Quilting is an art
form that has only just recently been seen as one. It started in ancient times
in the East and would eventually spread to the west as communications between
the two continents spread. Archaeologists have found quilted objects from
Mongolian tombs that date as far back as 100 BCE.[1]
Because of the expense of fabric only the wealthiest would have had quilts that
remain intact. Others would have needed to repurpose the materials to make new
goods when they were no longer needed for the quilt.
When the
knowledge of quilting reached England it advanced greatly with the development
of textile production.[2]
While the upper classes were the
ones that owned the quilts their lower class servants were the ones that
created these works of art and some households produced excess quilts to sell
to other households.[3]
When North
America began to be settled by Europeans they brought their knowledge of
quilting with them. As time went on the patterns in the new world mimicked that
in England until the American Revolution when the American style of quilting
emerged.[4]
Therefore Canadian quilts during this period would have been a mixture of both
American and European influence.
The
International Quilt Study centre and Museum showcases an online exhibit that
includes examples of quilts created during the regency period.
To think that
these blankets were made completely by hand and that it often took years to
finish is astonishing to us. After all we too have taken up quilting, however,
we do so with modern convinces like sewing machines. I can attest to the fact
that even with all my time saving equipment none of my creations are anywhere
as near as perfect as those done by ladies in another era.
It is an aspect
of their lives I have romanticized; the thought that one would gather with her
friends to make something that she would keep and cherish for many years to
come. This sometimes is what brought comfort that made their way in the world a
long way off from the family and friends that they grew up with.[5]
So I implore everyone to take another look at these beautiful masterpieces in
their own right and ponder who put the care into creating them and what they
would have meant.
[1] Roberts, Elise. The Quilt: A
History and Celebration of an American Art Form. (Minneapolis: Voyageur
Press, 2007) 16.
[2] Roberts, Elise. The Quilt: A
History and Celebration of an American Art Form. (Minneapolis: Voyageur
Press, 2007) 18-19.
[3] Roberts, Elise. The Quilt: A
History and Celebration of an American Art Form. (Minneapolis: Voyageur
Press, 2007) 18-19.
[4] Roberts, Elise. The Quilt: A
History and Celebration of an American Art Form. (Minneapolis: Voyageur
Press, 2007) 20.
[5] Roberts, Elise. The Quilt: A
History and Celebration of an American Art Form. (Minneapolis: Voyageur
Press, 2007) 28.
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