Judging the Quality of an Amish Quilt

The description "handmade" does not mean that an Amish quilt is high quality.  Unfortunately many Amish quilts on the market today are mediocre. And buyer beware: some “Amish quilts” are not even made by the Amish, but are counterfeited in China and other Asian countries. 

You should keep in mind that you cannot tell if a quilt is made by an Amish person just be looking at it, but you can tell if it is a quality quilt. The best way to ensure that you are buying an authentic Amish quilt is to buy your quilt directly from a reputable Amish shop or farm in places like Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where the Amish have settled, or through a reputable online distributer. Here are some surefire ways to identify a high quality quilt.

Design:

Designing a high quality quilt is not an easy task. There are many choices, such as patterns, fabrics, and proportions, and each has to be made with consideration for the other.  Most quilters are actually better at sewing than they are at design. Look to see how well the fabrics of quilt work in combination.  Stand about ten yards away from the quilt and see if the quilt looks consistent in color scheme, dimensions and pattern.  From this vantage point, you will be able to notice if something in the quilt does not look right.

Alignment:

If you are evaluating a traditional patchwork quilt, look to see how well the piecing is aligned. Make sure that the corners of the blocks touch each other and are not off by more than an 1/8 of an inch.  When misalignments occur, quilts can get puckers and wrinkles.  Look for bulky areas from sloppy seam allowances.

Quilting Density:

The more quilting there is in a quilt, the better.  The purpose of the quilting stitches is to hold the quilt sandwich together—the two outer layers and the middle batting.  On average, in each square foot of a good quilt, there should be at least 90 linear inches of quilt stitching.  Where one quilting pattern stops and another starts, the designer sometimes leaves small areas without any quilt stitching.  Look to see if there are gaps in the quilting larger than a fist. 

Quilting Stitches:

The quilting stitches in a high quality quilt will be the same size and evenly spaced.  Look for about 6-8 stitches per inch.  A high quality queen size quilt will have over 50,000 stitches. Uneven stitching is the mark of an inexperienced or sloppy quilter. The quality of the stitching is usually best seen on the back of the quilt.

Binding:

This is the edge of the quilt and the first place where a quilt will wear out. The binding should be neat and straight with the corners neatly stitched together. Beware of quilts that have curved edges. This indicates that the proportions of the quilt are not even.