Traditional quilts serve many purposes over the course of a useful life. Beginning as a beautiful bed covering, a quilt may later function as a ground cover at picnics until years of wear relegate it to someone's ragbag for scrap uses. Observing this life cycle led authors John Forrest and Deborah Blincoe to the idea that quilts, like living things, have a natural history that can be studied scientifically. They explore that natural history through an examination of the taxonomy, morphology, behavior, and ecology of quilts in their native environment—the homes of humans who make, use, keep, and bestow them. The taxonomy proposed by Forrest and Blincoe is rooted in the mechanics of replicating quilts so that it can be used to understand evolutionary and genetic relationships between quilt types. The morphology section anatomizes normal and abnormal physical features of quilts, while the section on conception and birth in the life cycle discusses how the underlying processes of replication intersect with environmental factors to produce tangible objects. This methodology is applicable to many kinds of crafts and will be of wide interest to students of folklore, anthropology, and art history. Case studies of traditional quilts and their makers in the Catskills and Appalachia add a warm, human dimension to the book.

Traditional quilts serve many purposes over the course of a useful life, and observing this life cycle from bed covering to ground cover to ragbag for scrap uses led authors Forrest and Blincoe to the idea that quilts, like living things, have a natural history that can be studied scientifically. They explore that natural history through an examination of the taxonomy, morphology, behavior, and ecology of quilts in their native environment -- the homes of humans who make, use, keep, and bestow them. This methodology is applicable to many kinds of crafts and will be of wide interest to students of folklore, anthropology, and art history. Case studies of traditional quilts and their makers in the Catskills and Appalachia add a human dimension to the book. 200+ drawings of quilt patterns.

Examines how quilts and quilting have evolved from the eighteenth century to the present, and displays photographs of traditional and contemporary quilts, as well as those from the Amish, African American, Hawaiian, and Native American traditions

Includes a sheet of patterns intended to be cut apart for use in constructing quilts.

By thoroughly examining all of these aspects, Amish Quilts is an essential resource for anyone interested in the history of these beautiful works.--Roderick Kiracofe, author of The American Quilt: A History of Cloth and Comfort, 1750-1950 "Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies"

Looks at the history of quilts in North America, focusing particularly on Canadian quilts, and includes photographs and a section on how to make some of the patterns

This photographed book covers the historical panorama of quiltmaking in the United States, from the quintessential patterns to their cultural significance.--[Book jacket.].