The Future Of Quilting
 

When I posted my last thread on this forum, “New Fold And Sew Style Quilts Instruction Video Links,” I could not help but to continue on this train of thought of chosen construction techniques and fabric wastage a bit further into another eye opening direction. How about entertaining a thought of how you or another quilter will actually produce quilts in 5, 10, 20, years from now and beyond even that future time frame.

Out there on line there are some huge hints that there will be trade-offs as well as ease of actually sewing up your desires and ideas as never before possible:

• In “A stitch through time: Quilting sews our past to the future,” the reader is reminded that the past does influence the future more by a simple change in attitudes and techniques as well as sewing aids: "..........The last quarter of the 20th century was a time of unparalleled growth, variety and excellent workmanship,".......New tools, new ways looking at quilts as more than bed coverings, a plethora of fabrics and notions all provided more and more options for creativity……….”-http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705336309/A-stitch-through-time-Quilting-sews-our-past-to-the-future.html?pg=all

Now it is still impossible to predict the future exactly how it will be. But there are some hints being developed right now on demonstrating just how sewing projects like quilt projects might come into reality through in both the near and far future:

• No human hands or brains are needed any more to complete any sewing product in these micro-sewing factories. . All is needed now is an online request and the envisioned idea becomes reality with little (near future) to no (bit further down the road) human involvement. The ultimate “dumbing down” of the future quilt user-will not be needed at all. While cheap (actually more accurately free) student labor is used in this new lab, there is very little need for even free labor with the adoption of more automated options after the micro factories become more numerous. - http://www.etextilecommunications.com/#!090814am4u/cbxu

• The coming of the “soft arm” robots that will finally accurately mimic the human arm in it’s natural grace and brawn and take the place of your hands and arms guiding fabric through the sewing machine or doing similar muscular movements. http://www.businessweek.com/articles...st-the-machine

• Colleges and Universities become more entrenched with high tech machines and continued drifting away from even rudimentary use or even knowledge of various sewing techniques (come on, only a couple of units for sewing and pattern making?). Example here is Cal Polytechnic, Pomona List Of Emphasis on Micro Factories rather than traditional sewing knowledge:-http://catalog.csupomona.edu/content.php?catoid=9&catoid=9&navoid=1157&filter%5 Bitem_type%5D=3&filter%5Bonly_active%5D=1&filter%5 B3%5D=1&filter%5Bcpage%5D=3#acalog_template_course _filter

Yes, for many here, truly a perfect melding of no waste and near instant creation of any sewable product (including quilting). But a complete divorce of the most important part of the quilting process, both mental, emotional, physical, even spiritual-YOU!

As far as for my own adoption of these new processes, I think for the most part, I pass. I rather cut, sew, and use whatever my own hands could create for my and some other's needs and wants. I still prefer to use simple no frills mechanical sewing machines, draw on paper and cloth in real time, measure-cut-and place the cloth pieces under the presser foot myself, and enjoy using the product as long as I can sew on my own without assistance of any kind-especially electronic in nature. I am well verse in using computerized machines of today and probably could use ones on the horizon as I have done so back when I was in the fashion industry using all the new aids of that time. I just elect not to use them. I feel better for this choice.

I found your articles and links very informational. Hopefully, we can endeavor to pass down the art of quilting . . .

That was an eye opener - hopefully the feel of fabric and the joy of piecing and quilting: finding a pattern, the perfect fabric, cutting, piecing the shapes together and seen beautiful blocks come together or as a lot of the more modern quilters do creating most of their art in the quilting process will keep this art alive. Luckily a lot of the younger generation has embraced this art form and I am hoping that their enthuasism will keep it alive and passed down once again.

Probably in the commercial world for mass production of fabric products robotics are/will be essential, but in the domestic arena I personally believe there will always be a few...sometimes more, sometimes less, who,will do the "by hand" work......it may of course be more technologically simplified......like now as opposed to the past.

What a sad commentary on the world to come. Soon people won't be needed. Everything will be automated. I am glad that I live in the current world where handwork is still appreciated and enjoyed.

How long have women (mostly) been quilting?? For centuries!! Techniques might change where the computer will cut all of your fabric requirement but I bet there will still be some quilters that enjoy hand quilting a quilt.

No matter how advanced civilization becomes, people feel the need to do something with their hands. One can buy a knitting machine, but there are still those that will buy yarn and needles. Same for embroidery machines. I have a friend who makes beautiful quilts, all by hand sewing. It's that feeling of completion and satisfaction that no machine or robot can replace.

If you take the last 10 years as an overview we are seeing some of the same kind of issues that occurred when rotary cutters and quilt stores and quilt books appeared in the mid-70's. There was a type of breath of relief revolution in our life and output as it related to quilting.

20-25 years ago machine quilted quilts came to the forefront. If you've ever seen a display of quilts from the 1800's you will know that as soon as women had machines, quilts have been machine quilted. But today's output is so far from then as to nearly be a different subject...

Current overview are machine fabric cutters and store bought precuts. Simple colors and simple quilting. While I embrace none of these things they are changing our overview of quilting whether we believe it or not. On the other hand english paper piecing is back with a vengeance...so there is always a balance perhaps? The one true thing is there will always be change as long as there is breath.

Everyone has their preference of how to spend their time. I use my electronic machine to do piecing and quilting. I have no interest in a long-arm machine or in quilt design software but I can see that other people want those things.

My grandmother did not like to sew and thought it was odd that I would make a quilt when I could afford to go to the store and buy a blanket. She had lived through having to do everything by hand and didn't want to go back.

My mother did a lot of crochet. My engineering-minded father would sit there and say "I could build you a machine that would do that faster". She had to keep telling him that was not the point. On the other hand he didn't understand why he should consider a new lawnmower when he could rebuild the one he had used for 50 years.

Not to worry. They'll never be able to duplicate the heart, stories, love and prayers that make a quilt truly a quilt. Cuddling beneath a quilt, feeling all the care of the diligent hands of the one who cared enough is what it's all about. Ain't no machine ever gonna be able to do that.