Quilting Show Stitches Up a Lot of History
From the Crusades to the hot decorating trends of today, quilts have cut a colorful swath through the centuries.
This weekend, the Orange County Quilters Guild lets you wrap yourself in history at its semiannual show, being held Saturday and Sunday in Cal State Fullerton’s University Center. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors can view more than 200 handmade quilts, take part in seminars on quilting technique and shop for antique quilts, needlework and supplies offered by 26 local merchants. Docent tours will be available.
“A lot of people think of quilting as a lost art, but that’s certainly far from the truth,” said Thayone Jones, the show chairwoman. “At this show, we’ll have quilts in all sizes and styles, from tiny crib quilts . . . to really gorgeous pieces by master quilters. Some are traditional, some are very modern.”
The collection represents thousands of hours of work by guild members, Jones added, noting that it takes up to 300 hours to create a mid-size handmade quilt.
Included in the display will be 45 quilts made through the Ronald McDonald Adopt-a-Bed project. Led by guild member Del Thomas, the project will donate 80 handmade quilts to the Ronald McDonald House in Orange, a guest facility for families of critically ill patients at Childrens Hospital of Orange County, when the home opens in November.
About 500 local quilters have participated, stitching full quilts, individual squares or blocks, and donating materials.
“A quilt is a comforting thing, so we feel a real connection with the Ronald McDonald House,” Thomas said. “Most of us associate quilts with caring. . . . It gives you solace to have a nice, warm thing to wrap up in.”
Although historians bicker about quilting’s actual birthday, most say it rode into popularity in the 12th Century on the backs of Crusaders, who discovered that thick, quilted garments worn beneath their armor kept out the chill and cut down on chafing.
Obviously, these guys were trend setters because before you could say Holy Land, quilted bed coverings were taking the bite off icy nights across the known world.
Back then, quilts were simple affairs, consisting of two layers of fabric filled with wool, feathers or even moss, and held together with a series of small stitches. As time went on, those stitches became more ornate, and applique--the use of fabric pieces stitched into a pattern, then attached to a background material--was introduced. These elaborate quilts soon became jealously guarded family heirlooms, passed from generation to generation.
Quilts came to the New World in the trunks of Pilgrims. Short on money and a long way from fabric merchants, the settlers used scraps of material to patch and repatch their hard-working quilts, unintentionally creating the first patchwork or piecework designs.
Patchwork quilts--many featuring repetitive designs sewn together from a series of blocks--grew in popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries, and their patterns chronicled a nation’s childhood.
Pioneer women captured their Wild West adventures with such designs as Birds in Flight, Hole in the Barn Door and Log Cabin. The quilting bee became an all-important social event, with women of all ages gathering to share stitches and secrets.
As time went on, the availability of machine-made bedding made quilting all but passe. But in the 1960s, Americans renewed their love affair with handcrafts. Today quilting is enjoying a new wave of popularity. In Southern California alone, there are more than 35 quilter guilds and an extensive network of quilt research groups.
Home magazines fueled the quilt craze with their emphasis on country-style decorating. Handmade quilts became sought-after, and often pricey, items. Today, a handmade quilt at a retail store can run into four figures. At the Gazebo of New York store in South Coast Plaza, for example, prices range from $400 to almost $1,400.
For those who would like to try their hand at quilting, the Orange County Quilters Guild show will include four one-hour seminars on such techniques as freezer-paper applique (creating applique patterns from heavy waxed paper), quilt basting and frame quilting. The classes will be held at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; guests can register at the information table at the show’s entrance.
The Orange County Quilters Guild show will take place Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cal State Fullerton University Center, 800 N. State College Blvd. in Fullerton. Admission: $3 for adults and $2 for seniors and students; there will be a small materials fee for some classes. Information: (714) 990-5750 or (714) 993-7031.