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.
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.
Most people assume that women made quilts in colonial times. It makes sense that they would sew quilts to keep their families warm. This apparently was a fairly rare phenomenon. Textiles were very expensive commodities during this time. Once industry technology advanced to the point that mass production brought the price of material down, it made economic sense to cut up fabric and then sew it together for another purpose.
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.
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.
Quilts are universally loved. They are admired for their beauty and the stories they tell. Some of the most popular myths may not be factual, but that doesn't take away from the historical significance of the quilts themselves.
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.
Most people assume that women made quilts in colonial times. It makes sense that they would sew quilts to keep their families warm. This apparently was a fairly rare phenomenon. Textiles were very expensive commodities during this time. Once industry technology advanced to the point that mass production brought the price of material down, it made economic sense to cut up fabric and then sew it together for another purpose.
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.
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.
Quilts are universally loved. They are admired for their beauty and the stories they tell. Some of the most popular myths may not be factual, but that doesn't take away from the historical significance of the quilts themselves.
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