Quilts and Quiltmaking in America, 1978-1996

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Go directly to the collection, Quilts and Quiltmaking in America, 1978-1996, in American Memory, or view a Summary of Resources related to the collection.

In addition to providing the basis for a number of creative writing projects, Quilts and Quiltmaking in America 1978-1996 also supports some more unique projects. For example, the collection's kids quilts provide examples with which teachers can create their own classroom quilt projects. Also, by taking on the role of a quilt contest judge, students can better understand visual art and its value. Finally, the collection can be used to teach symbolism.

The winning quilts from the 1996 Lands' End contest include nine kids' quilts, created by students, their teachers, and sometimes other adults from their schools and communities. Search on kids quilts for photographs of these nine quilts and their accompanying notes.

1996 Kids Quilt; Friends Will Be Friends.	In the notes, teachers celebrate the way these projects created a sense of community, cooperation, and pride, while fostering a variety of skills from drawing and sewing to math. The quilts also added to and often provided the locus point for explorations of a variety of themes such as non-violence, westward expansion, state pride, and black history. Teachers can follow and synthesize any of these examples to create a quilt project in their own schools and classrooms.	1996 Kids Quilt; Peaceable Planet.
Quiltmaking helps each class form strong community bonds. Parents, teachers, and children all work together -- learning more about one another, working together, teaching and learning and laughing.   -- Jo Noonan, Arbor Montessori School, 1996 Kids Quilt; Wild in the Garden

Contest Judge

While the Lands' End winners' notes provide a lot of information about what they hoped to accomplish through their quilts, there is no information about why the judges selected these quilts as winners. By taking on the role of a Lands' End contest judge, students can learn about art and how to evaluate it. Present students with the winning quilts from one of the three contests represented in the collection, and tell them that they must choose one winner from among them. Remind them that the contest is called the "All-American Quilt Contest", and that it is sponsored by Coming Home, a division of Lands' End, and by Good Housekeeping. The theme of the contest is "If Quilts Could Talk." Students can use the following questions to help them choose a winner. When they've finished, have them share and explain their choices with each other in a class discussion.

1992 Washington, District of Columbia, Winner; An American Quilt.

1992 2nd Place National Winner; Adwiniasa.

As a judge, what aspects of the quilts are you going to consider in your evaluation? Some aspects might include: the technical skill demonstrated; the use of color; the difficulty of the pattern; the originality of the pattern or subject matter; the meaning or message of the quilt; the authenticity of the quilt. Which of these factors will you value most highly? Why? What impact will the contest name and theme have upon your decision? Does the winning quilt need to express "Americaness"? What does it mean to be American? Will the nature of the sponsors of this contest impact your decision at all?

Symbolism

1994 Judges' Choice Winner; My Heritage.

The quilts in this collection afford an opportunity for students to learn about symbolism. Most of the Lands' End quilts are symbolic in some way, from their subject matter to their patterns, fabrics, and colors. Titles are often indicative of symbolic meaning, and the notes of some quilts such as these, will include the quilters' explanations of their symbolism. Searching on symbol locates only one quilt, so browsing the quilts and their notes is the best way to identify helpful quilts for this activity. After studying some examples, a class can have a discussion based on the following questions:

1992 Wisconsin State Winner; It's a Beautiful Day in My Neighborhood.

What ideas and feelings were the quilters trying to express in their symbolism? What are the meanings of symbols based upon? Why, for example, would yellow symbolize age? Where else do you find symbols in your daily life? In books, commercials, movies, music? Which one of these do you think is most like quilts? In the special presentation, Speaking of Quilts: Voices from the Late Twentieth Century, the author writes of quilting itself as a symbol of ". . . what we value about ourselves and our national history." What does she mean by this? What other things can quilting symbolize? Are some of these meanings reflected in any of the Lands' End quilts?

1996 Kentucky State Winner; The Gospel According to the Choir.

Students can demonstrate what they've learned by creating a quilt or drawing of their own in which they use color, patterns, or objects to express certain ideas or feelings symbolically. Younger students can make self-portraits, while older students can tell a story or convey an event through a more sophisticated use of symbolism. Finally, students might enjoy reading about how quilt patterns may have been used to make secret, symbolic communications on the underground railroad in Hidden in Plain View by Jacqueline Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard.

1994 Illinois State Winner; Breaking the Ice.

The materials of this collection can provide inspiration for several kinds of creative writing. Visually oriented students can draw inspiration for short stories from the photographs of quilts and quilters. A pictorial quilt might provide the setting or plot for a story, while more abstract quilts might inspire a poem. Other students may particularly enjoy listening to the interviews of the Blue Ridge quilters for inspiration. From these sound recordings, one might write a short story or character sketch, drawing on the dialects, personalities, and biographies of the quilters.

Portrait of Mamie and Leonard Bryan.

Writing Instructions

Piecing, detail. Rose quilt, detail of quilting.

Students can practice their listening and writing skills as well as reading comprehension by writing instructions for quiltmaking based on the collection's materials. This exercise will be most effective with students who are not already familiar with quilting. The most helpful materials include the sound recordings (with their transcriptions) of the Blue Ridge quilters and the glossary. Other materials are indexed by subject under headings such as Counterpanes, Lining, Marking, and Learning to make quilts. Still others can be found by searching on some of the words from the glossary, such as backing, binding, frame, and crazy. Finally, some of the photographs will also make the quiltmaking process more concrete. Ask students, after studying some of these materials, to write basic instructions for making a quilt.

Bertha Marion and Cowboy quilt.