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Hi just thinking does any one ever just sit down and piece quilt top their way with out all the rules that seems to be around about what size seam and etc etc after reading the history of quilting it seems like the old way they had to make do with material and things they had on hand never heard of long arm quilting used hand needles and cut with sizzor sorry spelled wrong any way still reading does any one know of a good history book of quilting I am 87 year old and read a lot am trying to piece and do a quilt as you go now but piecing block first then will try to join the blocks have been on u tube look at a lot of viedo but I want to do a pattern like 4 patch or some thing then join any suggestion thanks

If you want your blocks to line up right when you sew them to each other, they need to have consistent seams. Traditionally quilters stick with the 1/4” seam allowance. The fabrics you use are your choice, but keep in mind that mixing types of fabric (like cotton, velvet, flannel, denim, and silk) all in one quilt will be more challenging. The thickness and the texture often require different needles and threads. It’s been done for centuries but prepare for challenges if you decide to tackle a crazy quilt or something like that.

I don’t know a history title offhand, but I would google Mary Fons . She loves writing and talking about the history of quilt making.

Barbara Brackman comes to mind for "history" books. There is also a series of 3 books for dating fabrics.

I think that even “back in the day” they used consistent seam allowances, even if the fabric were perhaps different, though I don’t imagine they had polyester back in the day. In the end, it’s your quilt and you can do your quilt any way you want. IMHO I would hardly call a seam allowance a rule, I think quilt basics are just that, basic ingredients necessary to have satisfactory results.

I agree quilting has really changed from the time when quilts were made because of the necessity of keeping warm. Any scrap of fabric, even the less worn out sections of clothing, was used. And, some of those quilts are now in museums! So, I think, IMVHO, that you can piece scraps in any shape, with whatever seam allowance you'd like and make a nice and usable quilt that you can cuddle under. It may not win any blue ribbons, but it certainly will show creativity and love.

there's a scrappy on my bed right now that is just squares of whatever leftover large scraps I had from the past decade or so of various sewing projects. It has cotton, flannel, a few squares of canvas, some denim squares, and a few poly satin ones. It's nearly 4 years old and it's held up just fine thru a few washes and heavy use. It's not an award winner but every square has a story and a meaning to me, I love that quilt very much. Just start quilting and enjoy yourself!

People break the "rules" of quilting every day. Just do whatever pleases you and remember that the quilt police are purely imaginary.

I suggest googling Quilts of Gees Bend. They used unusual fabrics and designs but the end results is beautiful quilts. Not typically what we think of. I saw their exhibit and thought "wow".

You have to have consistent seam allowance for any kind of accuracy in pieced blocks. Other then that there are no rules you have to follow. The big prize winning quilts rarely follow the same old tired rules. Rules that were set by probably a few people who wrote about quilting and thus was the authority. I gave up stuffed binding years ago. Full binding seems to fray and wear more then flat.

Until recently (thinking the past 20 or 30 years or so) machine quilting was looked down upon and longarm quilting was when it appeared as well. Many didn't consider it "real quilting". Heck there are still people out there who don't consider a machine quilted quilt a "real" quilt. The people who perservered and continued to machine quilt trail blazed and it wasn't long before machine quilted quilts started winning. So I guess you could say the likes of Harriet Hargrave were rule breakers too.

There are constant innovations and changes to quiltmaking. Like the modern genre for example. There are loads of techniques and quilters that are trying new things. Some work some don't.

The Essential Quilter by Barbara Cheney is a good book that focuses on hand quilting and talks a bit about the history of quilt making. https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Qui.../dp/0715305697