The Quilt: A Stitch in Time

by Cathy Conley
Excerpted with the permission of the Braintree (Massachusetts) Forum

Quilts are cloth history books. They have chronicled life in America for centuries. They were exercises in frugality in the eighteenth century, examples of domesticity in the nineteenth century, objects of disdain by women's rights activists in the early twentieth century, and then embraced as precious folk art as the twenty-first century arrived.

The history of quilting comes alive at "The Fabric of the Nation," a display at the Braintree Historical Society's Gilbert Bean Museum. The work of Assistant Curator Jennifer Potts, the display chronicles the quilt in America from the eighteenth century to the twentieth century.

"Quilting is one of America's most unique and significant folk art forms. It's been part of the daily lives of generations of American women and has occupied a central place in the home since the early Colonial days," Potts said. "So much of people's lives are entwined in their quilts."

Nine historical and three teaching quilts are on display. There is also a diorama on a quilt in progress and a collection of books on the subject.

The teaching quilts show the three basic types; the pieced quilt; the appliqued quilt, also called the patched or laid on quilt; and the quilted counterpane.

The pieced quilt is made of pieces of fabric cut after patterns, which are then sewn together to form a block of design which is often repeated. Dating back to ancient Greece, the applique quilt is a type of decorative fabric work in which pieces of material are sewn onto a background material to create a picture or a pattern. The quilted counterpane uses only one piece of material and relies on the skillful sewing of the surface of the quilt itself to create raised areas of decoration. Nearly all quilts made in America before 1750 were pieced quilts, and it is still the most popular type today.

"The pieced quilt was a familiar sight in the houses of early America. Economy mattered. Waste was frowned upon. Every scrap of material was precious. Women prided themselves on their ability to use even the tiniest scrap," Potts said.

Prior to 1750 in America, the quilt was a practical, utilitarian article. Most were made from wool. Clothing was worn and repaired for many years before finally being cut up and recycled into quilt covers. Little by little, imported cottons such as chintz, calico, and palampores were available, resulting in more colorful quilt covers, and patchwork became an art form.

Housewives spent long hours making colorful quilts. They were stacked up on the beds with the most attractive one on top. Daughters began making samplers by the time they were seven, Potts said.

Young women made a dozen quilts for their hope chests, then a thirteenth for their wedding. "Often the fiancé had a hand in planning the wedding quilt," Potts said. This tradition lasted well into the 1800s.

Traditional designs were often used and re-used by succeeding generations without variation until after the Revolution. As different groups began to venture west, quilt patterns were shared and variations on traditional patterns flourished. Names were just as diverse and creative, taking their inspiration from religion, jobs, people, nature, even politics. Devil's claw, mariner's compass, broken dishes, crazy Ann, spider web, and Jackson star are just a few of the pattern names.

Quilting became a welcome opportunity to socialize. Quilting bees were an occasion to get together with friends and share news and gossip. It was also a way for women to meet men. Husbands and sons often shared in the sewing and quilting tasks, just as women helped in the fields and with the animals. Single men attended quilting bees hoping to meet a future spouse.

During the Victorian era, domesticity in women was encouraged. Quilting was part of the school curriculum. The quilts of these times were elaborately embroidered and even hand painted. Two types of quilts reflected the times: the album quilt and the crazy quilt.

Album quilts were a way for families to preserve treasured moments and could be made from fragments of wedding dresses, children's garments, clothing from deceased family members, even political ribbons.

The autograph quilt was a variation of the album and contained hand-written passages from friends and relatives who quilted together.

An autographed friendship quilt from the Victorian era is on display. "Six friends from Braintree and Randolph made this quilt together," Potts said. Each signed it in ink on a square on the bottom. One signer, Susan Stoddard, added, "You'll not forget me" with the date. Friendship quilts were often made to commemorate someone leaving a group.

The crazy quilt was popular in America from 1860 to 1910 and was made from pieces of silk and velvet. Crazy quilts were a feature of the Victorian bedroom, but also occupied a place in the parlor where they were referred to as lap robes. Most quilts have a repetitive pattern, but the crazy quilt was random and haphazard.

Magnificent quilts from the Victorian era are on display. One is a vibrantly colored velvet, silk, and brocade appliqued lap robe in a gridshaped pattern with red, blue, and gold tassels on the edges. A second is an equally beautiful log cabin pattern in the finest printed cotton and silk, decorated with intricate feather stitching.

Hanging on one wall of the Braintree museum is a huge red and white quilt in the drunkard's path pattern. The patches are deliberately twisted and slightly off center. It looks like it is hung incorrectly and a good tug would straighten it. The sides of the quilt are sewn by machine. The front and back are fastened together by ties pulled through the fabric.

Another appliqued quilt on display is from Hawaii. In the 1800s the wives of missionaries taught quilting to the women of Hawaii. Soon, these quilts took on the designs of the exotic plants and flowers native to the country. The quilt belonged to William Milo Olin, the secretary of state in Massachusetts from 1891 to 1911.

Quilting came under fire from the women's liberation movement at the turn of the twentieth century because it was associated with the subjugation of women. It made a comeback during the 1920s when urbanization and economic prosperity spawned a renewed concern among Americans for remembering and preserving the country's past. Then the Depression encouraged people to revisit the frugality of their ancestors.

Quilting is now considered an important part of the fabric of American culture and is a popular hobby practiced by millions of people all over the world, Potts said.

This article appeared in the Braintree Forum on January 17, 2001. Assistant Curator Jennifer Potts graduated from the Harvard Extension School with a Certificate in Museum Studies in November 1997.