July 8, 2014 – Quilt Groups & Guilds

Quilting bees historically provided women the opportunity to socialize, learn and finish several quilts in a day instead of weeks or months. In isolated regions gathering women in the area together helped overcome the loneliness that so many pioneer women experienced. Other times the goal of a quilting bee was mainly social and beginners were welcomed along with the experienced. During the 1800s in many parts of the country there was a custom that a young girl make a baker’s dozen of quilt tops before she became engaged. This collection consisted of 12 utility quilts and one big quilt for her bridal bed. After her engagement, she would take final steps to turn her tops into finished quilts. Oftentimes, young women would gather to help a bride-to-be finish her quilts before she married. Many other quilts finished during quilting bees were made for grandchildren, newborns, new neighbors, pastors, etc.

An essential piece of equipment for hand quilting was the quilting frame. These frames were a demonstration of ingenuity on the part of our ancestors because one type of frame did not work well for all situations. Although one or two people could manage to quilt on a frame propped between furniture in a crowded room, quilters realized they needed to figure out how to better utilize the space in order to accommodate more quilters around the quilt frame. Solution:  Quilt frames were rigged up so that the frame could be dropped down from the ceiling while quilting was in progress then lifted again to get it out of the way. Some women arranged to have the frame dropped over a bed so that she could work on the quilt during the day and then leave it on the frame to be raised above the bed during the night. This arrangement allowed several quilters to work around the frame in sometimes very tight quarters.

Although they may be held in more comfortable surroundings, today’s quilting groups still afford women the same benefits as our ancestors – deep friendships, social time, education (there’s always something new to learn), inspiration and a sense of satisfaction. If you are looking to join a group, a good place to start is the Lincoln Quilters Guild.  Better yet, stop by the Guild’s biennial quilt show scheduled for July 10-12 at St. Mark’s United Methodist, 8550 Pioneers Blvd. For more information on the Guild and it’s three-day quiltfest, check out www.lincolnquiltersguild.org.