Quilt

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A quilt is a type of bedding— a bed covering composed of a quilt top, a layer of batting, and a layer of fabric for backing, generally combined using the technique of quilting. Another technique for securing the quilt layers is tying. Tying refers to the technique of using thread, yarn or ribbon to pass through all three layers of the quilt at reqular intervals. These "ties" hold the layers together during use and especially when the quilt is washed. This method is easier and more forgiving if the quilt is made by hand. Tied quilts are called, depending on the regional area, "lap", "comfort" or "comforter", among other names. Many quilts are made with decorative designs;, some quilts are not used as bed covering at all, but are rather made to be hung on a wall or otherwise displayed. In British English, quilt is another way of saying duvet, wadding is another way of saying batting, and calico refers to muslin rather than to a fabric with a printed pattern on it.

Some uses of quilts

• Bedding
• Decoration
• For wrapping bodies in
• Armoury (see Gambeson)
• Commemoration (e.g., the "Twentieth Century Women of Faith" quilt on the Patchwork page)
• Education (e.g., the "Science" quilt image shown here)
• Campaigning
• Documenting events / social history etc.
• Artistic Expression

Types and traditions

Amish

Amish quilts are reflections of the Amish way of life. Because the Amish people believe in not being "flashy" or "worldly" in dress and lifestyle, their quilts reflect this religious philosophy. They use solid colors only in their clothing and quilts. Some church districts limit the use of certain colors such as yellow or red because those are considered "too worldly". Black is a dominant color. Although Amish quilts appear austere from a distance, the craftsmanship is often of the highest quality and the stitching forms vigorous patterns that contrast well with the plain background. These traits appeal to a modern esthetic; antique Amish quilts are among the most highly prized among collectors and quilting enthusiasts.

Baltimore album

Baltimore album quilts originated in Baltimore, Maryland in the 1840s, and are made up of in blocks in which each block is appliquéd with a different design. The designs are often floral, but many other motifs are also used.

Hawaiian

Hawaiian quilts are whole-cloth (not pieced) quilts featuring large-scale symetetrical appliqué in solid colors on a solid color (usually white) ground fabric.

Ralli quilts

Ralli quilts are traditional quilts made in Pakistan and India. Handmade ralli quilts are used as blankets and bedspreads. These ralli quilts make use of patchwork, applique and embroidery. Parents present rallis to their daughters on their weddings as a dowry.

Quilting technique

As an example, the quilt image above has 24 blocks arranged in a 4x6 pattern, set with dark sashing strips, corner stones in a contrasting color, an outside sashing strip but no border, and a multicolored binding. Click on the image to see these details in a larger view.

Quilts on display

Amongst famous quilts in history is the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which was begun in San Francisco in 1987, and is cared for by The NAMES Project Foundation. It is periodically displayed in various arranged locations.

The Museum of the American Quilter's Society (also known as the National Quilt Museum) is located in Paducah, Kentucky. The museum houses a large collection of quilts, most of which are winning entries from the American Quilter's Society festival and quilt competition held yearly in April. The Museum also houses other exhibits of quilt collections, both historic and modern.

Many historic quilts can be seen in Bath at the American Museum in Britain.

The largest known public collection of quilts is housed at the International Quilt Study Center at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The second Saturday of each July, the town of Sisters, Oregon hosts the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, which features more than 1,200 quilts on display throughout the town.

The book "Australia's Quilts" by Jenny Manning is an excellent directory of the many quilts on display in public collections in Australia.

For a small collection of family quilts made around Spartanburg, SC between 1850 and 1917, see Laurel Horton "An Upcountry Legacy: Mary Black's Family Quilts" Southern Spaces, 2006.

Art quilts

Distinguishing art quilts from the main category of quilts can be difficult. Art quilts can be created using any of the techniques of a quilt - piecing, applique, whole cloth, or even machine embroidery. These are techniques, though, and art involves more than mere technique. Meaningfulness, in whatever way the viewer perceives it, is involved in the experience of an art quilt, as opposed to a quilt built as an exercise in craft or technical capabilities, or for practical bedroom purposes.

The term 'art quilt' itself is controversial, since it implies that quilts in other categories are not art. Quilts have always been made, however, with their aesthetic value as a consideration, even when makers were creating objects for practical use in their homes and bedrooms. To this extent, nearly all quilts evidence artistic/creative expression and their functional raison d'être as well as their materials and techniques support their visual statements, expressions that can be as powerful viewed on a bed as from the flat expanse of a gallery wall. What perhaps distinguishes the art of the home-based maker from that of the studio-based maker are context and intent. The works of makers such as the quilters of Gee's Bend, Alabama demonstrate, however, that notions of what distinguishes a so-called 'art quilt' from an everyday 'bed quilt' may reside less in the minds of the makers than in the eyes of the beholders.

Colour Theory and Patterns

The colours used in art quilts are determined by their creators, but quilts which go beyond the basic "bed quilt" are usually distinguishable by non-traditional colours or pattern interpretation. Fiber Artists such as Valerie Page of PageQuilts, or Melody Crust, demonstrate their vision by the use of complementary and contrasting colours, and complex and unpredictable but balanced patterns. The result may be mathematical in nature, as is the case with the Fibonacci number textile patterns Valerie Page creates.

Quilts are named

During the late 1900's, the quilt community started to encourage quilters to label their quilts, starting with a name for the quilt, in addition to their own name, and completion date for the work. This was an important step in taking the craft of quilting into the art realm. A quilt's name implies there is some meaning to a quilt beyond its creation, to whatever degree, though meaning is found in quilts without names as well.

Emotion in an art quilt

One aspect of some art quilts is the ability of the piece to evoke an emotion in the viewer. While examples of quilts displaying the darker end of the emotional spectrum are still rare, they do exist. Quilts focused on the September 11, 2001 attacks have particularly explored grief and anger.

Bed sheet

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A bed sheet is a large piece of cotton or linen cloth used to cover a mattress. It is this sheet that one typically lies on. Bed sheets come in two main varieties--flat or fitted. A flat bed sheet is simply a rectangular sheet of cloth, while a fitted bed sheet has its four corners sewn fitted with elastic.

Bed sheets were traditionally white, but now various colors and patterns are used. The quality of bed sheets is often conveyed by the thread count - the number of threads per square inch of material. The higher the thread count, the softer the sheet.

In many areas of the world a second flat bed sheet is laid on top of the sheet covering the mattress. This is known as a top sheet. One sleeps between the two bed sheets. Blankets, comforters, and other bed covers are then placed on top of the second bed sheet.

Usually a flat bed sheet is overlocked around the edges to form four seams. One of the seams is wider than the other three and helps with orienting the sheet correctly on the mattress. The wider seam goes at the head end of the mattress.

Box-spring

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A box-spring is a hard sturdy wooden frame, covered in cloth, containing springs or some other form of torsion. Usually the box-spring is placed on top of a metal frame which sits on the floor and acts as a brace. The box-spring is usually the same size as the much softer mattress which is placed above the box-spring. Working together, the metal frame, box-spring, and mattress make up a bed. It is not uncommon to find a box-spring and mattress being used together without the support of a metal frame underneath.

The box-spring serves three main purposes: To help raise the mattress's height, making it easier to get in and out of bed; to help absorb shock and reduce wear to the mattress; and to help create a perfectly flat and firm structure for the mattress to lay upon.

Some beds do not need a box-spring, but most traditional metal-frame or four-post beds require one.

Mattress

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



A mattress is a mat or pad, usually placed atop a bed, upon which to sleep or lie.

The word mattress is derived from Arabic words meaning "to throw" and "place where something is thrown" or "mat, cushion." During the Crusades, Europeans adopted the Arabic method of sleeping on cushions thrown on the floor, and the word materas eventually descended into Middle English through the Romance languages.

Though a mattress may be placed directly on the floor, it is usually placed atop a platform (such as a bed or a metal spring foundation) to be further from the ground. Historically, mattresses have been filled with a variety of natural materials, including straw and feathers. Modern mattresses usually contain either an innerspring core or materials such as latex, viscoelastic, or other polyurethane-type foams. Mattresses may also be filled with air or water.

Spring mattress core

The core of the mattress supports the sleeper’s body. Modern spring mattress cores, often called "innersprings," are made up of steel coil springs, or "coils."

Although coil count is a consideration one might have when choosing a new mattress, it certainly should not be the deciding factor. Keep in mind that there are a number of different factors that contribute to the comfort, durability and support offered by a particular innerspring.

Innerspring (coil) design, gauge (thickness) of wire, number of turns, metal composition, tempering, and so on, all contribute to the potential of a particular innerspring.

Also keep in mind that as the coil count increases, the diameter of each individual coil will decrease. You still have to fit all of those springs in the same amount of space!

The gauge of the coils is another factor which determines firmness and support. Coils are measured in quarter increments. The lower the number, the thicker the spring. In general, higher-quality mattress coils have a 14-gauge (1.63 mm) diameter. Coils of 14 to 15.5-gauge (1.63 to 1.37 mm) give more easily under pressure, while a 12.5-gauge (1.94 mm) coil, the thickest typically available, feels quite firm.

Connections between the coils help the mattress retain its shape. Most coils are connected by interconnecting wires; pocketed coils are not connected, but the pockets preserve the mattress shape.

Types of coils

There are four different types of mattress coils:

• Bonnell coils are the oldest and most common. First adapted from buggy seat springs of the 19th century, they are still prevalent in less expensive mattresses. Bonnell coils are hourglass-shaped, and the ends of the wire are knotted or wrapped around the top and bottom circular portion of the coil and self-tied.
• Marshall coils, also called "pocketed coils," are each wrapped in a fabric encasement and usually are tempered, or in the case of the Simmons Beautyrest carbon magnesium is added. Some manufacturers pre-compress these coils, which makes the mattress firmer and allows for motion separation between the sides of the bed.
• Offset coils are designed to hinge, thus conforming to body shape. They are very sturdy, stable innersprings that provide great support.
• Continuous coils Work by a hinging effect, similar to that of offset coils. They are excellent at distributing body weight, and limiting motion transfer, as well as roll together.

Air Mattresses

Air mattresses use an air chamber instead of springs to provide support. Quality and price can range from very cheap ones that are used for camping and temporary places to sleep all the way up to high-end luxury beds. When compared to inner-spring mattresses, the price is generally comparable.

Recent innovations to air beds include the ability to adjust the firmness of the mattress, and the ability to maintain different settings for each side of a larger mattress. One such company is Select Comfort. They were established in 1987 and sell a patented adjustable, air-chamber designed sleep system.

Foam Mattresses

Foam mattresses use latex foam or viscoelastic memory foam instead of springs to provide support. Since foam varies in quality, prices can vary widely. Tempur-Pedic is the leader in the foam bed industry, due to highly-recognized TV commercials and direct mail pieces advertising its Swedish Foam Sleep System. The original material was designed to relieve the pressure experienced by astronauts during lift-off. Fagerdala World Foams of Sweden spent a decade and millions of dollars in research before perfecting a new advance formula, Tempur. Today, more and more people are turning to healthy alternatives such as latex foam in addition to memory foam, both providing a hypo-allergenic sleeping surface that is also mold/mildew resistant, while also instantly responding to touch and temperature. Most other mattress manufacturers offer a line of memory foam mattresses.

Foundation

There are three main types of foundations.

• Box-springs consist of a rigid frame which contains extra-heavy-duty springs. This type of foundation contributes to softer support and a bouncier mattress. Because box-springs can cause mattresses to sag, many manufacturers add high-density block foam underneath the coils or provide a rigid foundation instead.
• Traditional wood foundations are usually made of soft woods, such as pine, or hard woods, such as poplar. They usually consist of seven or eight support slats covered with cardboard or beaverboard. This type of foundation, called a zero deflection unit or an "Ortho Box" in the bed industry, increases the feeling of firmness and stability.
• Grid foundations are a combination of steel and wood.

Upholstery layers

Upholstery layers cover the mattress and provide cushioning and comfort. Some manufacturers call the mattress core the "support layer" and the upholstery layer the "comfort layer." The upholstery layer consists of three parts: the insulator, the middle upholstery, and the quilt.

The insulator separates the mattress core from the middle upholstery. It is usually made of fiber or mesh and is intended to keep the middle upholstery in place.

The middle upholstery comprises all the material between the insulator and the quilt. It is usually made from materials which are intended to provide comfort to the sleeper, including regular foam, viscoelastic foam, felt, polyester fibers, cotton fibers, convoluted (“egg-crate”) foam, and non-woven fiber pads.

The quilt is the top layer of the mattress. Made of light foam or fibers stitched to the underside of the ticking, it provides a soft surface texture to the mattress and can be found in varying degrees of firmness. The protective fabric cover which encases the mattress is called ticking. It is usually made to match the foundation and comes in a wide variety of colors and styles. Most ticking is made of synthetic fibers like polyester, or acrylic; or of natural materials such as latex, cotton, silk, and wool.

Mattress quality

Many parameters determine mattress quality. Laboratory test methods have been established for some of these parameters, such as pressure distribution, skin microclimate, hygiene, edge support, and long-term stability. Many of these have been developed by Dr. Duncan Bain, working on behalf of the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Other parameters, such as firmness, are more specific to the sleeper. In general, firm mattresses are recommended for stomach and some back sleepers, soft mattresses are recommended for side sleepers, and medium mattresses are recommended for the majority of back sleepers. Some brands offer mattresses with one softer side and one firmer side, or with adjustable firmness levels, to accommodate sleepers who share a bed.

Special mattresses used in hospitals

"Not all the anti-decubitus mattresses really succeed in reducing the interface pressure. The foam and gel mattresses have no or limited pressure reducing qualities. The polyether mattress and especially the polyurethane slow foam mattress reduce pressure best and are preferable in the prevention of pressure ulcers on an operating table. None of the mattresses tested reduced the pressure sufficiently in lateral position."

Maintenance and care

The Better Sleep Council suggests that a quality mattress should provide 8 to 10 years of good support and comfort. This is an approximation, as many different things may factor into the lifespan one may expect to receive from their mattress.

Mattresses should be placed atop a firm base to prevent sagging. Mattresses should be rotated approximately once every three months to ensure even wear; in addition, two sided mattresses should be turned over (flipped) twice per year. Folding and bending of the mattress should be avoided if possible, as should heavy wear in one spot and excessive weight on the handles. Mattresses should not be soaked, lest mildew develop inside the upholstery; instead, they can be cleaned with a vacuum or with mild surface cleanser and a slightly damp cloth. Mattress Protectors help prevent stains and soiling of the ticking.

Once a mattress no longer feels supportive and instead seems to contribute to body pain or stiffness, it should be replaced. Some symptoms of a broken or worn out mattress include springs which can be felt poking through the upholstery layer, visible permanent sagging or deformity, lumpiness, and excessive squeaking.

Bedroom

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Many houses in North America and Europe have at least two bedrooms – usually a master bedroom (dedicated to the heads of the household, such as a husband and wife) and one or more bedrooms for either the children or guests.

In buildings with multiple self-contained housing units (e.g., apartment), the number of bedrooms vary widely. While many such units have at least one bedroom – frequently, these units have at least two – some of these units may not have a specific room dedicated for use as a bedroom.

Furniture and other items in bedrooms vary greatly, depending on taste and local tradition. For instance, a master bedroom may include a bed of a specific size (double, king or queen-sized); one or more dressers (or perhaps, a wardrobe armoire); a nightstand; one or more closets; and carpeting. Built-in closets are less common in Europe than in North America; thus there is greater use of freestanding wardrobes or armoires in Europe.

Bedding used in northern Europe (especially in Scandinavia) is significantly different from that used in North America and other parts of Europe.

Some bedrooms also include such items as a make-up desk, television, air conditioning and various accessories (such as lamps, telephone and an alarm clock).

Sometimes, a master bedroom is connected to a dedicated bathroom, often called an ensuite.


Children's bedrooms

In addition to a bed (or, if shared by two or more children, a bunk bed), a child's bedroom may include the requisite closets and dressers, plus items such as a toy box, desk and other items. Some children enjoy a bare room, including only a bed and wardrobe.