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The Art of Southern Quilts
Written By: A.J. Stewart | Issue: 2019/03 - March
Walk into the home of someone that has lived on the Plateau all of their lives and I can guarantee you’ll find a beautiful handmade quilt.
Chances are, the quilt was made by someone long passed into family history, the quilt becoming an heirloom handed down through the generations. Quilting isn’t a uniquely Appalachian skill, but our foremothers took this utilitarian craft and turned it into an artform.
A quilt is made up of three parts: a back, a layer of padding or batting in the middle, and a decorative top. During the 18th and 19th century, quilting was strictly a practical craft. Quilts were used as bed coverings as well as coverings for drafty windows and doors. There are several different quilting styles, but in Appalachia, the patchwork quilt is the most common. Settlers in our remote, mountainous region didn’t let anything go to waste. Anything from scraps of fabric to flour and feed sacks would be pieced together and made into a blanket.
When the textile industry rose in the Southeast in the late 19th century, quilters had easier access to large swaths of beautiful fabrics, but the tradition of patchwork quilting continued. As the Industrial Revolution took hold, quilting became less of a necessity and more of an artform. Intricate patterns were, and still are, created by talented quilters. Women would gather for quilting bees to socialize and create entire quilts in just a few hours. The quilts would be given as wedding gifts and housewarming gifts for children as they grew up and moved out on their own.
Quilting is just as popular today as it was 100 years ago. Quilters like Liz View of Highlands and Denissa Schulman of Asheville have taken the art to a whole new level with appliques, embroidery and painting. Their stunning works of art have been featured at craft shows across Western North Carolina. For more information on the craft and the artisans, visit The Southern Highland Craft Guild on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville and visit their website at www.southernhighlandguild.org.
