America's Quilting History

There are many misconceptions and myths about quilting throughout history and as lovely as these old stories about quilting might be it is good to know what is accurate history and what is not. The American Quilt Study Group has been striving to find the truth about our quilting history for the last 20 years. To provide a way for good research on quilting to be shared the AQSG regularly publishes "Uncoverings" . "Quiltmaking in America" is a selection of articles from this publication.

Did you know that Quaker girls in the early 19th century learned the geometry needed to design intricate quilt blocks or that the necessity of producing fabric by spinning and weaving left little or no time for most women to quilt during the first half of the 19th century? Perhaps you are unaware of the many quilts donated by women to help war torn Europe during the second world war and who would have dreamed that the installment plan was started by Singer so that ordinary families could afford the new sewing machines. What do you know of the lives of early textile mill workers? Mill housing created a close knit community. One mill worker recalls that, "They'd have women get together in the church basement. They'd have a quilting bee and they'd go down and all quilt. One of them would have a good crop of cabbage, they'd get together and all make kraut. And up there in the barn they'd have a corn shucking". It's sad to discover that cottage industry quilting has only recently been lost because of the availability of cheaply made quilts from China and other countries that have access to extremely low paid labor.

One thing you can be certain of as you read the chapters of this book, the information you find is well researched. The scientific approach of this book makes it perfect for teachers and students of women's studies and women's history. But the fascinating information and pictures in the articles has created a great book for anyone interested in quilting of the past.

© 2001 Anne Johnson (Do not reproduce any material from this site without permission.)