Historians At Quilt Museums Debunk Some Myths Surrounding Some Beloved Textiles

Historians At Quilt Museums Debunk Some Myths Surrounding Some Beloved Textiles

by Cynthia Wagner

If a family quilt has ever been handed down to you from a beloved grandmother or great grandmother, you know how much people cherish their heirlooms. Over the years, myths have come to be associated with this quintessentially American art form. Historians and <a href="www.nequiltmuseum.org/exhibitions.html">quilt museums</a> have carefully researched some of the most popular myths and come up with some interesting observations.

To a large extent quilts shape our understanding of this country's beginnings. We imagine hard working Colonial women lovingly stitching bed covers from scraps of old clothes and remnants of discarded materials, underscoring the virtue of thrift. Many believe some quilts held secret messages during the period of slavery, offering instructions for runaway slaves hunting the Underground Railroad.

Scrap bags, where housewives keep bits of cloth leftover from sewing projects, may be a modern myth. This fits in with our view of colonists who had to use ingenuity and hard work to create everyday objects. The fact is that most of these early quilts were made from whole cloth. It was not your everyday fabric either. These quilts came from expensive imported fabric instead of scraps. Quilting from scraps didn't come into the picture until after the Industrial Revolution.

It is commonly believed that colonial women made quilts. This fits our picture of Americans with limited resources but plenty of resilience. Historians have found this to be fairly rare. In colonial times, textiles were expensive commodities. It was only after industry technology made mass produced cloth affordable that cutting up material and sewing it back together made economic sense.

Another myth still active today, is that quilting is a skill that only interests women. Even feminists have taken the art of quilting and pointed out the ways in which it demonstrates the ingenuity and practicality of early American women. The fact is that there are a number of extremely talented male quilt designers and professional quilters. They have work hanging in museums just like their female counterparts do.

Many believe quilting is an exclusively American craft. American quilting is distinctive and has characteristics that make it unique. There are designs early American quilters borrowed from England and France though. One of them is the mosaic patchwork pattern many quilters still use today. Mongolia is the site of some of the earliest quilted textiles. They have been traced back to the first century.

There is a persistent myth that surrounds quilts made during the Civil War. The story goes that quilters involved in assisting runaway slaves sewed secret code into their quilts in order to send messages and instructions regarding passage on the Underground Railroad. This story apparently has no basis in fact. Historians now believe it originated with an individual family.

Most people love quilts. They are reminders of a time long gone. The stories that have built up around them through the years may or may not be true. Either way people love the idea of the history they represent.



If you are searching for the facts about <a href="http://www.nequiltmuseum.org/exhibitions.html">quilt museums</a>, come to our web pages today. More details are available at http://www.nequiltmuseum.org/exhibitions.html now.

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