The patchwork quilt was the product of long winter nights on the farm in the days when bad roads bound the family to the confines of the homestead. Conceived in thrift, it became, in time, an artistic outlet, a means of self-expression. It was usually made for show and not for use. It was folded away in mothballs, to be given as a wedding present or passed on to a second generation. Sometimes it was displayed on the guest room bed or brought out for Sunday afternoon guests to admire.
Scraps of cloth left over from the material used in making aprons, dresses, and shirts were saved. The design was chosen and the pieces cut, matched, and stored away. They were sewed together by hand, a figure at a time. After the design was completed neighbor women were invited to a quilting bee. The backing of muslin or silk was placed on the quilting frame, the cotton or wool batting spread over it and quilted to the design. Care was taken that the stitches were uniform. The smaller the individual pieces of cloth, the more valuable the quilt. Sometimes the pieces were outlined by fancy crisscross stitches in silk thread. An all-silk quilt in intricate design set a woman high in a community.
When neighbors were invited to a quilting bee they went, come hell or high water. If they didn't they knew they would be torn apart. That is one reason for the inexhaustible number of quilts in the country.
A good quilter could recite the history and origin of every piece in her favorite quilt. Designs tended to become standardized within the family and within the community. From the South came designs such as "Dixie Rose," "Honeysuckle," "General Lee's Rose," and "Cannon Ball." From Revolutionary ancestors have come such titles as "The Pannier," or basket, which was supposed to have been brought over by Benjamin Franklin from the French Court, and the "Fleur-de-lis" or "Iris," which was of French origin. In the American highlands of Kentucky and Tennessee, where some of the best quilts were, and are now made, designs have been handed down for generations. Stained and yellowed, they are the only legacy these gaunt people have from their heroic past. Every substantial family has one or two.
The winning quilts from the Cherokee
Nation Quilt Show, 2025.
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