For 67 years, Ismail Çevikel has been preserving the art of traditional quilting in the Cedit Neighborhood of Izmit, northwestern Türkiye. Starting at just 12 years old, he has crafted vibrant, hand-stitched quilts, continuing to practice his craft despite the rise of modern technology.
Now in his late 70s, Çevikel remains committed to his work, which helped him support his four children through their education and careers. Even as the craft faces decline, the demand for his colorful, handmade quilts endures.
Expressing that he opened his first store years ago with a friend in Çukurbağ, Çevikel said: "We had to open the shop under someone else's name because we were too young, and we received a bedding contract from the military. We completed it in three months, and after that, we started our own business. I am still continuing it."
Çevikel mentioned that he pursued both his education and quilting at a young age, saying: "I finished middle school and went to high school here while continuing my trade, during this time, I got married and became the father of four children."
"My eldest son became a dentist, the next one graduated in public administration and is now preparing to become a police officer, my daughter is a certified public accountant, and my youngest daughter is an environmental engineer."
Explaining that he uses materials like cotton, acrylic and wool in quilt-making, 79-year-old Çevikel said: "Currently, the most valuable material I have is merino wool, and I use that. Besides this, if a customer brings their own wool, I use it to stitch their quilt. If the thread is weak, the quilt will tear when stretched and fall apart. Fiber is washable but not comfortable."
"The best materials for human health are cotton or genuine wool quilts, you can use them for a lifetime. If the fabric tears or stains, or if it faces any danger, you can take it apart and have a new one stitched, but with washable quilts, you don’t have this chance," he said.
Stating that wool and cotton quilts should not be washed, Çevikel added: "Quilts should not be used without a cover or sheet, while they can be washed, if you wash a wool quilt, it will become felted, the time it takes to stitch a quilt also varies, you can finish stitching printed quilts in one day, but there are others that take two or four days, not every model can be completed quickly."
Çevikel emphasized that quilting is one of the trades where it has become difficult to train apprentices, saying: "As long as the world continues, this trade will not die, tailoring won’t die, and neither will quilting, these are trades with masters, and a trade with a master never dies. I currently have 20 acrylic quilts to stitch and 80 wool quilts to finish, right now, the demand is high."
Comparing factory-made quilts to hand-stitched ones, Çevikel explained: "Factory quilts use fiber, I use cotton, wool and acrylic, machine-stitched quilts in factories are made with fiber because machines don’t work on cotton quilts; they cannot be stitched."
"The material inside factory quilts is synthetic, since it’s synthetic, it causes problems. It makes you sweat and is uncomfortable, wool is very comfortable from a health perspective. Machine-stitched quilts cost TL 600 ($17.59), while the cheapest hand-stitched quilts cost at least TL 1,000."
