By Dr. Curtis Varnell
On a recent Sunday morning a former pastor’s daughter, home on a visit from California, brought an old friendship quilt to our church in Greasy Valley (I know, strange name but that is a story within itself). Members gathered in awe around the quilt, made by church members in the 1950’s. My wife quickly picked out the square containing the name of her grandmother, uncle, and aunts and I did the same for two of my aunts. We were touching our past and remembering our ancestors.
Making friendship quilts was a common occurrence in the 1900’s. The quilts were composed of signed blocks having the same pattern and often accompanied by the signature of the family member who made the square. There are many different patterns that were and are used to create friendship quilts but the most popular is the Log Cabin block which symbolizes home, warmth, love and security. During the 1800’s, it was common to merely sign family names with indelible ink but, as time went on, it became tradition to embroidery the information onto the square and to even add the date when made.
During hard times, the blocks were composed of scrap pieces of worn out clothing so that any one square might contain afragment of grandma’s dress, a piece of a gingham skirt, Aunt Clara’s sun bonnet, and even grandpa’s worn out overalls. When attached with dozens of other squares, the finished product was an attractive cover for a quilt. That’s when the real work began. Attached to the ceiling by hooks and rope, a quilting frame of wood was lowered to a working height. A solid sheet of cloth served as backing for the quilt and was placed on first. Batting, usually strands of cotton were placed on the cloth and served as the insulation, with the friendship cover placed over the top, stretched, and attached to the frame. If available, large amounts of batting would be inserted so that the end product might be several inches thick to withstand the winter cold. The best seamstress would then intricately sew the layers together with beautiful small, even stitches demonstrating their individual abilities.
Sewing skills were an integral part of many women’s lives, taught them at an early age as they made and repaired clothing at home. In rural areas, quilting bees were a popular and appealing way for women in rural communities to gather socially with other women and families. In the Midway community where I grew up, the ladies would meet at the church weekly to sew, share news and gossip, exchange recipes, and share lunch. As the women worked, the room resounded with laughter, squeals of small children playing underfoot, and sometimes the sounds of hymns as the church musicians played instruments and entertained. The end product was beautiful hand-stitched quiltsthat would last a lifetime.
The signed quilt was and still are a very popular item and have a range of purposes. They are often given a bridal gift, presentedas an honor to a prominent member of the community, given as a going away gift, or sold to raise money for a church or charity. The small community of Prairie View made and sold a friendship quilt in the 1940’s, it now hangs on the wall of the community building that was bought with some of the proceeds from its original sale. Another friend has a quilt made in 1902, testament to the skill of the ladies who put it together.
Standing around the quilt, you could hear the excitement as people recognized names of departed loved ones or recognized a name from their past. Some wanted to touch the fabric, running fingers along intricate stitches as they recalled stories of people from their past and remembrances of community and long ago friendships.
