What makes a quilt a 'quilt'?
 

I took a class a few years ago and once our tops, batting and backs were pinned together, the instructor said "now we begin to make it into a quilt". One of the other students asked if it wasn't a quilt already and she was told that it's a comforter now but once it's quilted, then it's a 'quilt'. In her opinion, the layers being held together with tying still made a comforter. It was the actual quilting that qualified it as a quilt.

What do you think?

It's all subjective as to who you ask. Personally whether it's quilted or not, to me, if it hangs on a wall it's quilted art--not a quilt. A quilt is something to cover yourself or others with that will keep you warm--even if it's tied. A comforter is thick and bulky and the old fashioned ones were heavy. But, as I said before, that's just my own personal opinion and others have their's.

I was always taught that the layers had to be quilted together to make it a quilt....if there is no "quilt"ing, how can it be considered a quilt? LOL

i think a quilt can be tied or quilted

Quilts have been tied for a long, long time and they have always been quilts. quilting is great, just not always the end results for all quilts.

I always thought if you have 3 layers: backing batting of some kind, and top, which are then sewn together either with ties or sewn with thread, that's a quilt. I don't think it matters if it hangs on a wall or lays on a bed - they are both quilts.

There used to be a fairly clear distinction between pieced work, or patchwork items, and quilted items -- quilted items being made up of 3 layers held together by stitching. There were pieced or patchwork quilts, as well as whole cloth quilts. There were tied or tacked patchwork items. They are both valid sewing techniques, but only one is a quilt. Some of the techniques such as yoyo or cathedral window fell into the category of pieced work. Obviously the terms have become looser over time, with people getting all cranky about the lines and where they should fall.

I personally can't stand to have fleece blankets, with their tied fringed edges, called quilts. There is nothing quilt about them. Beyond that, I don't really care what people want to call their craft. I use traditional terms for my own work.

RST

Sorry I agree with your teacher.

Sorry... Guess Im from the old school.........Its not a quilt until its quilted, Wasnt there a book with that Title?

I think that because there are no quilt Police on this forum, you can call it (the pieced top, the battibg plus the backing) a quilt whenever your want to. AND you have permission to do so. LOL