become a staple motif in Julius' work - a way of combining materials, connecting through stitch and exploring shape, form and line - and the subject of his book Modern Quilting.
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