America's Quilting History

"Although the quilt is one of the most familiar and necessary articles in our households, its story is yet to be told. In spite of its universal use and intimate connection with our lives, its past is a mystery which^___at the most^___can be only partially unravelled." ^Pxxi

Thus Marie Webster began the introduction to her book, "Quilts: Their Story and How to Make Them". First published in 1915 this book seems a bit quaint to us today but it is a delight to read. In reading it you will be experiencing a piece of history, as it was the first quilt book to be published in America.

Don't look for historic fact in this book, as you will find a mix of facts and conjecture. Modern methods of quilt history research were unknown at the time and the Colonial Revival had brought about a romanticized picture of early America. The result is intriguing as we read about how quilt history evolved from "Patchwork in Antiquity" to "The Quilt in America". An interesting assumption Webster make is that it was impossible to know when quilts were first used in America because, "Quilts were in such general use and were considered as such ordinary articles that the early writers about family life in the colonies neglected to mention them." ^P60

Although Webster's history may not have been entirely accurate we can learn a great deal from her about quilting in the early 20th century including a good description of how quilts were made during that time period. She has also devoted an interesting chapter on how quilt names have evolved and why they might have different names from region to region.

The last chapter of the book addressed "The Quilt's Place in America's life". One area she considered was how quilting has helped women deal with loneliness. She pointed out that women living on a farm or in a remote location were not the only ones who were lonely. She wrote, "City women, surrounded by many enticing distractions, are turning more and more to patchwork as a fascinating yet nerve-soothing occupation. Not only is there a sort of companionship between maker and quilt, but there is also the great benefit derived from having found a new interest in life, something worth while that can be built up by one's own efforts." ^P156

At the end of the 1990 reprint of this book Marie Webster's granddaughter has added a biography of this great personage of American Quilt history. It is an amazing story in itself telling of how Webster made her first quilt at age 50 resulting in many more years of quilt making, quilt designing and exploring the history of quilt making.

© 2003 Anne Johnson (Do not reproduce any material from this site without permission.)

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