What Is Braid Quilting?
When most people imagine a quilt, they probably picture rows of squares lined up on a blanket. This is the traditional quilt look, but not all quilts have to share this appearance. The definition of a quilt is simply some kind of blanket or other covering made up of two layers of fabric with a third layer in-between. These two outer layers can be any pattern or cobbled out of any variety of fabric sections. Braid quilts are a type of quilt made out of rectangular strips of fabric instead of the more traditional squares.
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Braid Quilt Appearance
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A braid quilt is easy to spot due to its distinct appearance. It is made out of dozens or even hundreds of thin rectangles of fabric. The amount of rectangles depends on the size of the blanket. These rectangles come together to create several overlapping points. A single section of a braid quilt resembles a chevron insignia. Several of these chevron-esque shapes lined up and stitched together create the look of a braid quilt. The name "braid quilt" comes from the process of making it which is somewhat similar to braiding locks of hair.
Braid Quilt Components
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To make a braid quilt, the main component is the fabric used in the pattern. These can be made out of any larger piece of fabric by cutting the fabric into smaller strips. To give the quilt a uniform look, all of the strips involved in the creation of the quilt should be the same size. A needle and thread or a sewing machine is required to attach the strips to each other. Finally, some kind of inner material is required to be stitched between the two braided outer layers of the quilt. Sheets of wool or cotton are typical quilt fillers.
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Making a Braid Quilt
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To start making a braid quilt, stitch two strips of fabric together to create the first chevron. The end of one strip overlaps the end of the other. Stitch a third strip onto the side of the chevron with a fourth overlapping the end of the third and resting on the other side of the initial chevron. This process continues until the row of overlapping strips is equal to the desired length of the quilt. The sides of the stitched fabric strips are trimmed so that the sides are flat. Create and trim other sections of braided and stitched strips until enough can be stitched together to equal the desired width of the quilt. Create two of these layers and then stitch them together with the padding layer placed between them.
Braid Quilt Variations
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As with any homemade blanket or other craft project, you can customize your braid quilt in any way you like. You can change the thickness of the fabric strips you use to create thicker or thinner braids. The colors of the fabric are also entirely up to you. You can even decide the amount of colors and fabric patterns. If you wanted, you could have every strip be different from every other strip. This would take a lot more time as you gather such a great amount of fabric strips, but the final look of the quilt would be highly eclectic and unique.
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