1. (Seriously? They shook a cat? Oh my! Poor cat!)
2. Some quilters believe that if you sleep under a new quilt, your dreams will come true.
(I certainly hope this doesn't include bad dreams! I sleep under 2 quilts in the summer but five quilts in the winter!)
3. Some quilters believe that if a thread broke while quilting, it would bring bad luck.
(Well now, that explains a lot of things as well as accidental Amish blocks!)
4. Quilt lore suggests that the center squares of log cabin quilts were usually red, to signify the heart and hearth of the home.
(Indeed! And my heart and a little quilted heart are always part of my quilts signature elements!)
5. Hawaiian quilt lore says that those who make "Ulu" their first quilt will always have abundance.
(The`ulu (breadfruit) quilt was often the first quilt made to insure plentiful food and prosperity to the maker.
6. The earliest recorded example of quilting can be found on a garment
worn by a carved ivory statue from Egypt in 3400 B.C.
(Awesome and very interesting! I never knew some stautes wear quilts though Ice seen a few wearing face masks in the news lately!)
The oldest actual quilt still in existence is also from Egypt, from 980 B.C.. This quilt, held in a museum in Cairo is made from coloured gazelle leather.
(Poor gazelle! And the cats thought they had it bad!)
7. Piecing together a quilt as a memorial for departed loved ones has a long history.
(Indeed but not as great or long as our own memories of them! Love memory quilts!)
In 1987, a group of activists formed the NAMES Project Foundation, and began gathering quilt panels stitched together by people who had lost loved ones to AIDS.
The Aids Memorial Quilt continues to grow, and new panels are received every week. The quilt is now way too large to be displayed in its entirety.
In October of 1996, it covered the entire National Mall in Washington, D.C., and weighed approximately 50 tons!
(A major effort and beautiful example of loving and accepting others as we do our own loved ones and honoring all health struggles that lead to loss.)
8. Early schoolteachers used thimbles as "must-have quilting tools" to enforce strict discipline. The teacher would knock disobedient students on the top of the head with a thimbled finger.
(Oh dear! Poor thimbles!)
The term “thimble knocking” was used by "ladies of the evening' around the same time period. They used a thimble on their finger to knock on the window glass to attract the attention of males walking by.
(Oh my goodness! Who knew? Ladies! Be careful when wearing a your thimbles NOT to knock on the window to get someone's attention. It might not be the kind of attention you meant! )
During the 1800s, a thimble was used as a spirit measure or alcohol shot glass, helping coin the phrase, “Only a thimbleful.”
(Caution! When experiencing a bad quilting day, look out for repeated thimblefuls!)
9. One old quilt superstition says you must never make human figures on a quilt. It is believed that the figures will walk and visit you at night.
(Darn these Sunbonnet Sue's and Sam's, away away! No wonder I don't sleep well at night!)
10. Another superstition is that if you make a quilt, be sure to finish it or marriage will l never come to you.
(Lucky my marriage came BEFORE my first unfinished quilt! Because they're stacked up ever since and even more in my pile once 3 kids and 4 grandkids came along!)
11. Tulips in quilt patterns signify love, pineapples indicate hospitality.
(So breadfruit, tulips, and pineapples are all good on quilts so far! Glad i made a tulip pillow at least! Sorry breadfruit and pineapples!)
12. Postage Stamp Quilts are made as the name suggests -- each square is the size of a postage stamp and a quilt may contain many thousands of these tiny pieces of cloth.
My closest quilt to a postage stamp one must honor "extra large collectors stamps" I guess but the recipients haven't known the difference at least!)
13. There are many quilts most of us hope hope to make some day, but many quilter's greatest ambition is a Dear Jane Quilt.
The Jane Stickle quilt was made during the American Civil War. She signed her quilt "In War Time 1863."
(Its take me from now until 2063 and then both the quilt and the still-living quilter would BOTH be miracles!)
Jane created a masterpiece consisting of 169 4.5"square blocks surrounded by fifty-two 8"x5" triangles and four corner triangles.
She pieced and appliquéd her blocks and every block is different!
And I love those amazing quilts and their even more amazing quilters!
But right now I'm worn out from creating my clever to me in my own mind comments.
It's almost summer. Going to climb under a quilt for a bit of a rest with a good book now! Thank you very much!
Happy Quilting to all of you hopefully Happy Quilters! Dont walk under any ladders carrying your unfinished quilts and step on a black cat! Poor thing is always being tossed about!!!
(Awesome and very interesting! I never knew some stautes wear quilts though Ice seen a few wearing face masks in the news lately!)
The oldest actual quilt still in existence is also from Egypt, from 980 B.C.. This quilt, held in a museum in Cairo is made from coloured gazelle leather.
(Poor gazelle! And the cats thought they had it bad!)
7. Piecing together a quilt as a memorial for departed loved ones has a long history.
(Indeed but not as great or long as our own memories of them! Love memory quilts!)
In 1987, a group of activists formed the NAMES Project Foundation, and began gathering quilt panels stitched together by people who had lost loved ones to AIDS.
The Aids Memorial Quilt continues to grow, and new panels are received every week. The quilt is now way too large to be displayed in its entirety.
In October of 1996, it covered the entire National Mall in Washington, D.C., and weighed approximately 50 tons!
(A major effort and beautiful example of loving and accepting others as we do our own loved ones and honoring all health struggles that lead to loss.)
8. Early schoolteachers used thimbles as "must-have quilting tools" to enforce strict discipline. The teacher would knock disobedient students on the top of the head with a thimbled finger.
(Oh dear! Poor thimbles!)
The term “thimble knocking” was used by "ladies of the evening' around the same time period. They used a thimble on their finger to knock on the window glass to attract the attention of males walking by.
(Oh my goodness! Who knew? Ladies! Be careful when wearing a your thimbles NOT to knock on the window to get someone's attention. It might not be the kind of attention you meant! )
During the 1800s, a thimble was used as a spirit measure or alcohol shot glass, helping coin the phrase, “Only a thimbleful.”
(Caution! When experiencing a bad quilting day, look out for repeated thimblefuls!)
9. One old quilt superstition says you must never make human figures on a quilt. It is believed that the figures will walk and visit you at night.
(Darn these Sunbonnet Sue's and Sam's, away away! No wonder I don't sleep well at night!)
10. Another superstition is that if you make a quilt, be sure to finish it or marriage will l never come to you.
(Lucky my marriage came BEFORE my first unfinished quilt! Because they're stacked up ever since and even more in my pile once 3 kids and 4 grandkids came along!)
11. Tulips in quilt patterns signify love, pineapples indicate hospitality.
(So breadfruit, tulips, and pineapples are all good on quilts so far! Glad i made a tulip pillow at least! Sorry breadfruit and pineapples!)
12. Postage Stamp Quilts are made as the name suggests -- each square is the size of a postage stamp and a quilt may contain many thousands of these tiny pieces of cloth.
My closest quilt to a postage stamp one must honor "extra large collectors stamps" I guess but the recipients haven't known the difference at least!)
13. There are many quilts most of us hope hope to make some day, but many quilter's greatest ambition is a Dear Jane Quilt.
The Jane Stickle quilt was made during the American Civil War. She signed her quilt "In War Time 1863."
(Its take me from now until 2063 and then both the quilt and the still-living quilter would BOTH be miracles!)
Jane created a masterpiece consisting of 169 4.5"square blocks surrounded by fifty-two 8"x5" triangles and four corner triangles.
She pieced and appliquéd her blocks and every block is different!
And I love those amazing quilts and their even more amazing quilters!
But right now I'm worn out from creating my clever to me in my own mind comments.
It's almost summer. Going to climb under a quilt for a bit of a rest with a good book now! Thank you very much!
Happy Quilting to all of you hopefully Happy Quilters! Dont walk under any ladders carrying your unfinished quilts and step on a black cat! Poor thing is always being tossed about!!!
Michele Bilyeu Creates With Heart and Hands as she shares her imaginative, magical, and healing journey from Alaska to Oregon. Creating, designing, sewing, quilting, and wildcrafting... from my heart and with my hands.
