Thursday, May 31, 2018

The Richness Of History And Culture Found In Quilt Museums

By Margaret Price


Today, there are a lot of different kinds of museums that families can visit. There are botanic, space, and military museums to name a few. However, people tend to overlook one kind that is rich in history due to the people who made contributions in making it, and what they have done for the country and rich in culture due to how these people have lived during the trying times of the past. This has made quilt museums unique, and wonderful compared to the other museums.

Life during the colonial era was hard. Families lived in shabby houses that can be easily destroyed by harsh weathers, and can easily be penetrated by the cold during the winter. Also, people were finding it hard to put food on the table. With the cold, and no food in the stomach, families get weak and prone to illnesses that may result in death.

Men during those times were the only ones allowed to work for money. Women were left in the houses, they were to take care of their respective houses, food preparation and preservation, and taking care of the other family members. However, the salaries of their husbands are too meager to make all ends meet.

As food is being prioritized, other needs like clothing, and or garments that can protect them from the cold becomes neglected. This is why some housewives resulted to quilting the used clothes of their parents, grandparents, and the clothes of family members. The housewives make quilts as bedcovers, or put up into their windows to stop the freeze from coming in, or to serve as blankets for their children.

As the years passed by, quilting became a hobby. It became a skill that became prominent among women of any age. So prominent, that it became a custom for young females to make 12 quilts that are pieced and 1 quilt that is an applique for the bridal bed. When it is decided that the couple is to be married, all thirteen quilts are sewn together to make one masterpiece quilt.

A quilt has become an heirloom, too. A mother would give the offspring a quilt to remind the child of how the family has lived in the past. The offspring will then pass it on to the next generations that will bring honor to the ancestry.

This, too, had helped communities in the past. Communities held quilting bees where they gather to quilt, sharing techniques, fabrics, stories, and food to one another. There would be singing, dancing, and courting among the young people.

Some women place their quilts in a prominent place in the wall. Those pieces are the more colorful and elaborate ones. By showing the piece they made, they are also showing just how sharp their skills in quilting has become.

The next time you visit a city with tons of museums available. Try going to quilt museum. There might a chance that the piece of cloth being used in a quilt might from be a uniform of a civil war hero. For people to enjoy the present, sacrifices were made in the past, which resulted to a better future.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment