While the Old Order Amish are
often thought of as those plain-dressing
folk whose simple lifestyle attracts millions
of visitors annually to the Midwest, this
Anabaptist group also has a significant
quilt-making following.
The quilt, as we know it in America,
was originally born of the necessity of
providing warm covers for beds. During
difficult times, when money was scarce or
imported textiles limited, many Colonial
women became creative in their use of
materials on hand to keep their families
warm during the winter. While they had
little time for artistic quilting, those early
women could not afford to simply discard
things when worn out. Therefore, when
blankets or clothing became worn, the
better portions were cut and sewn together
to become a warm quilt.
By the 1860s and 70s, the years in
which we see the first Amish-made quilts
with dates stitched onto them, quiltmaking
was already popular in America.
Mainstream American women began
making quilts as early as the eighteenth
century, while evidence from journals and
dated quilts suggests that up until the late
nineteenth century, Amish used feather
ticks and woven coverlets as bedding,
the practice of many early German
immigrants. Since the Amish keep their
distance from the more modern world,
quilting was initially something they
avoided for this reason. Over time, quilting
was accepted in the community, and
4 AmishCountryside.com
Amish women began creating quilts.
Traditional Amish quilts use solid
fabrics, similar to their plain, conventional
clothing. While the fabrics used to make a
quilt may be simple, the overall designs can
be intriguing.
The bringing together of friends
and family to work around a large wooden
frame on a quilt is known as a quilting
circle or a quilting bee. Quilting in the
Amish community was, and still is a
great co-mingling of women gathering
to socialize and a wonderful way to work
together on a practical project. Here
the younger Amish will learn from the
older women how to quilt and provides
an opportunity to talk about caring for
a home and family. Amish quilts were
pieced (the squares) using a treadle sewing
machine, while the layers of the quilt were
done with intricate hand-stitching at a
quilting bee.
As America moved into the 1950s
and 60s, there was less general interest
in quilting than at any other time in
American history. During those decades,
the quilt was viewed by many as dated
and old-fashioned. It persisted by older
quilters, those who had always quilted, and
Amish women who kept the art of quiltmaking
alive.