Klose chats quilts

Patsy Klose displayed several of her own prize-winning cotton, flannel and batik quilts on the front porch of the Stutsman County Memorial Museum on Sunday.

She also used some of the quilts from the museum’s collection as examples of different types of quilts and quilting techniques she covered in her presentation.

Klose said a quilted carpet found in a cave in Siberia indicated that quilting possibly originated in Asia before the first century, but examples of quilting (defined as needlework involving two or more layers of fabric) have been found in other areas of the world.

India produced and exported silk and cotton and had a strong quilting tradition in calico (a word originating from the name Calcutta). During the 14th century, crusaders wore quilted garments under their armor, and quilting was done in monasteries in the 15th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries, quilting was evident in waistcoats, bed linens, etc. In the 19th century quilting was popular as a form of folk art in Sweden and Germany. During the colonial era, in America, times were hard and women made use of every scrap of material. They used the scraps to make “crazy” quilts. By the 1800s, the Industrial Revolution afforded women more time, and they were able to showcase their handiwork through quilts of intricate designs.

Klose also discussed the significance of autograph quilts, because they are dated and signed. She used a museum quilt done in 1907 by the women of a church in Pingree as an example of this type of quilt. She said these were sometimes given to pastors who were leaving as a gift to remember their time at that parish.

Klose talked about methods and tools used to make quilting quicker and easier today. She said quilting is still very popular and avid quilters, such as she, can still join a block-of-the-month club similar to the ones that were available through the Kansas City Star in the 1930s.

Klose said she receives a kit containing fabric and a pattern for one block of a quilt each month. The patterns have names such as Snail Trail, Flying Kite and I Excel, and after 12 months, the subscriber will receive the pattern and instructions on how to put the blocks together to complete the entire quilt.

According to Klose, there are several quilt museums. The one she made special mention of was the International Quilt Study Center and Museum on the University of Nebraska campus that has quilts from the 1700s that were willed to the museum. The museum is temperature controlled and the quilts are only handled with white gloves.

Klose read a short article citing the importance of studying the history of quilts as they give people insight as to what was going on at the time the quilts were made: wars, religious campaigns, western expansion, pioneering on the plains. The study of antique quilts has provided information on the history of textiles in India, Asia and America.

On Sunday, Felicia Sargeant will present the final Front Porch Chat of the season. She will talk about White Cloud and the National Buffalo Museum.

Tags: diversions, history