About Necktie Quilts
Quilting has been an American tradition for centuries. Quilts can be used in many ways: as a form of decor, to keep you warm at night and as gifts. Necktie quilts however, are especially meaningful and unique in their design. They can serve as a remembrance of someone special, to be handed down from generation to generation.
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Significance
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Necktie quilts are known also as memory or remembrance quilts. While skilled quilters can create any quilt and give it as a gift, necktie quilts often have even greater importance and meaning. Since they are created from neckties that have been worn by a special man in a person's life, the quilts are a wonderful way to keep a deceased loved one's memory alive. It offers a way of keeping the connection between those who have passed and the members of his family he has left behind.
Function
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As with any quilts, a necktie quilt can serve various functions. It can be used as a blanket, a pillowcase, a christmas tree skirt or a wall hanging. Many have chosen to make an entire quilt out of unused neckties or to use neckties for just the border of the quilt. In most instances though, a necktie quilt is created for the purpose of gift-giving to a special man in your life; a way of remembering special moments, such as a wedding or a first date. They are also created in loving memory of a man in your life who has passed away.
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Features
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Necktie quilts are unique in that the ties used are generally of various colors and patterns. This leaves the door wide open for creativity and color. In essence, they closely resemble the patchwork quilts of many decades ago, although there are other patterns that can be followed as well.
Types
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There are basically two types of necktie quilts. The first type is made out of material cut to resemble neckties and sown into blocks. The second is made by using actual neckties that are no longer being worn. Within those two types there are many design options. The blocks can be sewn together to make a quilt that is unique to you and your family members. Some of the choices are: the sun ray design, which resembles rays of sun coming out from the center of the quilt; the patchwork design, simply sewing the ties together in no specific order; and the block design, sewing the ties together to form blocks on your quilt.
Size
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You can make a necktie quilt to fit your specifications. The size can range from a lap quilt to a quilt that can be used as a bedspread. They can also be created as pillowcases. The size of your quilt will depend on its use. For a bedspread on a queen-size mattress, the dimensions would be 96 by 82 inches, a double would be 90 by 76 inches, and one for a crib would be 65 by 60 inches. A lap quilt would be perfect with dimensions of 40 by 60 inches, a pillowcase 20 by 30 inches, and a wall hanging could range from 14 by 19 inches up to 40 by 40 inches.
Considerations
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Always keep in mind its purpose when making a necktie quilt. If you are making it as a memory quilt to give to someone or keep for yourself, you will want to opt for the neckties that hold the most special memories. Also, since neckties are made from a finer quality fabric, some may require dry cleaning rather than simple machine washing. Always be sure to check the washing instructions of each tie before sewing them together. Washing a tie that calls for dry cleaning only will ruin your quilt.
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