What’s New in Quilting? Quilt Trends to Watch Out for in 2022

Quilting trends come and go. Some are long-term loves that we just can’t bear to part with while others are new friendly faces that we’re just now getting to know. We love keeping up to date with the hottest styles and recurring themes in the massive, ever evolving, and vibrant community that is the modern quilting world. Many of these trends take inspiration from wider social movements, while others explore fun new techniques such as slowing it down with hand quilting or expanding our quilting skill set.

Patchwork fashion

Quilted coats have been in the spotlight for the last two years – and it’s no surprise why, they’re a warm, puffy cloud that you can actually wear. But we’re here to tell you that there’s a new kid on the block: 2022 is the year of patchwork clothing and accessories. These can include colourful patchwork jackets and bags, as well as stunning 70’s-inspired skirts.

Sustainability

Another trend we’ve been glad to see on the rise is eco-friendly quilting. Whether that’s using up scraps from your stash rather than buying a new fabric collection for every project, or upcycling used clothes into gorgeous quilts to save them from the landfill, every little bit helps us to be less wasteful and to create with intention.

Improv piecing

As the modern quilting community has slowly been making progress in recognizing the massive influence of the quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, whose historic community is in large part credited with the birth of modern quilting aesthetics, so too have they embraced some of their methods: namely, that of improv quilting. Quilt artist Zak Foster, designer of the quilt back for A$AP Rocky’s iconic Met Gala look, Zak described the improv quilting method as a way to quilt in the present moment and allow the inherent properties of the textiles to guide you, rather than sticking to the confines of a pattern. He explained that the Gee’s Bend quilters’ methods were hugely informative for his work, and that he owed a lot of gratitude to them for this reason – as do a multitude of other modern quilters who have explored improv quilting techniques, and no doubt many more who will do so in the coming year.

Two-tone quilts

As modern quilters, we all love a quilt that packs a punch of bright color. You can easily achieve this effect without over-complicating things by piecing a striking two-tone quilt! We’ve been seeing these crop up all over the place, but we’re not complaining: this minimalistic approach allows a statement colour of your choice to steal the spotlight.

Pictorial quilts

Quilting is an art form, and we all know this, but sometimes us quilters want to really drill that point home. This is where pictorial quilts come in. They’ve been taking the modern quilting world by storm, and it’s no surprise: they allow quilters to really get creative and quilt a whole illustration.

Slow stitching

Perhaps it’s no surprise that in the wake of all the stress and tragedy that came with the Covid-19 pandemic, we as makers have come to appreciate slow, calming methods of creating such as hand quilting and appliqué. These more traditional methods have been taken up by many this year due to their often therapeutic nature, allowing us to focus on a task in front of us and busy our hands with slow, purposeful stitching that’s kind to the mind.

Funky texture

One of the many great things about quilts is just how versatile they are. You can make quilts from fat quarters, fabric scraps, old clothes, and a range of other textiles. One way that people have been shaking up the quilting game recently is by adding fresh new textures to their quilts by using fabrics such as chenille. If you’d like to add a cozy texture-bomb to your next project that’s fit for the fashions of the new year, consider incorporating some chenille or another interesting fabric into your design!