Quiltmaking and patchwork have been popular pastimes in the U.S. since the 1700s, and today quilts are highly collectible as works of folk art with historical significance (or just nice to look at). Antique quilts vary widely in design and materials, and can be hard to date definitively because they may have been assembled in phases from older quilts or blocks.
Made from a variety of materials, from elaborate fabrics to scraps of old clothing and sometimes even old feedsacks, quilts have both a functional and social significance. Groups of women often gathered to create quilts together, and the finished result was sometimes given as a gift for a special occasion (like a wedding) or as a symbol of friendship. Quilts can also document a family’s history as the pieces sewn together can come from baby blankets, old clothes, etc.
Antique quilts are typically categorized by style (broad classification) and pattern (of the individual blocks). Some notable styles include central motif, log cabin, album, circ...
Some notable patterns (of individual blocks) include Sunbonnet Sue, fan, log cabin, Rose of Sharon, 9-patch, Lone Star, Whig’s Defeat, Pot and Flowers, hole in the barn door, bowtie, and so on. There are some situations when the pattern (block) name was also used as the style name (this was common in the 20th century), such as Sunbonnet Sue, Grandmother’s Flower Garden, Dresden Plate and Double Wedding Ring.
Interviews & Articles
The Beautiful Chaos of Improvisational Quilts

What would jazz look like if it had a physical presence? According to Sherry Ann Byrd, a celebrated quilt maker who posts on Show … [more]
The History of American Quiltmaking: An Interview with Merikay Waldvogel, Part One

I always wondered why I was so fascinated with the quilts. In the early 1980s, when I was the executive director of the Knoxville … [more]
Collecting American Quilts: An Interview With Merikay Waldvogel, Part Two

The beauty of quilts is you can live with them. You can sleep under them. I have a quilt library, too. I not only collect quilts, … [more]
The Quilts of Winterthur

I started at Winterthur in the summer of 1991 as the head of the textile conservation lab. I morphed over to the curatorial side o… [more]
American Patchwork Quilts

The antique quilts which collectors admire today for their colorfulness and variety of design represent two of the oldest forms of… [more]
An Introduction to Identifying and Collecting Antique Quilts

Many antique quilt collectors think of themselves as caretakers of historical documents, made at the hands of the needlework siste… [more]
Homespun Beauty: Jim Linderman on Folk Art’s Authentic Appeal

My interest in 20th-century American self-taught art came about after I had gone through a million other things—from stamps to boo… [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
The Quilt Index

This collaborative project provides a visual index of almost 2,000 antique quilts across multiple museums and colle… [read review or visit site]
International Quilt Study Center

This University of Nebraska-Lincoln affiliated site showcases a spectacular collection of more than 3,500 quilts fr… [read review or visit site]
Antiquequiltdating.com

Though not an actual online dating site, the subject here is certainly love... of quilts. Kimberly Wulfert has put … [read review or visit site]
LACMA Luxury Textiles

Textile collectors shouldn't miss this microsite from the LA County Museum of Art, a great reference on European an… [read review or visit site]
American Folk Art Museum

The American Folk Art Museum's website showcases current and past exhibitions along with their permanent collection… [read review or visit site]
Anonymous Works

This blog combines American primitive folk art, vintage vernacular photography, outsider art, and other interesting… [read review or visit site]
The Outsider Art Pages

A modern look at folk and outsider art with a focus on what people are doing to keep these traditions alive. The si… [read review or visit site]
Folk Art in Bottles

Whether you call them Bottle Whimseys, Whimsey Bottles, Puzzle Bottles, or Whimsies, this site showcases great folk… [read review or visit site]
Index of American Design

The Index of American Design project (1935-1942) was an effort to catalog American decorative arts objects from the… [read review or visit site]
Stoveburner.com

A stunning collection of 162 images of stoveburners, those corroded cast iron elements that power stoves, broilers,… [read review or visit site]
Clubs & Associations: Folk Art
Other Great Reference Sites: Folk Art
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Recent News: Quilts
Source: Google News
DeHart: St. Michael's Cathederal to celebrate its centennial
Kelowna Capital News, May 22ndThere will be something for everyone, including buskers, home-baked goods, refreshments, free hot-dogs, coffee, crafts, games, face-painting, heritage tours of the church, antique quilts, along with weaving and spinning demonstrations. What a great...Read more
St. Charles County's entertainment calendar for May 22
STLtoday.com, May 21stAn Antique Quilts Exhibit is on display through June 15 at The Frenchtown Heritage Museum, 1121 N. Second St. The exhibit will take you through the age of the handmade quilt making ranging from the late 1800s to modern times. Hours are noon-3 p.m...Read more
Summer fun for producers honors agriculture today, yesterday
Prairie Star, May 21stJulie Croglio, chief of interpretation at the Grant-Kohrs Ranch said that in addition to their resident cowboys, blacksmiths and chuck wagon drivers they will also have experts on preserving food the old-fashioned way, leather repair, a display of...Read more
Last documentation session for vintage Cumberland County quilts set
Patriot-News, May 21stThe goal of the project is to gather information, images and stories of vintage quilts, quilt makers and quilt making to preserve the local legacy of quilting in the county. The documentation is a two-part process: documenting vintage quilts and...Read more
Spring Taste of Block Island kicks off the season
Block Island Times, May 20thSpring Taste of Block Island kicks off the season. Starts May 31. By Lars Trodson | May 20, 2013. Photo by: Kari Curtis Historical Society Executive Director Pam Gasner shows off an antique quilt and dress that will be on display during the taste of...Read more
Quilts Along the Trail Store opens next weekend
Osakis Review, May 16thDisplays and exhibits feature antique and vintage quilts as well as modern and contemporary patterns in a variety of quilted items. The QAT Store will be open Wednesdays-Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. through September 14, and Fridays and...Read more
PC Public Library District turns 75
LaSalle News Tribune, May 11thCondit Library will present a program on the antique quilt which has been preserved in the library since the World War I era. It was crafted by over 100 women in the Putnam area as a show of support Mary Jane Serafini, a well-known long arm quilter...Read more
Millfest Quilt Show Features Antique Quilts from Author Linda Hubalek's Collection
PR Web (press release), April 25thThe antique quilt display will be featured in the Swedish Pavilion during Millfest weekend. These quilts, made from 1830s through the 1950s, were made by Linda Hubalek's ancestors. The quilt show is sponsored by the McPherson Quilt Guild. Hubalek kicks...Read more
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