Creating A Beautiful Crochet Quilt

By Cynthia Acres

Many elderly people remember being taught, as children how to crochet, a practice handed down through the family for years. The exact beginning of this special craft has been argued for years with many countries claiming this honor. In our own country, the first English settlers did it in order to provide various garments for the family. Crochet quilts were often made for babies.

Crocheting was originally used to create fine adornments such as lace and was widely practiced by Sisters in convents. It was soon found practical for clothing and bed coverings in the form of afghans. For many years this was a household item in every home and specially favored as a covering when someone was ill.

It is only in the past few years the crocheting a specially designed quilt has become popular. It has been found that beautiful patterns can be developed that look exactly like a regular pieced together quilt when placed on a bed. Ducks in a Row; Nine Patch; Wedding Ring are just a very few of the different version of a crotched quilt. Sound familiar? Well they are also the names of regular handmade quilt patterns.

Anyone who has done any of the basic crochet stitches can complete a crochet quilt. The result is a beautiful creation that, unlike a regular handmade or purchased quilt, does not need a filler. In addition, it has the advantage that it can be turned and the same beautiful pattern is on the other side.

Choosing the correct materials is essential to produce a good quilt. Yarn comes in various weights and each weight is best in certain categories. Worsted weight yarn seems to be the most popular and the yarn store usually has an expert in the field who will assist with the selection.

As with machine made quilts, patterns are simply putting pieces together in a manner, which will achieve a certain design such as a star. With crocheting, this is accomplished by crocheting certain blocks and then putting them together with yarn and a tapestry needle. Some intricate blocks require working with one or more colored yarns in the construction of the blocks.

There is nothing more precious in a family than owning something that a long ago relative created with their own hands. Making a crochet quilt is one of these creations that will last for many, many years. It will be displayed as a family heirloom and enjoyed by all who view it. - 31957

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