The wind is beginning to blow and I think we going to have failing weather. . . O, dear, where are you tonight? … and how are you doing laying on the cold ground with only two blankets to cover with. How it makes me shudder.” [Nancy Higgins of Illinois, writing to her soldier husband in 1862]
Artists, stitchers, textile experts, history lovers, and storytellers alike all share the same curiosity when it comes to antique quilts. Who made it? Why? Did the stitching help its maker cope with sorrow? Was it quilted by a group a friends? Did children play beneath the quilting frame?

Many quilts connected with the Civil War were made long before the war itself. Mothers and sisters, grandmothers and fiances sometimes sent their men off to war with a quilt from home. In many communities, ladies went door to door collecting quilts and blankets to be shipped to men in the field where they provided literal and emotional comfort during long separations. It's impossible to know how many quilts were reduced to little more than rags during the long years of the war. When you picture a Civil War army encampment, imagine quilts in those tents or on the ground. I remember seeing a patchwork quilt draped over a tent in one period photograph of a war camp.

Another post-war quilt story is represented by this Log Cabin quilt, made in Lexington, MO for a Methodist Episcopal church bazaar to raise money to benefit the families of ex-Confederate soldiers. The woman who first proposed making the quilt donated a swatch from a silk dress embroidered with a winged insect to be the center of each log cabin block. The quilt brought $206 at auction.
Untold quilt stories continue to inspire today.
Does your family history include a quilt story?
_________________________________

Stephanie, loved your quilt stories! Those civil war quilts must have been a great comfort to the men who carried them. No quilt stories here, but I do love reading about them.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great insight ... the literal comfort quilts from home would have given. Good point. Thanks for your kind words.
DeleteI love quilts and often wonder about the hands that made them, as well as their stories. I have a quilt that was made by my great-great-grandmother. Thank you for sharing this wonderful post, Stephanie.
ReplyDeletetexaggs2000 at gmail dot com
What a treasure you have, Britney, in that quilt from generations ago.
DeleteNo quilt shops here in north platte nebraska but I have been in other cities and states that do and they are amazing to look at.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy browsing too, Kim ... and daydreaming about making them someday, even though I know I probably won't.
DeleteI love quilts and have made 1 quilt, 1 Christmas wall hanging, and 1 potholder. I do not have a family history of quilts but wish I did! I'd love to own an antique quilt. I really enjoyed your post on Civil War quilts, especially that they started to keep the soldiers warm. sm wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeletethank you, Sharon
ReplyDeleteLove your quilt story, Stephanie. My great grandmother quilted and did beautiful work. My daughter now has one of her quilts. A treasure for sure!
ReplyDeletemauback55 at gmail dot com