The Heritage of Heirloom Quilts

Family quilts offer more than mere physical warmth; they connect us to other people associated with these objects of comfort and love. A beautiful heirloom quilt can evoke cherished memories of family members and tie us to the past. A lovingly handmade quilt passed down through generations can be a priceless, irreplaceable treasure.

Although quilting techniques have been around for centuries, the earliest creations were whole-cloth quilts. The top of the quilt was a single piece of fabric which was quilted to the batting and fabric backing. The quilting stitches themselves were the decoration, and might include elaborate embroidery. Creating quilted blankets and apparel was considered the pastime of wealthy women who had leisure time. The average housewife was too busy spinning, weaving, and sewing for her home and family to indulge in the time-consuming process of making quilted blankets; woven coverlets were more economical and practical.

In Colonial America, needles and thread were expensive, and cotton was not readily available (the cotton gin was invented in 1793). Most fabrics used were silks, linen, and wool. Quilts were almost always made from wool, and not usually made from cast-off clothing as commonly believed. There may have been some quilts made from old clothing, but it is more likely they were made from fabric woven for that purpose, or from sewing scraps. Backings were usually made of linen.

As pioneers moved westward, the relocating family often received a friendship quilt made by remaining family members and friends as a parting gift. Loved ones often died while making the arduous journey. There wasn't always time or resources available to build a coffin, and so the deceased would be wrapped and buried in a quilt as a cherished token of the family's love.

The industrial revolution made textiles readily available and affordable for the ordinary housewife, freeing her from hours of spinning and weaving each day and giving her time to indulge in more creative outlets. Fabrics were manufactured on a large scale and dyes improved, giving the housewife a huge variety of colors and prints to choose from.

Block style quilts became the dominant form in the mid-1800's. Small pieces of various colors and prints were sewn into block shapes. Identical blocks were sewn together to form an all-over pattern on the quilt top. Symbolic block patterns would mark significant events; a newly-married couple might receive a quilt in the "Double Wedding Ring" pattern. Sometimes different pattern blocks were sewn into a "pattern quilt" as a way for the housewife to keep all her patterns handy for reference.

A few quilt block patterns were published in the early 1800's, but many women designed their own or used patterns designed by other quilters they were acquainted with. In the late 1800's, published patterns became more widely available, and patterns common to one region could be created by women all over the country. Collecting patterns became a hobby among quilters, and a free afternoon might be spent at the neighbor's farm admiring and swapping pattern blocks.

Quilting offered an acceptable social activity for women of the time. Creating a quilt top was a craft that many women could work on together. Housewives would gather at "quilting bees," which gave them the opportunity to socialize, share child-rearing tips, recipes, or even discuss politics. A group of women might create a quilt as a political statement, and raffle it off to support various causes, such as abolition or temperance. Quilts were sold to support Civil War causes or distributed to soldiers to offer them warmth and comfort.

During the Civil War era, new fabric was in short supply and scrap quilts became popular. Known as "crazy quilts," these were a return to times when coverlets would be patched as they wore out, with whatever fabric scraps were handy. Irregularly shaped scraps of fabric, often from cast-off clothing, were sewn together with no planned design or arrangement. Crazy quilts often had lavish, whimsical embroidery along the seam lines.

Many silk quilts were also made during the Civil War era. Silks imported from the Orient had come down in price, and most women had at least one silk dress. Silk dresses weren't practical during the war, however, since the men were away and women had to endure hard work and shortages. A quilt made of silk and menswear would bring back memories of balls and parties, and better times before the war.

As life got easier after the war, and women had more time on their hands for leisure activities, quilting became more creative. "Impractical" quilts of silk and satin became the rage, often embellished with beads, ribbons, embroidery and hand-painted blocks. Many designs showed an Oriental influence. The introduction of the sewing machine made sewing less time-consuming. Women took advantage of the straight-line stitching the machine offered, and many quilts of the era had hand-stitched tops but were machine-quilted.

As the country entered WWII, and many women began working outside the home, the interest in quilting waned. A resurgence began in the year of the Bicentennial, 1976, with the growing interest in the founding of our country and its cultural heritage.

Heirloom quilts pass on the individual heritage of each family. Quilts created from sewing scraps or the cast-off clothing themselves may remind us of our cousin's sixteenth birthday party long ago, or bring back memories of Grandma's apron she always wore whether she was in the kitchen or not! Passed down through generations, family quilts can remind us of our own family heritage and bring back fond memories of time spent with loved ones.