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Handicrafts/Stitchery

Teacher note: A number of students contributed to these pages on Colonial times. Each contributed diffferent information or a different perspective. You may find that each article adds to your understanding and research base.

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North Star	Blazing Star	Crazy Quilt

Article # 1 - Quilt Making
Oneyda C.

I'm researching quilt making. Quilts can be made by anyone. But they were mostly made by women. To make these beautiful works of art you have to: collect scrapes of cloth, sew them together, find scrapes for the back of the quilt and sew them together. Then you start sewing both pieces together but before you sew it completely close, you have to put cotton in it (remember not to put too much). The tools that they needed were needles, thread, and a thimble.

Most quilts were made by pioneer women when they were moving into the country. The person making the quilt must know how to sew and the steps to making a quilt. They also needed to know their needle work to do this craft. People got these skills from their relatives. They made quilts to keep their families warm. They also might be made by a friend to remind them of their memories or made just to tell a story. People depended on quilts a lot. Quilts were necessary to survive because it kept families warm. Quilts were useful to everyone, no matter the class.

Today quilt making would satisfy people because you save money and people. If you made a quilt and gave it to the homeless then you would be saving their lives.

I would like doing this craft because I know it would either keep me or someone that I care a lot about warm. Or I would donate it to homeless children so it could keep them warm. Today the Quilt Krazy Shoppe makes beautiful handmade quilts. Quilts aren't the only bedding covering used today. We now use blankets and bedspreads. Some quilts are so well made that they are in museums. People who didn't make quilts, didn't see the beauty until late in the 1960's and early 1970's, when artist like Judy Chicago began to insist that these works be taken more seriously.

A traditional quilt was a nine patch quilt. The nine patch pattern is infinitely flexible -- the three by three squares allow the artist to substitute larger pieces of cloth wherever one likes and colors require less restraint than more geometric patterns. The best quilts were made from scarps of old cloths. This meant that the material of a favorite dress or pants could be recycled into the quilt. Today some people go out and buy expensive scraps, which some times are not as pretty. So it's better to use scrapes found around your home. I hope you enjoyed the quilt information that I have given to you.

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Article # 2-Stitching and sewing

by Emily M., Ana T., and Donnell K.

This craft is stitchery. This person would do cross stitch, embroidery and anything else that had to do with sewing cloth together. If they wanted to do cross stitch they would have to put thread on the needle then put the needle in the hole and out of the upper opposite one. It doesn't take much training at all. All the person needs to know how to do is sew.

The training or education needed for this skill was taught by the mother to their daughters. An apprentice would have to be schooled in math. Math is used to measure the thread and cloth needed to embroider.

The teacher/mother or who ever is teaching the person only needs to show the student how to do the certain stitches that are necessary for what ever they are sewing. This craft was needed if someone needed something mended or if somebody wants something designed or decorated. This person might like doing this job because if they have nothing else to do than they can just relax and start to sew.

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This site is created and maintained by Holly Geddes.
Last updated on March 14, 2003