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.

Well, Hobo, I'd like to say "on your bike" with all those ideas LOL No offence meant but that is an old English expression for "on your way", "go away", sod off" etc. Much as I love the technology, robotics etc are fascinating, but give me Jigsaw puzzles, Lego and patchwork quilting and machine embroidery - when our hands and joints begin to fail us we need some machines to help us continue with our favourite hobbies. If all these modern ideas come to fruition, we won't need to use our brains at all, just write or type a word and see what appears on screen! Doesn't sound like much fun to me!

I think what's ahead is even more leisure time with far less day-to-day drudgery. As today, some will use their time constructively and some won't. I think the far more critical unknown going forward will be how humans socialize as they become more insulated within their homes. I think it's highly possible that in my lifetime we'll see the end of brick-and-mortar public schools as we know them. Think about the socialization implications of that.

The things that automation can never replace are heart, art, and doing a project for someone because they mean something to you. We do our art because we enjoy the process of creating, not because we want zero waste or perfectly joined patchwork. Then when we're finished we give the project away (usually) so that person has an idea that they mean something to us.

My nephew can go to Wal-Mart today and buy a blanket, but if it tears, he will throw it away. If it fades, he'll throw it away. If it tatters on the edges, he'll throw it away. But the quilt that his aunt and uncle made for him will never get thrown away. It has literally traveled the world with him. He leaves clothes at home when he travels so he'll have enough room to take his quilt. When he's sick, he wants the quilt on him. When he's enjoying a lazy Saturday at home, he drags it around the house with him. He will never get that attached to a computer-created blanket.

While I appreciate automation and the convenience it provides in a lot of areas of our lives, it cannot touch art. And as long as there are humans, there will be art.

Quilt on!

Darren

I know my young granddaugher when she gets old will say My grandmother quilted. She used a machine that cut the fabric into the pieces she wanted. Her machine cut the thread for her and threaded the needle. She had special rulers and had lot of shortcuts to making a complicated pattern easy. The basic quilting methods will always be available in the future to those that are interested in using them, just like basic bread making and canning methods are available to us now.

The lack of socialization is already evident in our young people with their virtual games.........it also infringes on their moral state........shooting an avatar or a person...no difference......no feelings.......

With all the now technology we are supposed to have freed up time and lessened day to day drudgery, but it seems now we have less time than previously...at least we perceive that..... Oh well I'll bet this same discussion has gone on I the past too.....watched downton abbey this weekend and one of the dilemmas was to bring a wireless into the house!

Our daughter lives in Paducah and my husband and I go there every April to go to Quilt Week/Quilt Show. The first year that she lived there, my husband did not want to go with us to the Quilt show/shopping, etc. so he stayed at her house and had a miserable time, could not operate their "fancy" TV - had nothing to do, etc. - so the next year, I paid his way into the Quilt show and then he was our "holder" whenever we bought something, or had a bolt of material to take to the cutting table, etc. He actually had a good time - being around hundreds of women!!! I asked him later what he thought the average age of the quilters was and he said "70" and that they were all from Iowa. Yes, most of the ladies had on name tags with their city/state on it but I was quite certain that they were not all from Iowa. So, I asked him about that - he said that the ladies were all "corn fed" - meaning that they were "plump". You see, we live on a farm and feed our cows corn to get them fat enough to take to market. So, they were about 70 and a bit chubby. Fast forward to this past April and I asked him again what he thought the average age was and he said it was "much younger" as a lot of the women had tie-dyed hair with fushia, parrot green or blue, had piercings and had tattoos. So, a much younger bunch have taken up quilting with new, fresh ideas!!!!!

My granddaughter asked me why most of the women at a quilt show dressed slouchy and wore ugly shoes. That got me to thinking about the impression I was giving as the average quilter to other non quilters especially the young.

Thank you all for contributing to this particular topic of supreme interest (IMHO) to us all, no matter where you are in life. I was off for a couple of months not only wondering where the Quilting (and general Sewing) world is headed to, but completing my dream quilt's first sample. Both seem to be successful in their own ways.

The future-and present-of quilting will continue to make itself known in a number of important ways.

• One way it will stay is firmly remaining in the home (a form of cottage industry of sorts) as the death spiral of industrial sewing of high speed fashion cycles and yes even quilt making from the lesser developing nations for mass purchasing and consuming all their sewing products currently mega dumping on the developed nation's shipping ports. In this important way you the reader and supporter of this and similar publications will rise above all this mishmash of fiber pap currently being sold most everywhere it seems.
• Plus less dependence from being too far swayed by the latest gimmicky notions or tools that may or may not be helpful in creating your own dream projects.

Now I will unveil my own dream quilt first step in the form of a sample (about 40 inches square) and give all of you a glimpse of what is the future of quilting-simply being what you make of it. I present my first Ragged Radiant Lone Star Quilt (photographed in a local mattress store on a queen size bed for better lighting than found in my own home). I freely admit that I still have some bugs to work out in the design:(, but I feel confident enough to go ahead and make a twin size quilt using this same pattern and techniques:

One more quick observation that I wish to point out here. There will be rocks to step over for even the 21st Century Quilter. This magazine is about the close and it's former editor made an important comment about the true & hidden state of both public and private education (any age, not just traditional school age range) that not only the US, but the other developed countries seem to brought to themselves over the last 40-50 years:

"......Quilty is just a magazine in a sea of magazines. Except that it isn’t. Before Quilty, there was never a magazine devoted entirely to the beginner quilter. It was my vision that this absolutely had to exist if we (quilters and the quilt industry) wanted to bridge a strange, frightening gap that is occurring for the first time in American history — namely, that we have a culture that still values quilts and we have great numbers of people who want to make them, but we have now and will have forever more a culture that does not teach sewing. We are a service industry. We are not manufacturers. For all intents and purposes, manufacturing and fabrication in America is over. We’re not going to start sewing our own clothes again and that means there aren’t sewing machines in the home........"-http://blog.maryfons.com/2015/01/mag...uilty-closing/

No matter what age you started (or will start) to sew-much less quilt-as well. This is the single most important roadblock to still overcome, no matter who you are. Not so much how high tech your chosen gadgetry is, or fancy notions/fabric, the right quilting guild membership or chosen quilt shop, even cold hard cash could buy.

These are truly interesting times for us all alike, both quilter & non-quilter.

Bicycle Hobo.....your dream quilt is very different....could not really see it in the picture you presented.

Your comments were so obtuse, in my opinion, that they are very irrelevant and just theoretical and academic and really mean nothing........your reference to Mary Fons comments about her magazine Quilty ceasing publication is just another example of something not making enough money to sustain itself having to shut down........reasons for that situation are decided in boardrooms.......
As for me, I will quilt today, tomorrow, and as long as I enjoy doing it...when it no longer excites, satisfies me, I will find something else to satisfy that yearning.........jmho

Well, OK. Everyone is welcomed to his/her own opinions. I live in the West Coast fashion center where I have witness the sad decline of both decline of the garment worker (everything from fashion designers to sewing machine operators), and overseas outsourcing of employment for most fashion companies for the past 20 or so years now. I am the last generation of my family (both mother's and father's) to even bother using a sewing machine or draft a pattern (by hand or computer) in or out of the house. For me, working in the fashion industry in the 1970s and the 1980s paid the rent and my way through the university. Which it is no longer possible to do today. It was not so much as a "hobby" or something ladylike to do to pass the time. And the Internet has now finished it by making people expect everything to be given away for pennies on the dollar or even "free" without thought about undercutting people who still need to make a living. That is why that magazine failed, my local quilt shop, and many other business failed and will continue to fail. So my past experiences make me a bit reluctant to post too-clear shots of any work-in-progress. But if you insist one more closer shot of it's center (still needs to "bloom" more obviously), here it is. The cats will still love it either way. The single size one that will be started in a few days will be just as wonderful to sleep under. And better color selection & coordination than this one has (just used whatever I had on hand for this test) will make a huge difference as far as it's presentation in the near future.

That is the way life is. A work-in-progress. In about 2-3 months, before the summer heat sets in, the final Ragged Lone Star quilt will be done. I will post that one as the final version of this series. This one (the sample above) has served it's purpose as a guide to do the next one far better.

Far better than becoming a high tech junkie dependent on the latest whims and dictates of the masses. That is why I still sew and quilt rather than just buy.