A beautiful quilting museum is located in Lincoln, Neb. Quilting is one of the time-honored arts that is both decorative and useful. Throughout history, quilts have been made for many reasons. The first reason is that homes were cold in the winter and everyone needed protective covering at night. But it quickly became evident that quilts could also be works of art. Though some men quilt, this art has traditionally been a female endeavor. In colonial times, women would carefully sew lovely, informative patterns into their quilts. These patterns frequently represented many aspects of family life. In this book, Gail Gibbons writes and draws illustrations about this delightful art. The name of this fine book is "The Quilting Bee."
The book begins with the words "design, snip, clip, pin, sew and stich." Readers now know the basic parts of quilting. Frequently groups of quilters come together to create quilts. This allows everyone to catch up on what is happening in the community and to build friendships. The name "quilting bees" arises from these gatherings because the ladies work together like bees in a hive.
Quilters are usually assigned a square or one block of the quilt. Before they make their block, they must as a group pick the colors and designs desired in the completed quilt. This of course necessitates the group working together to complete the quilt. After much work and numerous gatherings, the quilters lay out all their blocks and sew the beautiful top layers of the quilt.
Quilts have three layers. The top layer is the most colorful as it consists of all the blocks sewn by the quilters. The middle layer is the padding which provides the warmth for the quilt. The third layer is the bottom of the quilt and provides a softness necessary to make the quilt enjoyable for sleepers.
Gibbons then gives readers an extensive account of many of the most famous patterns used in quilt making. Pioneer women sewed warm and cozy quilts to keep their families warm on cold winter nights. To make the quilts interesting, the ladies began to place designs of events and seasons of the year into the blocks.
As the country began to move westward, the quilts began reflecting the migration of the population to the West Coast. The "Road to California," "Hill and Valley," and "Rocky Glen" patterns show what the settlers encountered on their westward journey.
Many of the patterns that Gibbons writes about are still commonly used today. Among these famous patterns are "Rail Fence," "Log Cabin," "Water Wheel," and "Milky Way." Sometimes the quilters had many left over scraps and would sew together a "crazy quilt." These fun quilts had every color in the rainbow and many unusual shapes. They are great fun to look at.
Gibbons closes the book with a look at modern quilting. While earlier quilters had few sewing tools to make quilts, today’s quilters have many sophisticated ones, such as sewing machines, rotary cutters and measured cutting mats. But the principles modern quilters use are based on these earlier quilting ideas.
If you want to read a fun and informative book, Gail Gibbons has given us one in "The Quilting Bee." It is a book you can share with your families. While you are at it, take out a family quilt and tell your youngsters what all the blocks represent. They will like listening to the family stories and learning about their history. I liked this book and think you will as well. Enjoy!
