Becoming America: Thinking through Identity, Culture, and Traditions in Early America

The Price of Progress

Quilting: A Living Tradition

Many museums exist for the purpose of preserving objects, many of which are handmade and not produced anymore. These crafted objects represent traditions that most people no longer practice on a regular basis or for their livelihoods; for example, butter churning or yarn spinning. Some of these practices may seem too laborious or time consuming in an era when we can buy anything that we need on the internet and have it shipped to our house. But many other crafting traditions continue to thrive today, like quilting, which is also quite labor intensive. What makes quilting different?

View of eight quilts displayed in a museum gallery with a spinning wheel placed in the center of the room.

Photography © 2020 Fredrik Nilsen

Quilting: A Living Tradition

The craft of quilting—stitching three layers of fabric together and usually decorated with some kind of pattern—has been around since at least the thirteenth century and probably earlier. At first, quilts were created for utilitarian purposes as clothing or bed coverings for warmth. Over time, they became much more than bed or wall coverings and have become intricate and decorative works of art. Making them was an outlet for women’s creativity and a connection to generations of tradition. Even though sewing machines made the work easier, the basic process of joining pieces of fabric together with needle and thread has remained unchanged over the centuries. What has changed is the ways in which individuals and cultures have adapted the craft for their own uses. It is a tradition that has changed to fit the times and the people who craft, making it a living tradition. Adaptation could be a key to its survival as a craft and as an art form.

The quilts highlighted in this section demonstrate how quilts have changed over time and how some have stayed the same.

Quilting is a living tradition. Basic techniques have remained the same, but the craft has taken on different meanings depending on the quilter and the time period.

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