Background Notes
Originally, quilts were meant to keep people warm—as covers on beds and hangings on doors and windows. They were an economical way to recycle old clothes and use scraps of cloth.
In the pioneer days, women formed "Quilting Bees," social gatherings where they worked together finishing quilts and talking about family, friends and the community.
During the Civil War, women from both the North and the South made quilts for soldiers. In the North, women organized societies that held fairs where they sold quilts and other things to raise money for medical and other supplies for the soldiers.
The more artistic a woman was, the more intricate the patterns of the quilt. Some patterns told stories about a family or a community. Typical quilt motifs from the Civil War era included sunbursts, stars, leaves, medallions and flowers.
 Slave women also made quilts. They used fine fabrics to make quilts for their master/mistress and cruder scraps of old clothes to make quilts for themselves. Their quilts became a way to record their history. This quilt with the orange peel pattern was made by a slave in Mississippi some time between 1855 and 1861 for the family who owned her. (Read more about it [PDF].)
 Some researchers think that quilts were also used as markers in the underground railroad. Those with the color black, when hung on a clothesline, would designate a safe house. A drinking gourd was also used to symbolize the Big Dipper which points to the North Star. Runaway slaves followed the North star to find freedom. This quilt block with an oak leaf motif was made by a slave. (Read more about it [PDF].)
Quilting involves two kinds of needlework:
- Patchwork is the art of piecing (sewing) together different kinds of fabrics.
- Quilting involves fastening together layers of cloth (tying or stitching) to hold the warm filling in place.
There are three different kinds of quilts:
- A pieced quilt, which has patches pieced together
- An appliquéd quilt, which involves taking a pieced design and sewing it on top of a single piece of fabric
- A quilted counterpane—usually white, with decoration—is the result of padded or corded quilting in simple and complex designs
"Painting a quilt" based on Civil War themes as a class project can be an exciting way to experience many elements of quilt making.
Objectives
- Students will be able to describe Civil War themes.
- Students will translate their ideas visually and verbally.
- Students will imagine life in a different time.
- Students will describe similarities among people (north and south) (slave and free) (then and now) who are very different.
- Students will use math to determine the perimeter and area of the quilt, of sections of the quilt and of their own square.
This lesson presents an opportunity to address, in part, these standards:
- 1.2.4(8, 12, 15) HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: Identify and explain how individuals in history demonstrated good character and personal virtue.
- 1.3.2. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: Differentiate between historical facts and historical interpretations.
- 1.4.3. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: Identify problems from the past that divided their local community, the state of Michigan, and the United States and analyze the interests and values of those involved.
Prewashed 100% cotton fabric, fabric markers, fabric paint, sponges, potatoes (to dip in paint), mylar (to make stencils), glue, buttons, pipe cleaners, ribbon, cotton balls, felt, yarn, and old pieces of material.
Directions
- Talk with students about making quilts and Civil War themes. Show samples [PDF] of quilts and ask children to bring in quilts.
- Have students talk about what kind of story they would like to tell based on Civil War themes.
- Students determine what kind of quilt design they want to make: a repeated pattern or an assortment of squares that they will arrange to create integrated images or a scene. They will decide whether or not they want to include text in their quilt picture.
- To determine the size of a quilt, students will need to calculate the perimeter and area of the quilt, of the sections of the quilt and of their own square so that they are all uniform.
- Give students supplies and have them design and make their own block according to the quilt design they have all agreed upon.
- Arrange for parent volunteers to come in and assist the students to sew the squares together either one to another or block with another piece of fabric; to cut the backing; lay the batting between the backing and the sewed squares; baste these three sections together so they do not shift; and then put them together using yarn ties. Consult a basic book on quilting for more detailed directions.
Questions for Discussion or Research
- What would have it been like to be part of a "quilting bee" with women in the South making quilts for soldiers? What do you think they would have talked about?
- What would it have been like to be part of a "quilting bee" with women in the North making quilts for soldiers? What do you think they would have talked about?
- What would it have been like to be a slave making quilts for the "master and mistress," to be slaves making quilts for themselves? How would these experiences have been similar and different?
At the Museum
- Where do you find quilts in the museum?
- How are they similar or different in appearance? in use?
Vocabulary
- Quilting Bee: Social gatherings where women worked together sewing quilts together.
- Quilt Block: A section of a quilt.
References
- Cobb, Mary. The Quilt-Block History of Pioneer Days /with Projects Kids Can Make. Brookfield, CT: The Millbrook Press, 1995.
- Hall, Carrie A., and Rose G. Kretsinger. The Romance of the Patchwork Quilt in America. NY: Bonanza Books, 1935.
- Flournoy, Valerie. The Patchwork Quilt. NY: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1985.
- Fry, Gladys-Marie. Stitched from the Soul. NY: Dutton Studio Books in association with the Museum of American Folk Art, 1990.
- Hopkinson, Deborah. Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. NY: Knopf, 1993.
- Jonas, Ann.The Quilt NY: Greenwillow Books, 1984.
- MacDowell, Marsha, and Lynne Swanson, "Michigan's African-American Quilters." Michigan History Magazine (July/August,1991), Lansing: MI: Michigan Historical Center, Michigan Department of State.
- Paul, Ann Whitford. Eight Hands Round, A Patchwork Alphabet. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1991.
- Paul, Ann Whitford. The Seasons Sewn: A Year in Patchwork. Orlando: Harcourt Brace (Browndeer Press), 1996.
- Polacco, Patricia. The Keeping Quilt. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1988.
- Quilting How To's, World Wide Quilting Page, http://ttsw.com/HowToPage.html
- Quilts, Quilters, Quilting, and Patchwork in Fiction for Children and Young Adults, A Bibliography Maintained by Betty Reynolds.
- Ringgold, Faith. Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky. NY: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1992.
- Ringgold, Faith. The Invisible Princess. NY: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1998.
- Roberts, Allen F. Quilted Memories. Faces, The Magazine About People: Memory. February 1996, pp. 24-27.
- Root, Phyllis. Illus. by Margot Apple. The Name Quilt. NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2003.
- Vlach, John Michael. The Afro-American Tradition in Decorative Arts. Athens, GA: The University of Georgia, 1978.
- World Wide Quilting Page, http://ttsw.com/MainQuiltingPage.html
Updated 09/30/2005
Michigan
Historical Center, Department of History, Arts and Libraries
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