This Old Quilt

“This Old Quilt” is the title of a hardback book I bought when the local library was having a sale. It cost me all of $4. There are many contributors as the book is a wonderful collection of stories and photographs, intriguing history and folklore, edited by Margaret Aldrich.

It’s a great book to dip in and out of, lots of pictures of quilts, women quilting, Victorian trading cards advertising thread, songs and poems…………

I love this vintage ad but I can’t imagine quilters letting drinks get anywhere near a double wedding ring quilt and they all look like they’re on the gin anyway!

There is a whole section on the Underground Railroad quilts and a page on the code that helped many slaves escape.

I had heard about historians unpicking the edges of quilts trying to find hidden maps and work out how the quilts were used. I knew about certain quilts being aired to signal a safe house but I didn’t know about this code that was taught by making samplers of the blocks.

There are also excerpts from novels about quilting, some of which I’ve read, lots I haven’t yet.

The book really does celebrate the community of quilting, the bees, the exchange of scraps. From the necessity of making warm bedding, bringing women together, creating a sense of pride and a freedom of expression. It’s a keeper, I’ll be adding this to my shelf 🙂

This Old Quilt – Voyageur Press