Tips For Caring For and Buying Quality Quilts and Coverlets
Matelasse Quilts: A Comparison With Traditional Quilting
A quilt is a style of bed covering in which two or more layers of fabric are sewn together to make it
thicker and padded. Many quilts are made with decorative motifs and some are even used as a decorative wall art rather than a type of bedding. Most often people make quilt that has three layers. These three layers are the top fabric or quilt top, the insulating material or batting and the material for the backing. The sewing machine or the needle and thread that the quilter uses must pass thread through the three layers then the needle is brought back up. Across the entire piece the process is repeated. Straight stitching is most commonly used and although more often than not the stitching is purely functional there are those who have used it for decorative purposes as well. Quilting can make the bedding or item dense or thick or for decorative purposes raise one area so that the design stands out.
Matelasse quilts on the other hand are not true quilts in the traditional sense. Instead of the meticulous layering process that quilting is known for in order to thicken the bedding or create designs, matelasse quilts are able to replicate the effect by marking the surface by use of depressed lines or a kind of embossing technique. The type of embossing performed mimics the squares, rectangle and diamond shapes found in traditionally quilted beddings. Although the patterns can be most anything the client or manufacturer requires the most common matelasse designs are diamonds, geometric and floral matelasse. Matelasse just like quilted beddings bring a softness and warmth to a bedroom as well a depth of color. Quilted beddings favor cotton and flannel materials, matelasse quilts also use cotton but are more likely to occupy the more luxury oriented niche and also make use of Egyptian cotton, wool and Italian silk. You would normally find matelasse in luxury hotels or bedrooms that favor a decadent ambiance. Quilted beddings on the one side favor the traditional country classic feel or shabby chic like niche and embody a family home and hearth type setting. In washing quilted items it is ideal to hand wash them or use the gentlest cycle in the washing machine for a short span of time so that the stitches will not pop due to strain. Matalasse cotton quilts can be machine washed as no stitches save the basic ones for regular beddings are present and are not a cause for concern. For the silk matelasse quilts because of the nature of the fabric have to be brought to the dry cleaner.