We have carried our story of quilt information through several chapters to help you decide on material, and patterns for piecing and quilting. We have told you how to cut and make up the blocks, and fit them together into a top. That is as far as most modern quilt makers care to go. It is usually the wisest thing here to call upon a professional quilter or your church “aid society” to complete the task-especially if you are inexperienced and the quilt top handsome.
It is customary for the owner to furnish lining, cotton bat and thread. Usually the workers mark and quilt them, charging varying amounts in different localities and dependent on the local demand for such work, skill of quilting and the simplicity or elaborateness of designs used. We have known quilters to charge as little as 75 cents for a spool or as much as $5.00. This charge is based on the staple 100-yard spool. Number 50 white is the standard for ordinary materials, although some prefer number 60 or even 70 thread for use on fine cloth such as light satines.
Quilters always have their own collection of quilting patterns from which they evolve the right fill-in for every space, block patterns, borders, and little leaves, hearts or flowers for too wide spaced corners. However, many women of today with their artistic tendencies are using perforated patterns to stamp their own, rather than trust this most important part to the vagaries and whims of some dear old lady who marks out according to the same ideas she has had on all the quilts she has ever done. Besides, it is quite possible to get quilters who can quilt, but will not attempt the marking out. You see that part is apt to be a monopoly in the aid society. Sister Markham does all of that with a high hand and flourish, while the timid Sewell sisters quilt to perfection, but daren’t trust their hands at the “art part.” Remember that the section quilted around stands up, while the stitched part is held close. For instance in the Lone Star, we quilt on each tiny white diamond, and each colored diamond between puffs up.