g, and drawn tightly
over the cotton. The ends of the quilt must also be stretched. This is
done by pinning pieces of muslin to the quilt and wrapping them around
the ends of the frame. Great care is required to keep all edges true
and to stretch all parts of the quilt uniformly.

Upon this smooth top the quilting is drawn, for even the most expert
quilters require outlines to quilt by. If the quilt top is light in
colour the design is drawn with faint pencil lines; if the colours are
too dark to show pencil markings, then with a chalked line. It is a
fascinating thing to children to watch the marking of a quilt with the
chalk lines. The firm cord used for this is drawn repeatedly across a
piece of chalk or through powdered starch until well coated, then held
near the quilt, and very tightly stretched, while a second person
draws it up and lets it fly back with a snap, thus making a straight
white line. How closely the lines are drawn depends wholly upon the
ambition and diligence of the quilter. The lines may be barely a
quarter of an inch apart, or may be placed only close enough together
to perform their function of keeping the interlining in place.

Patterns of quiltings are not as plentiful as designs for the
patchwork tops of quilts; only about eight or ten standard patterns
being in general use. The simplest pattern consists of "single
diagonal" lines, spaced to suit the work in hand. The lines are run
diagonally across the quilt instead of parallel with the weave, in
order that they may show to better advantage, and also because the
cloth is less apt to tear or pull apart than if the quilting lines are
run in the same direction as the threads of the fabric. The
elaboration of the "single" diagonal into sets of two or more parallel
lines, thus forming the "double" and "triple" diagonals, is the first
step toward ornamentation in quilting. A further advance is made when
the quilting lines are crossed, by means of which patterns like the
"square," "diamond," and "hanging diamond" are produced.

[Illustration: THE SUNFLOWER QUILT

Shows a realistic, bold design of vivid colouring. The
border is harmonious, suggesting a firm foundation for
the stems. The quilting in the centre is a design of
spider webs, leaves, and flowers]

Wavy lines and various arrangements of hoops, circles, and segments
of circles are among the more complex quilting patterns, which are not
particularly difficult. Plate