“You can always change things. Sometimes you don’t have no control over the way things go. Hail ruins the crops, or fire burns you out. And then you’re just given so much work within a life and you have to do the best you can with what you got. That’s what piecing is. The materials is passed on to you or is all you can afford to buy… that’s just what’s given to you. Your fate. But the way you put them together is your business.” [The Quilters, Women and Domestic Art, Patricia Cooper and Norma Bradley Buferd (New York, 1977), p 20]
These are the words of a quilter, an artist, a Texas pioneer woman blazing the trail for future generations. They are also the words of a woman blessed with the talent and unique opportunity of using quilting to piece together a legacy. As women quilters before her, she used her quilting as an analogy for life. These women were not domestic slaves chained to the rigors of running a household, but in fact were primary contributors to the building of a society, the shaping of the next generation, and the carving of a niche of history meant just for them. Some may argue that men had all the advantages in the 19th century. Some may quibble that women were pigeonholed into unfulfilling roles of domesticity. This, in fact, was not the case—particularly for quilters. They were functioning in domestic roles; roles that were far from unfulfilling and often were in great advantage over the roles of their male contemporaries.
The art of quilting finds its roots very early on in American history.
“From the time of the landing of the first settlers and the clearing of the land, the patchwork quilt played an important role in the establishing of homes amid unfamiliar surroundings. A strange blending of the twin goals of practicality and artistry, it served two purposes: the very physical necessity of keeping warm in rudely constructed, mud-daubed houses, and equally important, the creating of a quilt met a psychological need—serving as an outlet for the pioneer woman’s artistic and aesthetic longings.” [American Patchwork Quilts, Lenice Ingram Bacon, (New York, 1973) p 26]
We find that quilting served a two-fold purpose—utilitarian and artistic expression. These two basic purposes then made quilting a mainstay activity in households of the 18th and 19th centuries.
“[Quilting] became an art form that changed and was elaborated, a part of
women’s lives in every stratum of society.”[The Quilt Encyclopedia, Carter
Houck (New York, 1991), p 6]
Quilts became not just a means for warmth and protection from the elements, but an expression of creativity, a statement of status, and a symbol of love.
This symbolism of love that a quilt carried with it is quite powerful in 19th century society and in the blossoming communities throughout American during that time period. An early Texas settler recounts:
“When I was about four years old the neighbor’s baby died, and all the women was called in to help. Mama knew what her part was because right away she took some blue silk out of her hope chest. I remember that silk so well because it was special and I got to carry it. When we got to the neighbors some of the women was cooking and the men was making the casket. Mama and three other women set up the frame and quilted all day. First they quilted the lining for the casket, and then they made a tiny little quilt out of the blue silk to cover the baby.”
[Cooper, p. 49]
Quilts and quilting held a highly important position in the lives of 19th century Americans, both men and women. We may ask why.
“The quilt, that soft and tender and most personal of objects, accompanied Americans from cradle to grave.” [Hearts and Hands, the Influence of Women & Quilts on American Society, Pat Ferraro, (San Francisco, 1987) p. 18]
This inanimate object with its constant companionship became an all-encompassing symbol of security, love, and home. With all this meaning attached to quilts and quilting, it is little wonder that the quilt and the production of the quilt became so influential in the lives of 19th century men and women.
Because quilting was an activity prevalent in the 19th century household, children were raised around the production of these fine quilts. Girls, in particular, were encouraged to become active participants.
“The woman of bygone generations who did not make her own bedding and an abundance of it was practically unknown. To create with brain and fingers, with
needle and thread, goods of admittedly economic value, was perforce a part of a
woman’s job. A wife was an asset, and boys were not afraid to marry young. ‘Two
could live as cheaply as one’ in those days, and it was the working wife who
made this possible. Trained from babyhood that she might make good in the
marriage partnership, a girl was first taught sewing; and the first thing she
sewed was patchwork.” [Old Patchwork Quilts and the Women Who Made
Them, Ruth E. Finley (Massachusetts, 1981), p. 33]
The wife and manager of the household was not viewed as a domestic slave. She was viewed as an active and vital contributor to the well-being of the family unit. Her destiny was to be the builder of a home and the shaper of a new generation.
A woman’s production of quilts was a major contribution in utilitarian and economic terms. Husbands as well as wives recognized this priceless status of wife, mother, and manager of the household. Often husbands were very proud of their wives’ quilting talents and encouraged them in many ways. One woman, raised in the burgeoning frontier of Texas, speaks of a childhood experience in watching her mother quilt:
“My mama quilted every day until I was four and the third child was born… I remember standing in the doorway with my thumb in my mouth watching them.
Sometimes I waited and waited for the women to go home because I was hungry. But it wasn’t proper for a child to ask for food when there was company in the
house. Dad was always proud of Mama on quilting days. When he came inside from
work he would say how busy she had been. He knew that she had a hard and lonely
life; he was happy that she could enjoy quilting.” [Cooper, p. 29]
This revering pride most probably shown by many husbands, witnessed by many a young girl, helped to instill a feeling of self-worth and a pride in being a woman. The quilters were shaping the next generation’s sense of who they truly were as women.
Quilts were highly valuable teaching tools for women entrusted with providing a secular and spiritual education for their children. What a monumental yet rewarding task this must have been, and how fortunate these quilters were to teach through their personal artistic expression. How fortunate were the children, influenced by their mother’s loving devotion to her home, her family, and to her art of quilting. The influence of this creative expression cannot be fully measured.
Quilts were tools in spiritual and moral education.
“In Early American homes, reading material was limited, but the one book that could usually be found was the Bible. Bible stories were told to children from their earliest years, and Biblical names were very much a part of everyday life. As the variety of quilt patterns proliferated, it was natural that many of them should take on names with religious significance… These Bible-inspired patterns are not less popular today and are often incorporated into presentation quilts for ministers or banners for churches, as well as into family quilt albums… Some have sober designs, others are lighthearted, in the manner of colorful illustrations for children’s Bible stories.” [Houck, p 27]
Some quilts did not depict a specific Biblical story, but instead expressed valuable words of wisdom.
“They are most certainly designated by the makes and created with endless loving labor, probably in many cases for a young person going out into the world for the first time and presumably needing this moral encouragement.” [Houck p. 138]
The spirituality and morals of a new generation were being shaped through this loving and expressive art form of quilting.
Simple alphabet and number quilts used in their utilitarian function of warming and comforting were often the first exposure a child had to letters and numbers. Children began basic secular learning while wrapped in their “primer” so to speak. The hand of a woman made this “primer”, and it was a “primer” of love as well as one of creative expression.
The quilters also shaped the ideals and morals of their children through exposure to the quilting bee or circle. Because these gatherings of women were most often held in private residences, the children were exposed to the women’s conversations and choice of subject matter for the quilt itself. Sometimes the topic of conversation at these gatherings was trivial in nature.
“But it was not only romance, gossip, and small talk that held the attention of the ladies who made the quilts and attended the quilting parties. With few newspapers to circulate current events, here was the chance to learn the latest bits of news. Ideas, too, were exchanged, and it can be safely said that the quiltings were forerunners of today’s women’s clubs. Many a quilt name bears testimony that our foremothers took an interest in the changing social and political scenes: White House Steps, Lincoln’s Platform, Slave Cabin, Confederate Rose, Dolley Madison’s Star, Rose of Dixie, Whig Rose, Mexican Rose, Democratic Rose, Old Tippecanoe, Clay’s Choice, Mrs. Cleveland’s Choice.” [Bacon, p 88]
Small ears overheard this opinion-shaping talk, and small eyes watched the hands of the quilters express political views in patterns and designs. The quilters were shaping the minds of the next generation to be more socially and politically aware.
The quilters were also reshaping the minds of the current generation and becoming more aware themselves.
“As women expanded their thinking, the quiltings took on significance, that was of great moment. A new movement was stirring and the idea of Women’s Rights was taking root. By the 1850’s, women were giving time and effort to causes such as anti-slavery and temperance, and naturally these were heatedly discussed around the quilting frames.” [Bacon, p 88]
Their quilt patterns and designs, in addition to their discussion, reflected this awareness. Women found themselves in a unique position. These informal forums allowed them to explore new ideas without the need to conform to popular consensus. The quilts allowed them a medium to express those new ideas in a way that would reach out to any beholder of the finished piece.
Women were often the only ones bold enough to broach a subject that did not conform to the opinions of the popular consensus—the topic of slavery being one of the first.
“Slavery was avoided as a subject by most literary men in America, and it was women who often drew attention to the abolitionist cause.” [Women, Art and Society, Whitney Chadwick (New York, London, 1990), p 193]
Harriet Beecher Stowe took up the gauntlet in the literary circle and women throughout America took up the gauntlet in their quilting circles. Traditional patterns were renamed to heighten awareness of the abolitionist cause.
“The old pattern Job’s Tears became known as the Slave Chain in the 1800’s when slavery was the paramount subject of the day and both men and women transferred their deep concern into social action.” [Bacon, p 71]
This pattern carried with it a legacy of being a politically motivating force.
“The same pattern later became Texas Tears when Texas was the topic of national interest. Still later is was rechristened the Endless Chain.” [Bacon, p 71]
In another instance, the pattern Jacob’s Ladder was renamed Underground Railroad by women wishing to bring attention to the anti-slavery movement.
Political quilts were prevalent and cast unofficial votes for candidates and causes that the women did not yet have the right to cast a ballot in favor of or against. During the Civil War women outspokenly stated their allegiance to the North or the south through their quilts. War quilts became common and were still made through the end of World War II.
Women also used quilts to express their views on the temperance movement and to push it forward.
This highly evident infusing of quilts and heightened social and political awareness makes one question which gender had the true power to reshape thinking and motivate action. It is evident how influential the quilt was in a household and community and how husbands valued a quilter’s role and the quilts themselves. However, the next logical question then is: were the public debates the influence on the quilters, the quilting circle discussions, and the quilt that were produced or was it the other way around? Were the private quilting circle discussions the roots of the larger male-dominated debates the public forums? Did the husbands of the 19th century adopt the social and political reforming views of the quilting women after being influenced by the quilting circles and the quilts produced in them? Did the simple presence of a politically or socially relevant quilt design influence the members of the household that participated in the public debate forums of the day? One has to wonder. We often view the quilts and quilting circle discussions to be born of public male-dominated opinion, but in the case of the abolitionist movement as well as in the case of the temperance movement, both subjects were not tackled publicly first by the influential men of the time. Instead, the subjects were broached by women fed up with the silent cowardice of their male contemporaries.
“Women who were formerly dismissed as sentimentalists are now championed as ‘domestic feminists.’ The lady in antebellum society was not merely a myth or a phantom but a powerful ideal.” [The Other Civil War, American Women in the Nineteenth Century, Catherine Clinton (New York, 1984), p 53]
These women quilters also had a unique position over the men, husbands, and fathers that were out of the home the majority of the day and more separated from the influencing and rearing of the young children that would make up the next generation. By the time a youth possibly spent significant time in the fields or working alongside their father in the family trade, many of their formative experiences had already been at their mother’s knee in environments such as the quilting bees and circles occurring in the home.
The minds that went on to move the nation forward politically, socially, and technologically were initially shaped by women. Patiently creating quilts of love and expression, these women reared their children alongside their handiwork. They were the fortunate ones that claimed the roles of mothers, teachers, and mentors.
Quilting, was a seed for change instead of a blossom of change. The quilters were the piecers of a history and a legacy, of a new ideal and a new generation. They were the hands that pieced a nation.
I have just created and released this new scrapbooking layout background entitled "Autumnal Thankgiving". This layout features my own original photography, not purchased stock.
