Buying Considerations

Hand-Quilting vs. Machine-Quilting

It is our mission to preserve the art of hand-quilting within our community – that is why all of our quilts are hand-quilted only! The quilt tops are pieced by machine for durability and then they are hand-quilted, meaning hand-stitched, through all three layers.

Quilts that are assembled and hand-stitched by a skilled quilter take far longer to complete. Our talented quilters possess many years of experience in making quilts and put hours of love and devotion into the process. Depending on the intricacies of the pattern and design, a queen or king-sized quilt can take 6 months to a year to complete.

In general, the quilting stitches should be small and consistent in length and should look the same on both sides of the quilt. The seams should not be loose, and the fabrics should be good to best quality.

In contrast, machine-quilting is a completely different art form. Although we feel that machine-made quilts can also be beautiful, they can be produced very quickly. We prefer hand-stitched quilting because of the time, patience, and love that go into it. To us, this brings much more value and quality to the finished quilt.

Furthermore, many of our quilters are Amish or Mennonite and do not have the large, expensive quilting machines needed to make large bed quilts. Instead, they piece their quilts using sewing machines that operate with treadles or run on batteries. Then they hand-quilt the tops, middle, backings together by hand using a large hoop or quilting frame. This makes a handmade quilt much more personal, which is why we like to say that “every quilt has a story!”

Size of Your Quilt

All of our quilts are made oversized for each standard bed size (king, queen, full/double, twin). This allows for a significant drop on each side of the bed as well as enough length for a pillow tuck (so you don’t need shams!).

Because our quilts are generous in length, it is important to measure your bed to determine the width and height needed for a comfortable drop down the sides and bottom of the bed. Often, the quilt design dictates the finished size of the quilt.

For example:

• King sized quilts range from 109″ to 120″ wide.
• Queen sized quilts range from 95″ to 108″ wide.
• Full/Double sized quilts range from 85″ to 95″ wide, meaning a smaller queen-sized quilt would work for a full/double bed as well.
• Twin sized quilts range from 62″ to 78″ wide.

Bed Style

It is important to consider the style of your bed. For example, if you have a sleigh bed or storage drawers underneath the mattress, you may want your quilt to end at this point rather than tucking it in or hanging over the end of the bed. If you have a tall or pillow-top mattress on a box spring, you would want your quilt to cover the entire side of the mattress, so you might want a dust ruffle to cover the box spring.

Types of Quilts

Quilts fall into three main categories:

1. Pieced
2. Applique
3. Wholecloth

Pieced Quilts

Pieced quilts are the most commonly made quilts. These are the “quilt tops,” or the front sides of the quilts. These are made by cutting pieces of different fabrics and sewing them together by machine to create a beautiful design. Some examples of traditional pieced quilts include the Log Cabin, Double Wedding Ring, Lone Star, and 9 Patch. Once the quilt top is done, the batting and the backing are basted together in preparation for hand-quilting through all 3 layers.

Applique Quilts

Applique quilts take much more time to make than pieced quilts. All of our applique quilts are completely done by hand. They are created when fabric pieces are hand-cut and hand-sewn to a larger, hand-quilted piece of fabric, or “applied” to the top of the quilt. The designs are usually floral, sometimes with birds or hearts. Examples of applique quilts include Country Love, Heart Bouquet, and Heart of Roses. Some quilt patterns contain both pieced designs and appliqued shapes, such as the 9 Patch with Hearts.

Wholecloth Quilts

A wholecloth quilt is one “whole” piece of fabric, cut only for the size of the bed (queen, king, etc). It is intricately hand-quilted with feathers, cables, diamonds, birds, and hearts. This requires a master hand-quilter and can take up two years to complete. Wholecloth quilts contain more stitching than any other type of quilt. Some examples of wholecloth quilts are the Heirloom, Hershey, and Pineapple.

Design and Colors

Quilts come in a wide variety of designs and colors. This is wonderful for our customers, but sometimes it can be challenging to choose the right design or color scheme for your home. We’re here to help!

If you visit our store, consider bringing along color samples to help guide color selection. Customers sometimes bring a paint sample, a small hand towel or throw pillow, or something that shows the colors of your room. If you can’t visit our showroom in person, we do offer a personal shopper experience (link to more info) using remote technology to show you a variety of quilts that would work for your needs. It’s a simple process that allows you to “shop” from anywhere in the world.