I promise that I will return to the more “regular” tips soon, but for a few weeks I’ve been looking back at our ancestor’s lives in order to give us a better appreciation of their lives. As we sit in front of our computers with a cell phone beside us, a television on across the room, a hot cup of coffee steaming beside us; it’s difficult to put ourselves back a generation or more and realize that it wasn’t always this way. Many of my readers have been born at a time when modern conveniences are just the “norm”. However, when we find information on our grandparents, great-grandparents and beyond; it is extremely interesting to understand how their lives differed from ours.

The topic for this week again is more slanted to the women who are reading this … although, I know a few gentlemen who are extremely interested also. From the subject line, one would think I was referring to the old tradition of presenting the bride-to-be with “something old, something” before she walked down the aisle. No, I’m talking about quilting.

I want to explore a little on how quilting began in the United States and bring it down to Kentucky (and other states will qualify as well). Let’s start in the early settlement days of the United States – before it was the United States.

Colonial Times:
Women then had many chores that we likely would turn our noses up at … but a large portion of their time was spent sewing and weaving. Instead of having our electric sewing machines, good lighting, and a wide choice of materials with which to work, these gals worked by the light from candles, lamps and the glow of the fireplace. Material was expensive if ordered through the mercantile and every scrap of material was used. A Colonial lady might use a type of quilting called broderie perse. The lady would cut out flowers and other designs from scraps of material and, turning a seam, appliqué each to a larger piece of fabric. Entire quilts were wade, called whole-cloth quilts, these were made by layering together a solid top then adding the backing and the filling. They were quilted together, sometimes with fancy designs. When the pieced blocks were used, it often resulted in a medallion-style quilt. Certain designs became poplar using stars, saw tooth and other patterns. Bed quilts were also made – the practical use of quilting – and these were known as coverlets.

Early 1800s. By the early to mid 1800s, it was easier for the pioneer woman to find material. Factories had sprung up in America and it was no longer necessary to order from a foreign country and wait months for delivery. Women had a little more time to create quilts along with their spinning and weaving. Quilt blocks took on beautiful patterns, many never written down in a pattern book but from memories passed down to them by their mothers. These blocks of often stored away until the woman had time to stitch them together into a quilt. Some patterns came from early magazines published in this time frame – if one lived in a big city and had access to the magazines! Once a pattern for a block was found and liked, it was shared from family and from friend to friend. One publication was Godey’s Lady’s Book which illustrated English patchwork in silk. Most pioneer women didn’t have access to the silk material, but they saved the patterns.

Go West Young Man! Many followed this advice and Kentucky was west in those earlier days. Going back a few years from the above time frame, some of the most cherished items to be packed on those wagons coming from Virginia and other eastern states … was, of course, the quilts and comforters. Their very special quilts were packed lovingly in order not to be damaged while crossing creeks, scaling mountains, or being exposed to the sometimes harsh elements. Some were used to pack precious china that had survived in the family for generations. The “everyday” quilt made a comfortable padding on the wooden seats of the wagon, or were used to wrap around one’s shoulders on cold and snowy days on the trail.

However, as one has noted, those quilts got the settlers into trouble too. Many times the quilts were hung on the sides of the wagons to offer a barrier against Indian attacks. The arrows would hit the quilt and offer a smidgen of protection for the pioneers inside. But, due to their bright and very noticeable colors, it also made a perfect target for the arrows; the quilt could be seen from some distance away. And, one sad use for the quilt during those long treks … many died on the trail, especially children who had been exposed to the elements, taken ill and died without medical help. The weary travelers had not the luxury of taking time to chop down a tree, carve out a coffin and bury their beloved family member. Thus, while the father was digging a grave along side the trail, the mother sadly picked out one of her quilts or coverlets and lovingly laid the child’s body inside and wrapped it around the body. How many grieving parents rode off, looking back at the shallow grave of a dear one and knew they would never be back again?

Once the family reached their destination and the husband started building a cabin, those quilts came in handy again. Many residences were merely “dugouts”, which were built into the side of a mountain or hill with the front exposed to the elements – no walls, doors or windows. Those quilts were hung from a frame at the top and were the only protection against the elements, wild animals and Indians. When a cabin was erected, there was normally just one room and to insure some measure of privacy, quilts were hung from the rafters to partition off makeshift rooms.

The Sounds of War: The Civil War was a horrible time in the history of our country and many Kentucky young men never made it back to their humble homes and to the family so eagerly awaiting them. North or South – Kentucky was split in its allegiance. The Union soldiers were said to have the advantage in many ways; their soldier boys had real uniforms, better medical help and money to provide for the needs. The Rebs many times were dressed in normal clothes of the era and suffered from want of food and medical attention. (This was not always the case, but in many instances was thus.). The one thing that both sides had however were women folk who were rallying to the cause to raise money for their soldier boys. Patriotism was at a high and the women wanted to do something (it is noted that some women posed as young men and saw battle). This brought about money making efforts including fairs. People donated what they could to be auctioned off with the money going to support the troops. And, yes, the quilt was there. Along with other hand-made clothing items and decorations, the quilts brought in an abundance of money. Both northern ladies and southern belles offered their beautiful quilts in order to help someone on their side. Some of the patterns which were noted during this time demonstrated that patriotic theme – flags, Log Cabin quilts and others. The Southern ladies knew their side’s greatest need were gunboat. Many of their quilts were known as he “Gunboat Quilts”

As the war advanced into 1862 and beyond, the Confederate projects waned. The South was fighting bravely but the Union forces just kept coming with newer equipment and stronger numbers. Naval battles waged and it was soon obvious that these ports would fall to the Union. Funds raised by the south soon was designated primarily towards buying medical supplies. In the north, the concern was for blankets and clothing for their men. Sewing circles (which were already popular) turned into Soldier Aid Societies with the women making bedding, quilts and clothing for their men. The military received all these items with thankful hearts, asking that the quilts be 7 x 4 which would fit an army cot. According to womenfolk.com, over 250,000 quilts and comforters were made during the Civil War.

Late 1800s: Catalogs emerged around 1890 with the most popular being the Sears Catalogs or Wards. For the price of one dime, ladies could order over 800 patterns. Other magazines and catalogs allowed women to buy full sized blocks either in calico or silk to be used as patterns. The price? $1.00 to less than $5.00. When the 1900s arrived, not only were patterns published but columns allowed women to share their patterns and order patterns for appliqué or pieced quilts.

The Victorian Age: This era in American history ran from 1876 to 1914. In England, it had started earlier but we had just come out of the Civil War which slowed things down a bit! The rage of this time in quilting was the Victorian Crazy Quilt. Now the Crazy Quilt had been for some time the product of the more upper class women who could afford better materials. They were made from dresses that were so beautiful for the time which had graced the bodies up the more elite of society. But, the rest of the women soon adapted the design and used it on more easily attainable and affordable materials such as fallen, cotton and denim. Quilting remained very popular during this time frame – whether for decoration and to be shown off, or for practical ever-day use. Quilters started tied their quilts rather than stitch them; the batting was thicker.

Manufacturers were mass producing quilts and they were fairly affordable. The quality of the cotton decreased with lower and lower thread counts and inferior prints. The quilter began experimenting with different fabrics. Redwork quilts were popular during the Victorian Age and those called stuffed biscuit or puff quilts. At the end of this era, women were wanting to go back to quilting in the traditional way – simpler designs with more meaning.

Following is a link you might want to look at:

Graveyard Quilt at Boyd County: http://www.abcquiltalley.com/ This was designed in 1836 and is quite unusual. Fabric coffins were cut out and pinned at the bottom of the quilt. As a family member died, the names and date were stitched on a coffin and it was moved into the cemetery.

To be continued next week.

© Copyright 19 November 2009, Sandra K. Gorin