Are you a quilting novice or an experienced stitcher? Answer the questions (adapted from “Sew You Want to be a Quilter™” by Northwest)  below to determine your knowledge of quilting history, techniques, and patterns. (Answer sheet is in store. If you do 80% or Better on the Quiz you will get a 20% off coupon for fabric or notion!) This will be fun!

1. What is the generally accepted “lifespan” of cotton fabric (in years)?
a) 70
b) 80
c) 90
d) 100

2. What quilt pattern commemorates the founding of New Orleans in 1718?
a) Dresden Plate
b) Cathedral Window
c) LeMoyne Star
d) Drunkards Path

3. What is sometimes referred to as the “Perfect Portable?”
a) Janome SEW MINI
b) The Singer Featherweight
c) Brother Project Runway CS5055PRW
d) Singer 5400 Sew Mate

4. Flour and feed sacks featuring geometric or floral designs did not appear in America until what decade?
a) 1920s
b) 1930s
c) 1940s
d) 1950s

5. What was the first electric household appliance? (It was introduced at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893.)
a) Flatiron
b) Electric scissors
c) Toaster
d) Blow-dryer

6. This slave woman made two “Bible Story” quilts—one is in the Smithsonian, the other in the Boston Fine Arts Museum.
a) Harriet Tubman
b) Harriet Powers
c) Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley
d) Gladys Ferner

7. What is the purpose of the “groove” on a needle?
a) Prevents poor/inconsistent thread tension
b) Reduces the chance of the needle breaking
c) Glides easily through fabric, minimizing the puncture size
d) Allows thread to lie close to the needle as it passes through the eye of the needle

8. The first cotton prints in America were made by John Hewson between 1778 and 1780—what were they called?
a) Solids
b) Prints
c) Calicoes
d) Rotaries

9. True or False: it is better to machine quilt on the bias first and then with the grain last?
a) True
b) False

10. The thimble is thought to have originated in what European country?
a) Holland
b) Spain
c) France
d) Ireland

11. Selvage runs parallel to what grain in fabric?
a) Warp (lengthwise)
b) Weft (crosswise)

12. Susan B. Anthony did what at a church quilting get-together in Cleveland?
a) Designed a coin with a quilt on it
b) Wrote the lyrics to a well-known quilting song
c) Declared quilting a national pass time
d) Gave her first speech about women’s suffrage

13. Does bobbin tension vary with the type of thread used?
a) Absolutely
b) Definitely not

14. Superstition: You should not quilt at all on what day of the week?
a) Monday
b) Friday
c) Saturday
d) Sunday

15. What is finger pressing?
a) Technique used in creating half-square triangles
b) Part of a sewing machine’s presser foot
c) Using your finger to press a seam quickly without an iron
d) Traditional stitch used in hand sewing

16. Polyester batting was first marketed in the United States in 1955 by what company?
a) Stearns & Foster (Mountain Mist)
b) Quilters Dream
c) Hobbs
d) Warm

17. When she wrote the book How to Make an American Quilt, how many years had Whitney Otto been a quilter?
a) 0
b) 2
c) 8
d) 24

18. In reference to quilting, what is meant by the term “loft?”
a) Batting “puffiness”
b) Puckering of fabric when quilting
c) Thread count in quilters’ cotton
d) Another term for “quilt guild”

19. “Gunboat quilts” refer to what?
a) Old-time gangster themed quilts
b) Quilts made quickly (under a week)
c) Quilts made by southern women during the Civil War to raise funds to buy gunboats
d) A style of quilt made exclusively by men during WWII

20. Name a stitch typically found on a Victorian crazy quilt.
a) Feather stitch
b) Satin stitch
c) Outline or running stitch
d) All of the above

Preparing Your Quilts For Machine Quilting
Following these tips will help you get the best possible results when having your quilts professionally machine quilted.
Piece your quilt top carefully, the flatter the top is, the better it will quilt up.
Trim stray threads and frayed edges.
Press you top and backing carefully.
Backing and batting must be at least 8 inches larger than the top on all sides.
Ensure backings are square (90 degree corners, parallel sides). Wonky edges are hard to attach to the quilting machine.
If backings are pieced, remove selvages from seams.
Don’t baste or pin your quilt.
If your top is directional mark the top edge with a pin.
Remove embellishments like buttons and crystals.
Cut scalloped edges after the quilting is complete.
Stay stitch 1/8 inch around pieced borders to prevent seams opening.
If you have washed your quilt then wash your backing, washing your backing will also result in a softer quilt.
Must have 4inches extra of backing on all sides.