Patchwork quilts have been around for decades, possibly hundreds of years if my grandmother is to be believed. If you’ve ever seen a few, you’ll know that no two patchwork quilts are the same. The reasons behind making the quilt are as individual as the quilts themselves, with each quilt being made with a particular motivation.

So what are some of the most common reasons people make patchwork quilts?

Family History

Your family history is unique. There are so many different stories to tell and keeping track of them all can be a big job. Thats why some people choose to make a patchwork quilt to remember all of the stories and make sure that none go untold or are forgotten.

Each story gets a patch and and image or saying is stitched into the patch to convey the message and memory of each story. While these are not the most common type of quilt, they are held sacred by family members as many generations of their family have worked on the quilt.

New Child

When a new child is brought into this world is really is a joy for the parents and family. Some quilters love to make a patchwork quilt to celebrate this occasion and give a gift to the parents and children to keep forever.

A quilt like this usually comes with messages of well wishing and bits of advice sewn into each patch to help guide the child (and sometimes parents) in growing up to a mature responsible adult.

Excess Materials

This is the most famous type of quilt, which patchwork quilts were invented for. When you need a quilt and have a number of extra bits of off cuts and left over material lying around, you know its time to make a patchwork quilt.

The great part about this is you never know how your quilt will turn out, although in my experience, even the most ghastly colours blend into a wonderful medley on any patchwork quilt.

Don’t be surprised if you find the same or similar reasons for your patchwork quilt listed here, we all have our own reasons its just that sometimes they cross paths.

Good luck and happy quilting.