If you have ever been lucky enough to own a quilt handed down to you from a grandmother, great grandmother, or someone even farther back in your family tree, you understand how fascinating and valued they are. Over the years many myths have grown up around this quintessentially American craft. Quilt museums have researched some of the most popular with some surprising results.
Antique quilts, in many ways, are window into the country's beginnings. We have ideas about our ancestors in the colonies sewing together scraps of material to create bed covers for their families. We see this as a sign of their thriftiness. Some people believe quilters designed pieces with secret messages for runaway slaves to help them get to a safe haven using the Underground Railroad.
Many have a vision of housewives keeping scrap bags filled with material remnants to be turned into quilts. This fits the view of early settlers as hard workers who had to be creative with very limited resources. The truth is that the majority of early American quilts were created using whole cloth, not remnants. Textiles were imported and very expensive. It was only after the Industrial Revolution that people began quilting from scraps.
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.
Another myth still active today, is that quilting is a skill that only interests women. Even feminists have taken the art of quilting and pointed out the ways in which it demonstrates the ingenuity and practicality of early American women. The fact is that there are a number of extremely talented male quilt designers and professional quilters. They have work hanging in museums just like their female counterparts do.
Most Americans believe that quilting is specific to the United States. It is true that Americans have their own distinct styles and traditions, but some of them can be traced back to England and France. The popular mosaic patchwork designs most are familiar with actually originated in Britain. Some of the earliest quilted textiles have been found in Mongolia. These date back to the first century.
One of the most persistent myths surrounding the American quilting phenomenon is that it played a powerful part in the Underground Railroad. The belief is that quilters sewed code into their creations to guide fugitive slaves to safe havens along the their way to freedom. There seems to be no real evidence of this. Historians say it's most likely a folk tale derived from a particular family.
Quilts become family treasures. They have a history all their own. The most famous myths are sometimes true and sometimes not. Either way families will continue to cherish quilts and pass them on to new generations.
Antique quilts, in many ways, are window into the country's beginnings. We have ideas about our ancestors in the colonies sewing together scraps of material to create bed covers for their families. We see this as a sign of their thriftiness. Some people believe quilters designed pieces with secret messages for runaway slaves to help them get to a safe haven using the Underground Railroad.
Many have a vision of housewives keeping scrap bags filled with material remnants to be turned into quilts. This fits the view of early settlers as hard workers who had to be creative with very limited resources. The truth is that the majority of early American quilts were created using whole cloth, not remnants. Textiles were imported and very expensive. It was only after the Industrial Revolution that people began quilting from scraps.
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.
Another myth still active today, is that quilting is a skill that only interests women. Even feminists have taken the art of quilting and pointed out the ways in which it demonstrates the ingenuity and practicality of early American women. The fact is that there are a number of extremely talented male quilt designers and professional quilters. They have work hanging in museums just like their female counterparts do.
Most Americans believe that quilting is specific to the United States. It is true that Americans have their own distinct styles and traditions, but some of them can be traced back to England and France. The popular mosaic patchwork designs most are familiar with actually originated in Britain. Some of the earliest quilted textiles have been found in Mongolia. These date back to the first century.
One of the most persistent myths surrounding the American quilting phenomenon is that it played a powerful part in the Underground Railroad. The belief is that quilters sewed code into their creations to guide fugitive slaves to safe havens along the their way to freedom. There seems to be no real evidence of this. Historians say it's most likely a folk tale derived from a particular family.
Quilts become family treasures. They have a history all their own. The most famous myths are sometimes true and sometimes not. Either way families will continue to cherish quilts and pass them on to new generations.
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Unknown - Sunday, May 6, 2018
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