Quilts tell a story, and some local patchworkers are stitching together history one piece at a time.
Almost 20 quilting queens recently added 54 more local quilts to the almost 14,000 documented by the Colorado Quilting Council, known as the CQC.
The CQC is a nonprofit agency that keeps track of Colorado’s quilts by conducting documentation sessions around the state. Sponsored by the Bailey Patchworkers, the local session was held May 8 at Deer Creek Christian Camp in Bailey.
Connie Mondy, a member of CQC’s historical documentation committee, said the state’s quilts are a source of inspiration.
“Documentation gives the quilt its own presence,” Mondy said.
Some quilts carry more than just a story; they carry a legend. A quilt made in 1800 was the blanket of a Civil War soldier. He was wounded, and the quilt was used to carry him off the battlefield. Later, the quilt was sent home, his blood a permanent part of the pattern.
Mondy, who has worked with the documentation project since 1982, encourages people to label and document their quilts, even if they don’t know their previous histories. She said quilts bought on eBay sometimes come with a history, but a quilt’s history has to start somewhere.
“Start the quilt’s history now,” Mondy said.
Each quilt was registered and its history recorded, and it was given a registration tag complete with a serial number.
All quilts are photographed, and everything down to the minute details is documented. They are measured for length, width, size of block, borders, backings and the quilt’s material; the colors are documented; and the way the quilt was put together is recorded, such as how many stitches per inch, the inside padding called batting, the binding, design elements and whether it was machine or hand made.
Documenters have seen some quilts that have newspaper as batting.
The quilt’s style is then researched and documented by scanning through stacks of books. Quilt styles have names such as Double-Four Patch, Log Cabin, Dresden Plate, Irish Chain and Bethlehem Star. Other less-known patterns include the Contrary Wife, Gentleman’s Fancy, Drunkard’s Path, Battle Ax of Thor and Robbing Peter to Pay Paul.
Lois Knight, a CQC member and pattern checker for the documentation project, said there are almost 5,000 very basic patterns and endless combinations and variations. Identifying those different patterns takes a well-trained eye.
“Years of practice and thousands of quilts,” Knight said.
Sometimes, the quilters debate the age of the fabric and style.
“With the whole committee and our combined knowledge, we can come up with the right dates for a quilt,” Mondy said.
That history will end up in a database. Each quilt’s registry number and history are on file and, if a quilt is lost or stolen, the information can be retrieved or traced. If a quilt is sold or passed on, the new owners can get the history from the database.
“If a quilt is stolen or a granddaughter finds it 100 years from now, they can trace it back to the owner,” said Bailey Patchworkers president Cyndi Bemers.
Access to the database will be available soon.
Mondy said the history of quilts began with pioneer women. Their political opinions didn’t matter, so their opinions and statements went into their quilts.
Mondy said she loves to hand-quilt the older quilts, restoring them for the future.
“They have old quilts and patterns that cry for being hand-quilted,” Mondy said.
Newer quilts are reviewed with the same attention to detail as older quilts, though a newer quilt’s colors are brighter and fresher. It makes no difference to the quilting queens; it isn’t about the fabric — it’s about the history.
“These are not unknown quilts any longer,” Bemer said.
From the High Timber Times, May 12, 2010
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