Why do women quilt

Many of the quilts of yesterday took a lifetime to make. Little is known of the women who stitched the quilts of old; most remain anonymous. The exact origin of quilts is also somewhat sketchy. A partial unraveling of quilt history reveals that the oldest example of patchwork, a canopy for an Egyptian queen, dates back to B. Generally speaking, a quilt consists of three layers: the top, the filling, and the back.

Wool, silk, or cotton were common fabrics for the top layer and muslin for the backing. In the earliest quilts, grass and leaves or feathers were used for the filling. After the top had been meticulously pieced together, the three layers were assembled and laid over a quilting frame supported by legs, sawhorses, or chair backs. In the South, the quilting frame was often suspended from the ceiling. The layers were then joined together by quilting, the running of stitches through the three layers of material.

The technique of quilting was used throughout the ancient Near East. When the Crusaders ventured to Eastern lands, they brought back the arts of needlework to Western Europe. The West began importing rich silks, satins, brocades, and lace from the East, and women in all walks of life, from queens to peasants, joined the excitement of quiltmaking that lasted through the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Quilts were coveted and cherished, and often were recorded in ledger books. Regardless of origin, it was the pioneer women in America whose needles would create a way of life that would influence their whole cultural and social structure.

No other art was ever so completely dominated by women or brought so many together to work, including young ladies, for in the 18th century they were rigorously taught that usefulness was happiness. And there was no better way to make oneself useful than to sew. As early as age four, little girls began practicing their stitches. Holding a delicate needle in their tiny, clumsy fingers, they pieced together simple four-patch blocks of plain and flowered calicoes.

Patchwork, you know. My stint was at first only two blocks a day, but these were sewn together with the greatest care or they were unraveled and done over. Since cloth was not plentiful in the colonies and most women could not indulge in the luxury of imported silks and satins, creating quilts meant making their own cloth or piecing together whatever scraps were at hand. The most popular quilt pattern during colonial times was undoubtedly the Log Cabin, the first ones made of thick woolens, consisting of blocks which always have a square center red and yellow were preferred, to symbolize a glowing chimney with strips of material, half dark and half light, sewn next to each other, reminiscent of log cabin construction.

Because of their strong construction, Log Cabin quilts were rarely quilted, but instead were knotted together or tufted. Regardless of the design a woman chose, all quilts had the same basic meaning.

Of indignities, she suffered many. Yet there always persisted a dogged will to make something extraordinary in the midst of duties, to weave pleasure into toil. There also remained a poignant faith in the future, and the idealism of romantic love never wavered.

Twelve quilt tops were to be finished before her engagement. Teaching her granddaughter how to quilt is playing with her. Quiltmaker and teacher Kay Sorensen came up with a new twist to the traditions of giving quilts to celebrate special family events. Her story builds upon a lifetime of quiltmaking experiences. Kay started her first quilt when she was 13, but the craft did not suit her. Quiltmakers of the last forty years have been encouraged through magazines, books, lectures, and the quilt documentation projects to record what they make, the purpose for making it, and even the materials.

Very few quiltmakers ask the recipients to record what was going on in their lives when they actually used the quilt. Quiltmakers today have a plethora of options for learning how to quilt. In-person classes are available through local quilt shops, adult education programs, community centers, and quilt guilds.

Learning is only part of the story though. Teachers are an important aspect of quiltmaking in the contemporary quilt revival that is missing from the story of historic quiltmaking. Diane Gaudynski and Fran Kordek provide insights into how and why they teach others to make quilts.

Neither one of them mentions fame or fortune in their answers. Rather, personal contact and growth are fundamental to their teaching. For Diane teaching is part of the legacy that she wants to leave. She grew up around quilts, she knew that her grandmother quilted, but she thought it was too hard until she learned machine quilting and piecing. She is now a prize-winning machine quilter and artist with quilts in museum collections.

In her teaching, one of the most rewarding aspects for her is helping her students meet their fears and realize they can be good quilters. Fran Kordek approaches teaching in a similar way. Fran did not grow up with quilts and started teaching herself to quilt in about She had some sewing skills, but she found her workmanship was poor.

She shares in common with Diane Gaudynski the understanding that the most significant part of teaching quiltmaking is helping students see the possibilities of the craft. That is very important. Providing a place to build relationships and encourage creativity fits well into the general perception of quilts as conveying messages of support, encouragement, and love to recipients; it makes sense that teaching others to quilt also carries some of these elements.

Los Hilos de la Vida, a project in southern California represents the ways in which learning and teaching a craft can help build community relationships. In and , Molly Johnson Martinez was teaching parenting groups for an organization called The Even Start Project in California when she met Susan Kerr, a quilter who made quilts with artistic and social justice components. Molly had been incorporating craft projects into the parenting groups she taught for The Even Start Project as a way for women to become comfortable interacting with one another.

Molly and Susan decided to teach the women how to quilt. So, it backfired on me. Quilt memorializing the twin towers and September 11, by Maria Ramirez. The women were learning to quilt with so much concentration that they were not talking to one another.

Put your mind to work. I can do some interesting stuff because everybody puts their mind into it, everybody in class. Everybody is very interesting. Molly worked with the women to write their stories about the quilts to fulfill the literacy component of the program.

The impact of the project went beyond earning money from the sale of their work. The women also learned about their own creative abilities and gained confidence in their work. Some of the women taught their children, both boys and girls, how to quilt. Paola Sanchez learned to quilt when she was five. Her mom taught her after learning in the classes. Paola who was seven when she was interviewed already had ideas in mind for a few more quilts. She plans to make quilts to sell and another for herself.

Paola liked earning money from her first quilt, but she talked more about her design ideas—the colors and images—much like the adult women did during their interviews. In the making of a documentary about the project, Molly says women reiterated that quilting helped them break down the boundaries placed upon them by their culture. During the s, there was a gradual increase in women wanting to learn to quilt.

Tools like cutting mats and rotary cutters became available in the s, making quilting a lot easier and generating more interest. However, some things kept to tradition. Many quilters began piecing by machine, but others preferred hand quilting, and applique was usually done by hand. In the present day, quilting still remains a very popular craft that is enjoyed by people of all ages.

It has become much more of an art form with the introduction of computers and high-tech sewing machines, giving quilters the opportunity to produce elaborate designs in a matter of hours instead of weeks.

Talk about girl power! Create brilliant mitred borders and binding at a variety of angles with the Threaders Mitre Tool. Y seams can strike fear into even the most experienced of quilters and it occurs when there are three pieces of fabric that need to….

We use cookies on our websites. You can change this at any time in your browser settings. Learn more about how we use your cookies on our Privacy and Cookie Policy. Quilting in Colonial America One of the first detailed accounts of quilting dates back to the late 17 th century in Colonial America.

Quilting as a social soiree With the rise of the textile industry came a rise in quilting bees. Patriotic quilting in the Civil War In , many people frowned on the idea of women being involved in any commercial projects, but patriotism won when the war broke out.

Crazy Quilts and the Industrial Revolution Over in the UK during the 19 th century, the Industrial Revolution was in full swing, producing cheaper and better ways of printing and dyeing fabric. Modern quilting During the s, there was a gradual increase in women wanting to learn to quilt.

Sewing quilting soft crafts needlecraft International Women's Day History.