The Process of Art

Dear Hear,

Why are things that are handmade so expensive?

Sincerely,
Imaginary Reader


Well Imaginary, there's a lot that goes into handmade items of all types. And if you aren't familiar with the processes that created the item you're appreciating, you may not fully fathom the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making that little lovely you admire. Handcrafted items aren't mass produced in large factories by the thousands, they're designed, created, marketed, sold, and shipped by the artists that made them. We aren't doing this for profit, we're doing it because we found something that we love to do.

So now, a brief tutorial describing the creation of my newest Qubicle Quilt (tm) "Symphonic Gift".

After piecing together the top of the quilt by machine, the fabrics for the binding (the material that covers the edges of the quilt) are "auditioned". For this quilt, I decided to piece together some fabrics that were used in the top to add interest. To piece a binding, you must sew rows of strips together, like this:















Then the strips are cut vertically, into 3 inch wide strips and sewn together like this:

Everything is ironed between each step, and ultimately sewn to the quilt with a combination of machine stitching (to attach it to the front) and hand-sewing to attach it to the back.







The hand sewing creates a clean line without showing unnecessary sewing lines on the face of the quilt. This is only one step in the creation of a Qubicle Quilt, and it can take a few hours. But in the end, I hope you'll agree with me that the resulting item is beautiful and inspirational, and well worth it!