Believing
For many women their church provided
a bedrock foundation of faith that they could turn to in good
times and bad. Their strong beliefs
and a sense of belonging to the church were often expressed in
the themes they chose for their quilts. The vast majority of
women were from a Judeo-Christian background and their quilts
reflect that faith.
"It seems to me we can
never enough praise our Father for leading us to this part of
the west, where we have so many congenial Christian friends with
whom we can enjoy such sweet communion."
Martha Ann Devoll Mott letter, February 1880, MS1554, Nebraska
State Historical Society
Jacob's Ladder
Maker unknown, made in United States
Circa 1880-1900
74.5" x 67.5"
International Quilt Study Center, James Collection, 1997.007.0037
Often women expressed religious beliefs in their quilts, choosing
patterns whose names included biblical references like Jacob's
Ladder, which refers to a passage in Genesis.
A multitude of fabrics and patterns are
used in this quilt's construction, evidence of the wide availability
of fabrics in the last decades of the nineteenth century, as
textile production became easier and less expensive.
Signature Quilt
Women of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Lincoln, Nebraska
1913
91" x 81"
Nebraska State Historical Society, Source: Ruth Sherburne, Paxton,
Massachusetts, Courtesy of Mary Marriner, Lincoln, Nebraska,
8283-1
It cost twenty-five cents to have your named embroidered on this
quilt, made as a fundraiser for Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
of Lincoln. Do you recognize any of the 549 names on the quilt?
The quilt was an Easter gift to Reverend and Mrs. S. Mills Hayes
in 1913.
Delectable Mountains
Maker, location unknown
Circa 1850-1870
97" x 85"
International Quilt Study Center, James Collection, 1997.007.0262
John Bunyan mentions the Delectable Mountains in his seventeenth-century
inspirational book, Pilgrim's Progress, a tale of travel, in
which the main characters arrive at the Delectable Mountains
and find salvation in the beautiful Celestial City. Pilgrim's
Progress became popular in the mid-1800s when the "Panorama
of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress" was introduced. The panorama,
featuring paintings by contemporary artists, was a theatrical
event: an 8-foot high by 850-foot long canvas, mounted on wooden
rollers, was unfurled in 15 to 30-foot sections accompanied by
music and a lecturer as a tour guide. More than 100,000 people
viewed the Pilgrim's Progress panorama during its first year
in 1850.
Friendship Quilt,
The Ladies of the Seward Presbyterian Church, Seward, Nebraska
1890
90" x 77"
Nebraska State Historical Society, Source: Ruth D. Greenwood,
Seward, Nebraska, 9418-1
The ladies of the Seward Presbyterian Church made this quilt
as a going-away gift for their pastor and his wife, the Reverend
and Mrs. Boyd. Members' names, along with the names of Seward
businesses, are embroidered on each wagon wheel-shaped block.
Tree
of Life
Maker, location unknown
Circa 1890-1910
77" x 62.5"
International Quilt Study Center, Holstein Collection, 2003.003.0331
Often women expressed religious beliefs in their quilts, choosing
patterns whose names included biblical references. The Tree of
Life is often mentioned in the Bible, particularly in reference
to the Garden of Eden, where access to the tree is lost when
Adam and Eve succumb to temptation and taste the forbidden fruit.
The pattern is composed nearly entirely
of triangles. The "leaves" of the tree are triangles
sewn together to create two-color squares. The squares were carefully
stitched "on point," in diagonal strips that made up
the tree's bower. It took great attention to detail to place
the squares accurately to create the rows of colors.
Signature
Quilt
Maker, location unknown
1895
77" x 65"
Nebraska State Historical Society, Source: Margaret Reckmeyer
and Mrs. Homer A. Miller, Washington, D.C. , 9681-2
Could this quilt have been a fundraising project? The inked names,
red and white color scheme, and wheel pattern are all typical
of late nineteenth-century fundraising quilts. Many of the names
have a connection with the former German Methodist Church in
Arlington, Nebraska. It belonged to Mr. and Mrs. William Reckmeyer
of Arlington.
Tree
of Life
Maker, location unknown
Circa 1865-1885
81" x 79"
International Quilt Study Center, James Collection, 1997.007.0003
Often women expressed religious beliefs in their quilts, choosing
patterns whose names included biblical references. The Tree of
Life is often mentioned in the Bible, particularly in reference
to the Garden of Eden, where access to the tree is lost when
Adam and Eve succumb to temptation and taste the forbidden fruit.
The pattern is composed nearly entirely
of triangles. The "leaves" of the tree are triangles
sewn together to create two-color squares. The squares then were
carefully stitched "on point," in diagonal strips that
made up the tree's bower. It took great attention to detail to
place the squares accurately and create the rows of colors.
Signature
Quilt
The Monowi Ladies Aid Society, Monowi, Nebraska
1928
85" x 76"
Nebraska State Historical Society, Source: Faye Christensen,
Lynch, Nebraska, 11200-1
Faye Christensen attended a quilt auction in 1928 and came home
with this quilt purchased for $12.25. Two hundred and thirty
eight members and friends of the Monowi Ladies Aid Society paid
ten cents to have their names embroidered on this quilt. The
blocks were pieced and set together by Martha Looker, then members
of the Society did the embroidery and quilting.
