Safety, pins and quilts

The safety pin is a paradox. It represents the biggest hurdle in the making of a big quilt whilst simultaneously solving the problem.

The challenge is layering and securing, pinning all of the components of the quilt together. A large workable space is needed for this. The bigger the quilt, the more space is required plus space to manouvre around the edges.

A quilt is made from three layers of fabric. The backing cloth is stretched out flat on the floor , the edges taped down. The soft fluffy inter layer, called batting or wadding, is lined up and laid on top. The final layer is the ‘quilt top’ which is the designed, stitched together piece of cloth.

These three layers, the ‘quilt sandwich’ as it is commonly known, is secured with safety pins, which are pinned about a fist width apart across the whole surface and through all the layers.

Pinning the layers on the floor is an awkward process but this is where the flexible benefits of yoga practice Help.