History of the Signature/Autograph Quilt
“Our lives are like quilts-bits and pieces, joy and sorrow, stitched with love.”
“When Life gives you scraps-make a quilt!”
Quilts= comfort, warmth, security, and love. Friendship=belonging, empathy, kindness, and laughter. What better way to show your admiration for a friend or loved one than with a signature quilt? Expressing your sentiments to a friend in indelible ink, leaves a lasting keepsake and memory. Presenting the recipient with a handmade treasure and watching their face light up as they read the blocks of personal statements will be etched in their minds forever (and yours!)
The term "quilt" comes from the Latin culcita, meaning a stuffed sack. Used as a noun, it means the 3-layer stitched bedcovering and as a verb, it is the act of stitching through the 3 layers to hold them together.
The quilts of early America were utilitarian. They were made out of necessity for warm covers for beds and used as hangings for doors and windows to keep out the cold. Quilting bees emerged to pass the hours of hand sewing, allowing socialization time for the group. Today’s quilting guilds have evolved from the quilting bees of the 19th century, allowing for creativity and friendships to develop.
In 1917, during World War I, the U.S. government urged citizens to make quilts for the soldiers. In the lean years of the Great Depression, no one could afford to buy blankets and women were frugal, saving scraps and pieces of material from clothing, blankets, and feed sacks.
Quilting was used to raise money to support the Red Cross during World War II. The “signature quilt” became popular. Business people, store owners, and citizens of a community would pay a small fee to have their names embroidered on quilt blocks. This tradition has origins that date to the 1840s, when members of social groups signed their names in ink with sentimental phrases like “remember me”.
Quilting declined drastically in the 1950s and 1960s and older quilters worked to keep the art of quilt making alive. The 1970-80’s brought a revived interest in making quilts and the first Guilds were formed.
In the 21st century, signature quilts have made a comeback. These personalized quilts are made as a gift to honor relationships among friends, family, or classmates. It is a way to commemorate a shared experience, such as graduations, weddings, birthdays, baby showers, or saying goodbye when friends move. Today signature quilt blocks are crafted with fabric paint, embroidery, magic marker, pieced in quilts, or appliqued. Signature/Autograph quilts leave lasting memories for years to come.
Listed below is an Anthology of Quilt stories for Children.
Quilting Stories for Kids
The Quilt Story by Tomie dePaola
The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco
The Quilt by Annas Jones.
The Quilting Bee by Gail Gibbons-COOPERATION theme
Eight Hands Round: A Patchwork Alphabet by Ann Whitford Paul
Stitchin’ and Pullin’ by Patricia McKissack
The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy
The Quilt Maker’s Gift (Book Sense Book of the Year) by Jeff Brombeau
The Quilt-Block History of Pioneer Days by Mary Cobb
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson