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Michigan's African American Quilters - Background ReadingThe following article originally appeared in the July/August 1991 issue of Michigan History Magazine. It was written by Marsha MacDowell, Michigan State University Museum curator of folk arts, and Lynne Swanson, assistant curator of folk arts. The photographs are courtesy of the Michigan State University Museumand may not be reproduced without permission.
Viney Crawford (b. 1912) of Idlewild, Michigan, made her String pattern quilt (left) in 1986 of cotton and polyester materials. African-American quilts serve as visual records of patterns of migration and settlement. Certain quilt patterns, pattern names, color palettes and construction techniques used by African-American quilters in Michigan are linked with those used by African-American quilters in southern states. Some scholars link those particular construction techniques to textile traditions found in West Africa. As families bring quilts to Michigan from other states or countries they bring with them the stories of the families they left behind. Quilts serve in other ways as documents of family history. Numerous African-American quilts in Michigan were made from clothing scraps of family members and were given as gifts on such family occasions as births, weddings and graduations. The history of particular people, places and events in communities is also documented in these quilts. Like photographs or album books, these quilts serve as documents of the relationships of certain groups at particular points in history. There are a variety of common quiltmaking traditions found in the African-American community. These include recycling fabrics (from home and workplace) in quilts, using quilting to supplement household income and using quilts to raise funds for church, community, club or even national causes. Quilting has traditionally served as an opportunity for social interaction, affording important opportunities to share productive time with friends and family. We now understand that the history and culture of any given group can be reflected in the production and use of their material culture. As we continue to gather more information about these quilts, their makers and their users, the story of African-Americans in Michigan will become clearer. For more information about the exhibit and related activities, contact the MSU Museum at
Mary Williams (1893-1979) created the Donkey quilt (left) in 1939 using cotton material with cotton filling. Williams was the daughter of a slave and came from an active quilting family. She was an avid seamstress who made all of her family's clothing. This quilt was given to Williams's grandson Joe on the occasion of his wedding in 1969. Inspired by the seven unquilted tops that she inherited from her mother, Williams's daughter Lucille Rolston, a new member of the Afro-American Quilt Guild in Flint, is now learning to quilt.
An unknown slave made the Orange Peel quilt (left) sometime around 1857-58 of cotton with cotton filling. According to oral tradition passed down in the family of Leona Norman, this quilt was made by a slave who lived on a plantation owned by Norman's forebears. The quilt was used by the plantation owner's family and brought to Michigan with Norman's family in the 1950s. In 1968, Norman passed the quilt on to her friend Sallie Brodie, a resident of Webberville, Michigan.
Mary Atkins (b. ?) made this Stove Eye pattern quilt (left) in 1987 of cotton and cotton blends with cotton flannel filling. Atkins grew up in rural Arkansas and was about eight years old when she learned to quilt from her mother. According to Atkins, her mother taught her and her sisters to quilt to keep them out of mischief after school or after doing their chores on the family farm. "There was no playing after work, but I'd sit down on a stool and begin piecing." Atkins generally constructs her quilts in the strip fashion and uses scraps of cottons that she receives from friends and relatives. The Stove Eyequilt was inspired by watching an advertisement on television for waterbeds. The advertisement displayed a bed with a commercial quilt on it.
Deonna Todd Green (b. 1948) and Ione Todd (b. 1927) created the Todd Family Quilt (right) in 1989 of painted and embroidered cotton/polyester materials. In 1983, at the suggestion of Ken Todd, six Todd women began a quilting project to tell the story of Stephen and Caroline Todd and their six generations of descendants. Family oral narratives, Bible records and library documents served as sources for the pictorial and narrative family history quilt, which was completed in 1985. Significant events and places in the Todd history illustrated in the quilt include Stephen Todd's escape from slavery in Kentucky, his marriage to a white woman, their near-capture when crossing the St. Clair River in a raft from Port Huron to Sarnia and their eventual resettlement in Mecosta as pioneering farmers. When that quilt was raffled off to a cousin at one of the Todd family reunions, Deonna Green and Ione Todd decided to make a duplicate. In 1989 they made this third copy, which they presented to the Michigan State University Museum.
Sina R. Phillips (b. 1901) made this Crow Foot in the Mud quilt (left) in 1983 ofcotton/polyester and polyester. Phillips contends that "any colors look good together" and proves it with this quilt top. Born in Demopolis, Alabama, Phillips learned the art of "making covers" from her mother Ida Jones at the age of ten. She has since made quilting a lifetime hobby, producing more than fifty quilts in all. She copies her patterns from other quilts she sees and has yet to buy a pattern. Phillips has a goal of making a Shirley Pine quilt (one of her favorite patterns) for every member of her family. Contact the Michigan Historical Museum. Updated 08/19/2010 |
n the last fifteen years there has been a surge of interest in historical and contemporary African-American quiltmaking, resulting in numerous exhibitions and publications. In 1983, as part of the Michigan Quilt Project, the staff of the Michigan Traditional Arts Program at the Michigan State University Museum began collecting information on African-American quiltmaking in the state. This program led to the museum's current exhibit, "African-American Quiltmaking Traditions in Michigan," which runs through 29 September 1991. Approximately forty to fifty quilts are being shown with descriptive labels and photographs of the quilters. On these four pages are examples of the beautifully-pieced and skillfully sewn quilts presently [1991] on exhibit at the MSU Museum.
