Editing Quilting (section)

===American quilts===
[[File:Wholecloth Blue Resist Quilt, c. 1760-1800.jpg|thumb|This early American wholecloth quilt was made in the Colonial period, c. 1760–1800. The blue resist fabric includes bold, fanciful botanical motifs. Collection of Bill Volckening.]]
In American [[Colonial history of the United States|Colonial times]], quilts were predominantly whole-cloth quilts—a single piece of fabric layered with batting and backing held together with fine [[needlework]] quilting. [[Broderie perse]] quilts were popular during this time and the majority of pierced or appliqued quilts made during the 1770–1800 period were medallion-style quilts (quilts with a central ornamental panel and one or more borders).<ref>{{Cite book|title = Quilter's Academy Vol. 5 – Masters Year|last = Hargrave|first = Harriet and Carrie|publisher = C&T Publishing|year = 2015|isbn = 978-1-57120-792-0|location = Concord|pages = 6}}</ref> [[Patchwork]] quilting in America dates to the 1770s, the decade the United States gained its independence from England. These late-eighteenth- and nineteenth-century patchwork quilts often mixed wool, silk, linen, and cotton in the same piece, as well as mixing large-scale (often [[chintz]]) and small-scale (often [[calico]]) patterns.<ref>{{Cite book|title = America's Printed Fabrics: 1770–1890|last = Brackman|first = Barbara|publisher = C&T Publishing|year = 2004|isbn = 1-57120-255-2|location = Concord|pages = 6–7}}</ref> In North America, some worn-out blankets were utilized to create a new quilt from worn-out clothes, and in these quilts the internal batting layer was made up of old blankets or older quilts. 
[[File:Star of Bethlehem Quilt.jpg|thumb|left|Star of Bethlehem Quilt, 1940 from the [[Brooklyn Museum]]]]
During American pioneer days, [[foundation piecing]] became popular. Paper was cut into shapes and used as a pattern; each individual piece of cut fabric was basted around the paper pattern.  Paper was a scarce commodity in the early American west so women would save letters from home, postcards, newspaper clippings, and catalogs to use as patterns. The paper not only served as a pattern but as an insulator. Paper found between these old quilts has become a primary source of information about pioneer life.

Quilts made without any insulation or batting were referred to as summer quilts. They were not made for warmth, but to keep the chill off during cooler summer evenings.

====African-American quilts====
[[File:Harriet Powers - Pictorial quilt - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|Pictorial Quilt by Harriet Powers c. 1895-98. The quilt is divided into 15 different pictorial images made with pieces of cotton.]]
There is a long tradition of African-American quilting beginning with quilts made by enslaved Africans, both for themselves and for the people who enslaved them. The style of these quilts was determined largely by time period and region, rather than race, and the documented slave-made quilts generally resemble those made by white women in their region.<ref>{{cite book |title=Facts & Fabrications: Unraveling the History of Quilts & Slavery |last=Brackman |first=Barbara |publisher=C&T Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-57120-364-9 |location=Concord |pages=15}}</ref> After 1865 and the end of slavery in the United States, African-Americans began to develop their own distinctive style of quilting.
[[Harriet Powers]], an African American woman born into slavery, made two famous "story quilts" and was one of the many African-American [[quilter]]s who contributed to the development of quilting in the United States. This style of African-American quilts was categorized by its bright colors, organization in a strip arrangement, and asymmetrical patterns. 
[[File:Pieced Quilt, c. 1979 by Lucy Mingo, Gee's Bend, Alabama.JPG|thumb|Quilt by Lucy Mingo c. 1979]]
The first nationwide recognition of African-American quilt-making came when the [[Gee's Bend Quilters Collective|Gee's Bend]] quilting community of Alabama was celebrated in an exhibition that opened in 2002 and traveled to many museums, including the [[Smithsonian]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/geesbend.html|title=History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places – Smithsonian |work=smithsonianmag.com}}</ref> Gee's Bend is a small, isolated community of African-Americans in southern Alabama with a quilt-making tradition that goes back several generations<ref>{{cite news |title=Opinion: The Master Quilters of Gee's Bend, AL |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/13/opinion/quilts-while-i-yet-live.html?em_pos=small&emc=edit_od_20181120&nl=op-docs&nl_art=2&nlid=72995439emc%3Dedit_od_20181120&ref=headline&te=1 |newspaper=New York Times |date = 13 November 2018|access-date=24 November 2018 |language=en|last1 = Curran|first1 = Maris}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title = World of Quilts|last = Ellis|first = Cassandra|publisher = C&T Publishing|year = 2014|isbn = 978-1-60705-953-0|location = Concord, CA|pages = 10–150}}</ref> and is characterized by pattern improvisation, multiple patterning, bright and contrasting colors, visual motion, and a lack of rules.<ref>{{cite book |title=Bold Improvisation |last=Heffley |first=Scott |publisher=Kansas City Star Books |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-933466-25-5 |location=Kansas City, MO |pages=4–10}}</ref> The contributions made by Harriet Powers and other [[The Quilts of Gees Bend|quilters of Gee's Bend, Alabama]] have been recognized by the US Postal Service with a series of stamps.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2006/sr06_042.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606033552/http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2006/sr06_042.htm|url-status=dead|title=Quilts of Gee's Bend commemorative postage stamps|archive-date=June 6, 2011}}</ref> Many of the quilters of Gee’s Bend also participated in the [[Freedom Quilting Bee]]. A quilting co-op created by some of the African American women of [[Wilcox County, Alabama]].Some of the founding and influential members include [[Estelle Witherspoon]], [[Willie Abrams]], [[Lucy Mingo]], [[Minder Coleman|Minder Pettway Coleman]], and [[Aolar Mosely]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Callahan |first=Nancy |title=The Freedom Quilting Bee |date=1987 |publisher=The University of Alabama Press |isbn=0-8173-0310-3 |location=Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487 |publication-date=1987}}</ref> The ''communal'' nature of the quilting process (and how it can bring together women of varied races and backgrounds) was honored in the series of stamps. Themes of community and storytelling are common themes in African-American quilts.

Beginning with the children's story ''Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt'' (1989), a legend has developed that enslaved people used quilts as a means to share and transmit secret messages to escape slavery and travel the [[Underground Railroad]]. Consensus among historians is that there is no sound basis for this belief, and no documented mention among the thousands of [[slave narratives]] or other contemporary records.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofquilts.com/underground-railroad.html|title=Underground Railroad Quilts: Documentary Evidence is Missing|website=www.historyofquilts.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.quilthistory.com/ugrrquilts.htm |title=Underground Railroad Quilt Code - Putting it in Perspective |access-date=January 23, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130204013739/http://www.quilthistory.com/ugrrquilts.htm |archive-date=February 4, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.womenfolk.com/quilt_pattern_history/underground_railroad.htm|title=The Jacob's Ladder Pattern Became the Underground Railroad Quilt|website=www.womenfolk.com}}</ref>

Contemporary quilters such as [[Faith Ringgold]] utilize quilt making to tell stories and make political statements about the African-American experience. Ringgold, originally a painter, began quilting in order to stray away from Western art practices. Her famous "story quilts" utilize mixed media, painting, and quilting. One of her most famous quilts, ''Tar Beach 2'' (1990), depicts the story of a young African-American girl flying around Harlem in New York City.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Tar Beach 2" Quilt |url=https://philamuseum.org/collection/object/86892 |access-date=2022-12-09 |website=philamuseum.org |language=en}}</ref>

[[Bisa Butler]], another modern African-American quilter, celebrates Black life with her vibrant, quilted portraits of both everyday people and notable historical figures. Her quilts are now preserved in the permanent collections at the [[National Museum of African American History and Culture]], the [[Art Institute of Chicago]], and about a dozen other art museums.

==== Amish quilts ====
[[File:Quilts, Amish Country, Lancaster, Pennsylvania LCCN2011630140.tif | thumb | 220x124px | right | alt= Three examples of Lancaster Amish Quilts shown outside hanging on a line in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The patterns on these quilts are as follows: A heart made of a wreath of flowers on a white background with a blue block border (Left); Blue, Red, Purple, and green chevrons on a burgundy background (Middle); Depictions of Amish outfits including work shirts and suspenders, hats, pants, and hair coverings on a white background with a teal block border. |
Three examples of Lancaster Amish Quilts]]
Another American group to develop a distinct style of quilting were the [[Amish]]. Typically, these quilts use only solid fabrics, are pieced from geometric shapes, do not contain appliqué, and construction is simple (corners are butted, rather than mitered, for instance) and done entirely by hand. Amish quilters also tend to use simple patterns: [[Lancaster County, Pennsylvania|Lancaster County]] Amish are known for their Diamond-in-a-Square and Bars patterns, while other communities use patterns such as Brick, Streak of Lightning, Chinese Coins, and Log Cabins, and midwestern communities are known for their repeating block patterns. Borders and color choice also vary by community. For example, Lancaster quilts feature wide borders with lavish quilting. Midwestern quilts feature narrower borders to balance the fancier piecing.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Amish Quilts–The Adventure Continues|last = Koolish|first = Lynn|publisher = C&T Publishing|year = 2013|isbn = 978-1-60705-791-8|location = Concord|pages = 9–10}}</ref>

==== Native American quilts ====
[[File:Native Baby and Star Quilt.jpg|thumbnail|right|Native American baby in cradle board with baby star quilt]]
Some [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] are thought to have learned quilting through observation of white settlers; others learned it from [[Missionary|missionaries]] who taught quilting to Native American women along with other homemaking skills. Native American women quickly developed their own unique style, the Lone Star design (also called the Star of Bethlehem), a variation on Morning Star designs that had been featured on Native American clothing and other items for centuries. These quilts often featured floral appliqué framing the star design. Star quilts have become an important part of many [[Plains Indians|Plains Indian]] ceremonies, replacing buffalo robes traditionally given away at births, marriages, tribal elections, and other ceremonies.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Murphy |first1=Mary |title=Montana Quilts and Quiltmakers: A History of Work and Beauty |journal=Montana The Magazine of Western History |date=Autumn 2008 |volume=58 |issue=3 |pages=39–40 |jstor=25485734 }}</ref> Pictorial quilts, created with appliqué, were also common.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |title = Blooming Patchwork|last = Eisenmann|first = Deanne|publisher = Kansas City Star Books|year = 2014|isbn = 978-1-61169-144-3|location = Kansas City, MO|pages = 12}}</ref>

Another distinctive style of Native American quilting is [[Seminole]] piecing, created by Seminoles living in the [[Everglades|Florida Everglades]]. The style evolved out of a need for cloth (the closest town was often a week's journey away). Women would make strips of sewing the remnants of fabric rolls together, then sew these into larger pieces to make clothing. Eventually the style began to be used not just for clothing but for quilts as well. In 1900, with the introduction of sewing machines and readily available fabric in Seminole communities, the patterns became much more elaborate and the style continues to be in use today, both by Seminole women and by others who have copied and adapted their designs and techniques.<ref name=":1" />

====Hawaiian quilting====
"[[Hawaiian quilt]]ing was well established by the beginning of the twentieth century. Hawaiian women learned to quilt from the wives of missionaries from New England in the 1820s. Though they learned both pieced work and applique, by the 1870s they had adapted applique techniques to create a uniquely Hawaiian mode of expression. The classic Hawaiian quilt design is a large, bold, curvilinear appliqué pattern that covers much of the surface of the quilt, with the symmetrical design cut from only one piece of fabric."<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Quilts|year=2003|title=The Encyclopedia of American Folk Art|url=http://www.credoreference.com/entry/routfolkart/quilts|isbn=978-0203644485|publisher=Florence Taylor and Francis |location=Ann Arbor, Michigan }}</ref>