My Sewing Info

For as long as man has known how to turn fibers into cloth, there have been quilts. The earliest quilted garment was found in a tomb in Egypt. Medieval knights had quilted undergarments to protect them from their metal suits of armor. Quilted garments were a luxury that  only the wealthy could afford. Even in Colonial America this was true. It was easy to weave a blanket because they were weaving homespun fabric for clothing.

In the mid-1800′s, New England’s textile mills started producing printed fabrics. This was used primarily for clothing and quilts were made from scraps and old garments. The colors were drab, and many women dyed their own fabrics using whatever they had at hand, such as walnut shells, plants and flowers. The women also had to create their own batts by carding unspun wool. However, most times old blankets were used.

As people moved west and homesteaded their new land claims, quilting preserved memories of loved ones left behind. Often quilts were made from scraps of clothing of loved ones. Memory blocks were embroidered with loved ones names, and these were given as going away presents. When settled, sewing was often a survival skill, making items for home use, with very little decorative stitching.

Once quilts were pieced, it was time for ‘putting in’, and that  meant an important social event.  Quilting Bees were opportunities for women to get together and visit, sharing food and catching up on news. It was also a chance to get together without their menfolk, and  they could speak freely with each other.

When Queen Victoria married in 1840, young brides wanted a dress like hers, and crazy quilts with rich brocades and satins and velvets became popular. When her husband died in 1861, somber greys and blacks started showing up in scrap quilts. At the end of WW I, quilters became interested in Colonial quilts, and created these patterns in florals and botanical prints. During the Great Depression, there was no excess fabric to be found, so scrap quilts became popular again. Feedsacks, flour sacks and sugar bags were were made from soft, woven fabric, and these were made into quilts, curtains, clothing, and dresses.

Today’s quilter can choose from thousands of quilt patterns, both contemporary and traditional, and a vast array of fabrics. Browsing the internet will also turn up many vintage fabrics along with feedsacks and colorful cotton sacks. Online auctions will have homespuns from the 1800′s, and vintage quilts are collectible.

Quilts remind us of our heritage.  The women in our past showed us that difficult times can be met with creativity. They persevered and worked with what they had. In this day, with the many choices we have, we need to remember them. Search for old quilts and quilt patterns. Try your hand at embroidery, and make a crazy quilt, or used home-spuns and make a colonial style quilt. Or make a memory quilt using your family tree as inspiration.