Quilting Tradition Down Home

The first time I had anything significant published was back in 1986 in The State magazine, later to become Our State. The article told about quilting in North Carolina. I photographed two of the quilts shown in the article. This was the first manuscript I sent out, and it was published right away. I had plenty of rejections afterwards, but the fact that I had one published kept me going and likely gave me an advantage when querying other editors.

Here is a condensed, revised version of that article:

When we think of quilts, we usually picture a peaceful, cozy, comfortable home where quilts were used for warmth. North Carolina and the southern states are certainly rich in their quilt heritage, but the history of quilting differs in the different regions. In areas that were settled early, quilting bees became a regular social activity and were often church related. In more remote areas and areas that were settled later, such as the mountains, solitary quilting or quilting between family members became more common.

The majority of early quilts were made to be practical and provide warmth. My Grandmother Cole felt this way. She could never see the sense in "cutting cloth into all those little pieces just to sew them back together again." She preferred to sew together the larger pieces of cloth, often feed sacks she'd saved, and quilt them quickly in straight lines. However, women also made some "best quilts" to keep for gifts, special occasions, or guests, and it was these quilts that were handed down and remain with us today. The utilitarian quilts were well used and wore out.

Quilt patterns were collected, swapped, and handed down in much the same way as recipes. Yet, many quilters used several basic patterns they liked for most of their quilting. Appliqued quilts often became the ones kept, because they usually required some purchased cloth. Patchwork or pieced quilts were common, because they could be made from small scraps "on hand." There's some evidence that woman began housekeeping with enough bed covering from gifts or hope chests. Eventually, these wore out, and many quilters often tended to be approaching middle age and older.

The actual quilting or sewing the three layers together was done on a large quilt frame, where the entire quilt was stretched out and rolled from the sides as it was stitched. These would either be hung from the rafters where they could be pulled up out of the way or, more likely, set up on straight chair backs or specially made stands.

For a period of time around the eighties, there was a resurgence in quilting and renewed interest in quilt history. Many states, including North Carolina, had quilt projects to document quilts and quilters. Today quilting may not be as popular, but the quilts themselves are often even more valuable.

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