American Quilters Are an Important Part of Our Culture
By Mike Selvon
Americans have a tendency to make their history a bit more colorful and happy
than it probably was for those early settlers. Because of the lack of
resources it is likely that if one of the woman did make a quilt, it was
probably a very simple quilt, because of the lack of fabric or even patterns.
Thus, the quilters at that time were probably not really even quilters,
rather just women who sewed out of necessity. But since they did sew, they
still deserve to be described as the first American quilters.
By the time the women had all of their chores and rearing duties finished, it
was probably well after dark and the only light source would have been from a
candle or the fireplace, which would have been much too dim for stitching.
So, this debunks the myth that the beautiful quilting style we see today was
started by quilters in the colonial days.
Besides, in those days there was very little fabric available. It is a myth
that quilting was a pastime in colonial days. If there were quilts made, then
they were likely very simple quilts and were made out of necessity, not
enjoyment.
It is more likely that the social gatherings that are referred to as
"quilting bees" started occurring in the late 1800s. By this time fabric was
available to most families because the textile industry had grown. That is
probably when quilting became more common among American women, thus the term
American Quilters.
Somewhere around this time the quilting frame was developed, which made for
much easier quilting. It is also probably when the real quilting bees began
to take place.
Today, quilting is not common in every house or even every family, although
there is probably a quilt in nearly every home. Quilting in today's world is
much easier than it was in early times. There are quilting machines, there
are quilting books, and there are even quilting sets and quilting kits.
Most of the hard work is done for you. The quilting that is done today is
still very beautiful and elegant. We often give baby quilts as gifts to a new
baby. A handmade quilt may be given as wedding gift to newlyweds and often,
handmade quilts are passed on for generations. So, although the American
Quilters and their history may not be the image that we often have in our
heads, they are still a very important part of our culture.
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