Barbara Brackman, quilt historian and author of
Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns joins host Alex Anderson of
Simply Quilts, to discuss the traditions and history of friendship and memorial quilts. Since the 1840-1850s, American women have been preparing quilts as going away gifts, to signify a passage in time, even a wedding announcement would encourage the gathering of a quilting bee to complete a quilt top. Today's quilters are known to carry on this tradition.
For instance, a complicated block known as the Lover's Knot (figure A) has been made for the Gulf War servicemen to represent the yellow ribbons that were tied around the old oak trees. More recently, memorial quilts are being made to help in the healing process of a community's grief. The Polly Klass quilt represents the work of 200 children from Polly's elementary school (figure B).
Alex Anderson shares a video tour of the 20th Annual Quilt Show in Sisters, Oregon. The "Hot Shot Memorial" was dedicated to the families of nine central Oregon firefighters that were killed while fighting a 1994 Colorado fire (figure C).
Resources Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns
by Barbara Brackman (ISBN: 0891458158)
Click
here to order this title.
American Quilter's Society / Collector's Books
Website:
www.americanquilter.com
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