quilt history questions

I'm going to my girls' kindergarten classes tomorrow, to talk about Quilts
(it's Qq week). I'd like to tell the children a little about the history of
quilt making, and since one of the teachers is getting married in a few
days, I think they'd be interested in how young women used to make quilts
(or at least tops) for their bridal trousseau. I can't remember the time
period for this, or how many quilts were made. Anybody know?

I did find some information on how quilts were used in the wagon journeys
West - for seat cushions, to ward off dust, and as door coverings in dugouts
or lean-tos. I think I'll skip the part about burying the dead in a quilt
because they had no coffins.

What other info might 5 and 6 year olds be interested in?

I'm looking forward to this, and I'll let you all know how it goes.

--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
De-STUFF email address to reply

I just read that in one of Jennifer Chiaverini's books. The bride to be
would make 12 tops and then make a special fancy one to show off her
fine skills. Then there would be a bee and the friends would all help
quilt them up. (sounds much more fun than silly shower games and
toasters to me!). How true this is I don't know but I would think it
would have been the way in some places. (book was 1858 in Pennsylvania)

Isn't the first time anyone sleeps under a quilt supposed to be a time
when they make a wish?

Kids were learning to stitch blocks by 5 and 6 in the 'old' days. Seems
books mention kids liking to sit under the frame and listen to the women
chatter and gossip.
HTH, sounds like a fun time.
Taria

frood wrote:
I'm going to my girls' kindergarten classes tomorrow, to talk about Quilts
(it's Qq week). I'd like to tell the children a little about the history of
quilt making, and since one of the teachers is getting married in a few
days, I think they'd be interested in how young women used to make quilts
(or at least tops) for their bridal trousseau. I can't remember the time
period for this, or how many quilts were made. Anybody know?

I did find some information on how quilts were used in the wagon journeys
West - for seat cushions, to ward off dust, and as door coverings in dugouts
or lean-tos. I think I'll skip the part about burying the dead in a quilt
because they had no coffins.

What other info might 5 and 6 year olds be interested in?

I'm looking forward to this, and I'll let you all know how it goes.

Wendy,

Have you seen this?

http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=241

It's for 3rd to 5th grade, but it might give you some ideas.

Tricia
http://photos.yahoo.com/momiixii



frood wrote:
I'm going to my girls' kindergarten classes tomorrow, to talk about Quilts
(it's Qq week). I'd like to tell the children a little about the history of
quilt making, and since one of the teachers is getting married in a few
days, I think they'd be interested in how young women used to make quilts
(or at least tops) for their bridal trousseau. I can't remember the time
period for this, or how many quilts were made. Anybody know?

I did find some information on how quilts were used in the wagon journeys
West - for seat cushions, to ward off dust, and as door coverings in dugouts
or lean-tos. I think I'll skip the part about burying the dead in a quilt
because they had no coffins.

What other info might 5 and 6 year olds be interested in?

I'm looking forward to this, and I'll let you all know how it goes.

Wendy:
I think the young girls had to have 12
FINISHED quilts, plus one quilt top by the
time they became engaged. When that happened,
her female relatives and friends would get
together and finish the quilt. It was only
then that they could quilt hearts into the
design. OR: maybe they put together the top
with their donated blocks, then quilted it.
Not sure which tradition is correct. Maybe it
varied in regions.
Another one: never put a wandering foot block
in a quilt for a young man, or he may wander
too far away.

Have fun!! PAT in VA/USA

frood wrote:

I'm going to my girls' kindergarten classes tomorrow, to talk about Quilts
(it's Qq week). I'd like to tell the children a little about the history of
quilt making, and since one of the teachers is getting married in a few
days, I think they'd be interested in how young women used to make quilts
(or at least tops) for their bridal trousseau. I can't remember the time
period for this, or how many quilts were made. Anybody know?

I did find some information on how quilts were used in the wagon journeys
West - for seat cushions, to ward off dust, and as door coverings in dugouts
or lean-tos. I think I'll skip the part about burying the dead in a quilt
because they had no coffins.

What other info might 5 and 6 year olds be interested in?

I'm looking forward to this, and I'll let you all know how it goes.

frood wrote:
I'm going to my girls' kindergarten classes tomorrow, to talk about Quilts
(it's Qq week). I'd like to tell the children a little about the history of
quilt making, and since one of the teachers is getting married in a few
days, I think they'd be interested in how young women used to make quilts
(or at least tops) for their bridal trousseau. I can't remember the time
period for this, or how many quilts were made. Anybody know?

The hope chest thing was more prarie era- mid to late 1800s. A gal had
to have so many quilts before she could think of getting married.

My interest in quilting history goes further back however.

I did find some information on how quilts were used in the wagon journeys
West - for seat cushions, to ward off dust, and as door coverings in dugouts
or lean-tos. I think I'll skip the part about burying the dead in a quilt
because they had no coffins.

What other info might 5 and 6 year olds be interested in?

You could look at the original Guicciardini quilt and show how some
medieval quilts were used to tell stories. Granted this was more art
than bed quilt (look ma! Wallhangings is period!), but it IS quilted.
Close up photo of one of the panels:
http://runningscared.org/files/originalTI.jpg
More pics of this quilt and its companions are he
http://home.earthlink.net/~chrislaning/Tristan.pdf

Plus they wore quilted garments for warmth medieval through Victorian
times - quilted petticoats, quilted jackets/bodices, and quilted padding
under chain and plate mail armor. The poor and middle classes often wore
padded clothes. Stuffing was made of horse hair, (or dog, cat, rabbit
hair), wool, or cotton if they could afford it.

Another online article about quilting history:
http://www.kateryndedevelyn.org/Quilting.pdf
You'll have to wade through that to see if there is stuff your class
will be interested in.

-georg

"Taria" wrote in message
news:fGd1g.4426$e55.3697@trnddc02...
I just read that in one of Jennifer Chiaverini's books. The bride to be
would make 12 tops and then make a special fancy one to show off her
fine skills. Then there would be a bee and the friends would all help
quilt them up. (sounds much more fun than silly shower games and toasters
to me!). How true this is I don't know but I would think it
would have been the way in some places. (book was 1858 in Pennsylvania)

From http://hartcottagequilts.com/his9.htm:

Historian Jeannette Lasansky, a leading force behind the Union County,
Pennsylvania Oral Traditions Project, addressed the question in a 1994
symposium paper, "Myth and Reality in Craft Tradition" (On the Cutting Edge,
copyright 1994, Oral Traditions Project). The Project is known for its
painstaking research into all areas of folk art. Lasansky writes:

Neither do many old-time [Amish and Mennonite] quilters acknowledge the
accuracy of [the humility block] myth....Rather they relate being glad to
have had even half a dozen quilts in their hope chest [instead of the dozen
Ruth Finley claimed was common to 19th century quilters] and of never
needing to make a deliberate mistake. Neither of these particularly
well-entrenched myths has been confirmed in any 19th century manuscripts.

--
Kathy A. (Woodland, CA)
Queen of Fabric Tramps
http://www.kayneyquilting.com ,
remove the obvious to reply

6 sounds a lot more reasonable than 12 or 13! Even that seems
a lot when you think of all hand work and how young they married.

The humility block always seemed silly to me. I doubt there
are many quilts around that the maker couldn't point out a mistake
or two without trying.

Thanks Kathy. I would be an old maid if I had to have 12 quilts done.
The one I did wasn't finished until after we were married!
Taria


Kathy Applebaum wrote:
"Taria" wrote in message
news:fGd1g.4426$e55.3697@trnddc02...

I just read that in one of Jennifer Chiaverini's books. The bride to be
would make 12 tops and then make a special fancy one to show off her
fine skills. Then there would be a bee and the friends would all help
quilt them up. (sounds much more fun than silly shower games and toasters
to me!). How true this is I don't know but I would think it
would have been the way in some places. (book was 1858 in Pennsylvania)


From http://hartcottagequilts.com/his9.htm:

Historian Jeannette Lasansky, a leading force behind the Union County,
Pennsylvania Oral Traditions Project, addressed the question in a 1994
symposium paper, "Myth and Reality in Craft Tradition" (On the Cutting Edge,
copyright 1994, Oral Traditions Project). The Project is known for its
painstaking research into all areas of folk art. Lasansky writes:

Neither do many old-time [Amish and Mennonite] quilters acknowledge the
accuracy of [the humility block] myth....Rather they relate being glad to
have had even half a dozen quilts in their hope chest [instead of the dozen
Ruth Finley claimed was common to 19th century quilters] and of never
needing to make a deliberate mistake. Neither of these particularly
well-entrenched myths has been confirmed in any 19th century manuscripts.

Perhaps the idea that hearts were only used in "Bridal" quilts. As
block designs and as quilting motifs.

Pati, in Phx

frood wrote:

I'm going to my girls' kindergarten classes tomorrow, to talk about Quilts
(it's Qq week). I'd like to tell the children a little about the history of
quilt making, and since one of the teachers is getting married in a few
days, I think they'd be interested in how young women used to make quilts
(or at least tops) for their bridal trousseau. I can't remember the time
period for this, or how many quilts were made. Anybody know?

I did find some information on how quilts were used in the wagon journeys
West - for seat cushions, to ward off dust, and as door coverings in dugouts
or lean-tos. I think I'll skip the part about burying the dead in a quilt
because they had no coffins.

What other info might 5 and 6 year olds be interested in?

I'm looking forward to this, and I'll let you all know how it goes.

In article 2Ld1g.1549$fG3.932@dukeread09,
Pat in Virginia wrote:

I think the young girls had to have 12
FINISHED quilts, plus one quilt top by the
time they became engaged. When that happened,
her female relatives and friends would get
together and finish the quilt. It was only
then that they could quilt hearts into the
design.

That's what I remember hearing, too, Pat.

OR: maybe they put together the top
with their donated blocks, then quilted it.
Not sure which tradition is correct. Maybe it
varied in regions.
Another one: never put a wandering foot block
in a quilt for a young man, or he may wander
too far away.

And Drunkard's Path was another some people shied away from....

--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
my ISP is earthlink.net -- put sfoster1(at) in front
http://home.earthlink.net/~sfoster1

AKA Dame Sandy, Minister of Education

I did this once for a fellow teachers kindergarten class. I'm a high school
business teacher. Go figure. I showed some of my quilts that were typical
patterns as well as some of my own designs. This showed the students how
many of the quilt squares were made from the shapes that they were learning
as well as some of my other quilts were "painted" in a way. At the end of
the question and answers that kids always have, we provided contruction
paper cutouts of squares, rectangles, triangles and a few other shapes and
at their group tables the students were able to "design" their own quilt
squares. All in one lesson they learned history, geometry, art, problem
solving, creative thinking and so much more. It was great fun.

Steve


"frood" wrote in message
. ..
I'm going to my girls' kindergarten classes tomorrow, to talk about Quilts
(it's Qq week). I'd like to tell the children a little about the history of
quilt making, and since one of the teachers is getting married in a few
days, I think they'd be interested in how young women used to make quilts
(or at least tops) for their bridal trousseau. I can't remember the time
period for this, or how many quilts were made. Anybody know?

I did find some information on how quilts were used in the wagon journeys
West - for seat cushions, to ward off dust, and as door coverings in dugouts
or lean-tos. I think I'll skip the part about burying the dead in a quilt
because they had no coffins.

What other info might 5 and 6 year olds be interested in?

I'm looking forward to this, and I'll let you all know how it goes.

--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
De-STUFF email address to reply