If a family quilt has ever been handed down to you from a beloved grandmother or great grandmother, you know how much people cherish their heirlooms. Over the years, myths have come to be associated with this quintessentially American art form. Historians and quilt museums have carefully researched some of the most popular myths and come up with some interesting observations.
To a large extent quilts shape our understanding of this country's beginnings. We imagine hard working Colonial women lovingly stitching bed covers from scraps of old clothes and remnants of discarded materials, underscoring the virtue of thrift. Many believe some quilts held secret messages during the period of slavery, offering instructions for runaway slaves hunting the Underground Railroad.
A commonly held belief is that pioneer women kept scrap bags filled with remnants ready to be turned into quilts. This suits the notion that all pioneers were ingenious and did not mind the manual labor it took to create necessities for everyday life. In fact, pioneer quilters didn't use scraps, but whole cloth instead. The cloth available to them was expensive and imported. It took the Industrial Revolution to make quilting from scraps feasible.
A common assumption is that women in colonial times made quilts. This fits in with our picture of resilient early Americans making the most of the resources they had. It turns out that quilting during this time period was fairly rare. Textiles were too expensive to be cut up for scraps. It was not until mass production that material became affordable, and it made economic sense to cut scraps and sew them together for quilting projects.
Many people associate quilting only with women. Feminists have embraced quilting as a good example of the strength and ingenuity of women. They point to the communal aspect of quilting bees that brought women together working toward a common goal. While this is true, there are any number of talented professional male quilters. There are also male quilt pattern artists. Some of their best works hang concurrently with female quilters.
Many believe quilting is an exclusively American craft. American quilting is distinctive and has characteristics that make it unique. There are designs early American quilters borrowed from England and France though. One of them is the mosaic patchwork pattern many quilters still use today. Mongolia is the site of some of the earliest quilted textiles. They have been traced back to the first century.
There is a persistent myth that surrounds quilts made during the Civil War. The story goes that quilters involved in assisting runaway slaves sewed secret code into their quilts in order to send messages and instructions regarding passage on the Underground Railroad. This story apparently has no basis in fact. Historians now believe it originated with an individual family.
Most people love quilts. They are reminders of a time long gone. The stories that have built up around them through the years may or may not be true. Either way people love the idea of the history they represent.
To a large extent quilts shape our understanding of this country's beginnings. We imagine hard working Colonial women lovingly stitching bed covers from scraps of old clothes and remnants of discarded materials, underscoring the virtue of thrift. Many believe some quilts held secret messages during the period of slavery, offering instructions for runaway slaves hunting the Underground Railroad.
A commonly held belief is that pioneer women kept scrap bags filled with remnants ready to be turned into quilts. This suits the notion that all pioneers were ingenious and did not mind the manual labor it took to create necessities for everyday life. In fact, pioneer quilters didn't use scraps, but whole cloth instead. The cloth available to them was expensive and imported. It took the Industrial Revolution to make quilting from scraps feasible.
A common assumption is that women in colonial times made quilts. This fits in with our picture of resilient early Americans making the most of the resources they had. It turns out that quilting during this time period was fairly rare. Textiles were too expensive to be cut up for scraps. It was not until mass production that material became affordable, and it made economic sense to cut scraps and sew them together for quilting projects.
Many people associate quilting only with women. Feminists have embraced quilting as a good example of the strength and ingenuity of women. They point to the communal aspect of quilting bees that brought women together working toward a common goal. While this is true, there are any number of talented professional male quilters. There are also male quilt pattern artists. Some of their best works hang concurrently with female quilters.
Many believe quilting is an exclusively American craft. American quilting is distinctive and has characteristics that make it unique. There are designs early American quilters borrowed from England and France though. One of them is the mosaic patchwork pattern many quilters still use today. Mongolia is the site of some of the earliest quilted textiles. They have been traced back to the first century.
There is a persistent myth that surrounds quilts made during the Civil War. The story goes that quilters involved in assisting runaway slaves sewed secret code into their quilts in order to send messages and instructions regarding passage on the Underground Railroad. This story apparently has no basis in fact. Historians now believe it originated with an individual family.
Most people love quilts. They are reminders of a time long gone. The stories that have built up around them through the years may or may not be true. Either way people love the idea of the history they represent.
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