American Tradition
by Gail Ann

Since the early eighteenth century American women have created a unique way to express themselves. Their talent came part from need itself, and part from a need to find a creative outlet. Having limited access to fabric they had to make every scrap count, thus the tiniest scraps were saved to piece together with other scraps to create quilts for warmth. I imagine the first quilt was created just for that purpose alone, warmth, with little thought to the finished pattern, but as time passed, women discovered these scraps of cloth could create beauty of its own. This need and creativity gave birth to a new art form - the American patchwork quilts.

Many women found an avenue of expression for their emotions by translating them into quilt patterns. Wonderful designs such as "Crown of Thorns", "Star of Bethlehem" and "World Without End" came to be as women poured their hearts and souls into those small bits of cloth. The Song of Solomon provided the inspiration for one young bride's quilt: "As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons." She named her quilt "The Rose of Sharon."

Only someone who has spent hundreds of hours piecing together a single quilt by hand can really understand the true passion behind each stitch, but anyone with an eye for beauty can appreciate the art to be found in a well made quilt. The ability to design, to manipulate color, harmonize, scale and create geometric form are skills inherent in the best quilter. The choice of color and materials can make an amazing difference in the look of a quilt.

The two sets of samples below show how differently one pattern can look using different color/fabric combinations. The two quilts on the left I refer to as "Grandmother's Star." I"m sure there is a specific name for the pattern and I could look it up in one of my many quilt reference books, but that would take from it's special meaning to me. It was my grandmothers favorite design and she made it over and over, each time using whatever materials were at hand causing each quilt to look completely different. The quilts on the right, "Bear Paw Quilts", were made for a set of siblings, same pattern but completely different color schemes reflecting each child's desires.

While early quilters might have had no training, their inner talent and desire enabled them to create true works of art that to this day hang in museums across the southeast. If you should have the opportunity, you should visit Paducah, Kentucky as it hosts one of the most magnificent quilt museums you can imagine. They hold both old and new pieces of art representative of the quilts created throughout the ages. This is also an avenue for many quilters across the nation to sell their art. While I was still able to part with mine, I often submitted finished quilts for sale to them. I haven't sold a quilt for many years though, mostly because as my talent increased so did my involvement in my work. The later pieces I have created have become both a part of my soul and a permanent part of my home. I haven't been a member of the American Quilter's Society for a number of years, but know they are still strong.

Quilts are regarded as significant reflections of our country's history from the 1700's. While quilting may be found in many areas of the world, it is the American women who have developed the true patchwork quilt as an art form. The patterns, materials and subject matter evoke specific eras showing changes through time. Overall though, the traditional patterns created and stitched by our ancestors are still loved and created anew today. The wedding ring is a strong sample of such love and tradition. Made with the love of a mother for her daughter, interlinking rings were sewn together with love and given to the wedding couple on the day of their union. Today, across the south, many grandmothers and mothers still make this beautiful quilt design remembering it's warm beginnings and its meaning.

Generally, a quilt will have three layers, the decorative top, the lining and a backing. These three layers are joined by either stitching or tying. The stitching, if done by a master quilter, is an art in itself and can add an additional beauty to compliment the pieced top or can even be created as an art of its own by simply stitching the three layers with an intricate design. Generally though, only the most talented would attempt to create a quilt of stitch design alone. The quilt below, "Mystic Maze," is pictured front and back to show how wonderfully the stitching itself can create a beauty of its own.

Most work their art into the top layer by piecing or appliqueing fabric into the design they see in their mind. A patchwork quilt is created by taking various pieces of cloth and working them together into an artistic design. I can remember in my early years of quilting laughing when a friend once told me, "I don't understand? You take perfectly good pieces of fabric, cut them into the tiniest of pieces, only to sew them back together again?" Of course she hadn't yet seen one of my finished quilts and when she did she was quick to marvel at the art that had been created.

To truly appreciate the precision of working with tiny scraps of cloth, consider that if the measurement of just one edge of one piece is not perfectly cut, aligned and sewn, the plan and shape of the entire quilt can be jeopardized. The picture at the right shows a pattern called "The Star of Bethlehem." It is composed of over 2700 pieces of cloth cut into diamonds measuring only 1.75 inches. If you had the opportunity to examine the quilt up close you would see that no seam is misaligned, and all pieces are perfectly cut, placed and sewn. The larger image (obtained by clicking on the small icon) will show more detail, but a quilt can only really be appreciated by touching it and holding it close for inspection.

As an example of the feelings behind a design you should look to the quilting in the open areas on the "Star of Bethlehem" above. I created each design with three thoughts in mind that I wished to work into this quilt. In the center square panels there are two alternating sets of eagle designs, one of an eagle holding olive leaves symbolic of peace, the other of an eagle in flight symbolic of freedom. These eagles and the thousands of diamonds were eventually surrounded by numerous designs of roses symbolic of love. In the top image shown above, the quilt was four years old yet still unfinished. Many years, and many drops of blood were put into the completion of this masterpiece and it now rests proudly on my own bed.

Other examples of star quilts are shown below. The star is one of many geometric shapes that women have embellished and drawn from to create exquisite designs. The two stars on the left represent one of my most popular quilts while I had my "Patchwork Shop". I averaged making and selling at least twelve of these designs per year (in addition to other orders) in various color combinations and variations. I called them my "Lone Star" quilts and there are many of them adorning beds across the nation. The other quilt was made by my husbands grandmother and is a sample of a "Starburst." The names of a quilt generally reflect either the design of the quilt, the feelings of the quilter, or both.

Another form of patchwork quilting involves appliqueing, or sewing one piece of cloth over top of another to create special designs, and sometimes to give depth. This method is also used for many designs that cannot be pieced because of their shapes. These three quilts are examples of applique work. The first, titled "Apples," was created for a friend that wanted lots of apples, all shapes, all sizes but somehow to have uniformity. She was kind enough to loan my work back to me to enter in the county fair in 1983. It won first place in it's category and ‘Third Best of Show' (behind my Star of Bethlehem and my flower quilt below) The second quilt was also made as a special order, created with lots of love, time and blood. It is a variation of the "Ohio Rose" design. This quilt placed ‘Best of Show' at the Tri-County Fair in 1983. The third quilt, "Tulips," was reproduced from an heirloom that hangs in a museum in Denver, Colorado. The museum was gracious enough to allow us an image and permission to reproduce this design.

Another fun side to quilting that can cause aggravation to some is what to do with leftover pieces? Often a quilter finds themselves with odd pieces and blocks. Perhaps the blocks were made with the intention of creating a specific design or size, but somewhere along the way, either it wasn't finished or it was changed, leaving you with blocks and bits. I inherited many such blocks and bits from my grandmother when she passed away. These blocks and bits were lovingly turned into pillows, place mats and other small treasures to adorn my home.

One such ‘leftover' bit was begun by my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Luticia Cook Wells (1884-1946). She worked hours on end sewing the half inch squares together to create a design known as "Trip Around The World." She died of bone cancer in 1946 and was unable to finish the top. Many of her last hours were spent lovingly piecing the last few blocks as she lay in her bed. Just before her death she gave the top to my mother who then kept it as a cherished memento of this woman she loved so much. Mother worked off and on adding more tiny blocks throughout her life until she moved from South Carolina to Washington in the early 1980's. She had recently been working on adding more pieces and had somehow left it behind in the home we purchased from them. Upon finding the quilt I found myself caught in a delima. I knew it to be the most treasured possession of my mother, and yet the quilter in me felt such desire to see this work of my ancestors finished. I didn't tell my mother that I had found it, instead I added a boarder of muslim, designed the quilting pattern, layered it, and began the final stages of quilting. I then hung it proudly on my wall in anticipation of my mother's upcoming visit. I held my breath as she walked in the door. She saw the quilt immediately and for moments neither of us spoke. Her gaze was held steadfast on the quilt, while I could not take my eyes from her. I thought surely she would begin crying and went to hug her assuring her that this work of art was hers to take home, but that I had felt after all these years it must be finished and had done so, not in the manner intended by my great-grandmother, but finished into a treasured heirloom just the same. When my mother recovered from the initial shock, she smiled, sighed, then said, "No honey, I think that quilt has found it's home, and I know it will always be loved."

One last work of art I would enjoy sharing with you is a piece I am still working on. It was inspired by my participation in a group called the "SCA" (Society of Creative Anachronism). They reenact the middle ages and I've found them to be a wonderful outlet for creativity. I designed the piece below to be a banner for display in encampments and events representing the group with which I ‘play.' They are called ‘The Barony of Hidden Mountain' and are part of the ‘Kingdom of Atlantia' (makes a lot more sense once you learn more of the SCA). The quilted banner represents many of the art forms I've learned through my years. It combines applique, embroidery and stitched design done with both color and matching threads to create a unique piece of work in itself. The green shield in the lower center of the banner is my own heraldry (as Lady Isabella), approved by the Kingdom Herold. It is far from finished, but still a lovely piece of art even in it's unfinished state of existence.

In viewing heirlooms, and high quality handmade quilts, you can't help but examine the quilting needle work done. It would have been one thing if the quilting had been done by machine, but to realize that it was done in a running stitch with an ordinary needle, the left hand under the quilt and the right hand sewing, with no control save that of the quilter.... words cannot describe the intricacy of such stitching. To create such a quilt is a monumental achievement; to own such a quilt is a priceless experience.

The most incredible thing about a quilt, whether an heirloom or newly made, is tangible. The artistry of the design may be spellbinding, the superb craftsmanship may announce itself like a blare of trumpets, and the beauty of the pieces may evoke memories of days past, but it is the eternal quality of love that makes a quilt. No one ever made a quilt, or gave a quilt, without giving of themselves.