This quilt, named "Fan," was made
in the 1920s in Lancaster, Pa. The
quilter used wool and cotton.
a fuss would have been surprised —
perhaps even dismayed — by the at-
tention now accorded these items.
After all, there is no such thing as an
"artist" in the Amish community; for
someone to take pride in her quilts,
or to sew them only as showpieces,
would violate the Amish way of mod-
esty, humility and functionalism.
Still, it's clear that the quilts were
not made haphazardly or casually. An
Amish woman put careful thought in-
to choosing the colors for her quilts,
particularly those created for the mar-
riage of a son or daughter, and
quilted them elaborately. After com-
pletion, the fine quilts were often kept
in blanket boxes, to be removed and
spread on beds only on Sundays,
when company came.
"In the cases of the best of the
bunch, people realized what they had
and didn't use them," says Rachel
Pellman. Many of these particularly
beautiful quilts are the ones that have
survived and are now collector's
items.
In contrast, many everyday quilts
were made from fabric scraps left
over from clothing. The quilting was
not nearly as extensive or as intricate.
Almost always a female activity,
quilt-making was usually done during
the winter when the fields lay fallow.
Girls started to sew doll quilts when
they were quite small; many antique
doll quilts have survived and are now
24 HOME
collector's items.
As a teenager, a
girl might make
her first full-size
quilt.
Although
a
woman generally
pieced together a
quilt by herself,
often using a
treadle sewing
machine, several
women would fre-
quently gather
together to ex-
ecute the quilting.
In fact, quilting
was a popular
social activity,
with most women
usually attending
one or two quilt-
ings per year.
Distinct differences characterize
quilts from separate Amish commu-
nities. Unlike the Lancaster quilts, with
their large patches of solid color,
quilts from Midwestern states such as
Ohio and Indiana are busier, and
often use more traditional American
designs such as "Baskets" and
"Baby's Blocks:" These quilts are
sometimes made of cotton, rather
than the light wool almost always
used by the Lancaster Amish, and
sometimes feature softer colors, such
as blues, mauves and rose.
The quilts of the Lancaster Amish,
on the other hand, generally have
wider borders than those of the
Midwest, and the quilting is "incom-
parably more
elaborate," ac-
cording to Amish:
The Art of the Quilt.
It is generally
acknowledged
that Lancaster
County quilts are
the most valuable
of Amish quilts.
However, as quilt
dealer
Laura
Fisher
notes,
"Some people
are in love with
the more intricate
graphics of the
Midwest. They
prize the quilts of
different regions
different
for
reasons."
The quilts have undergone signifi-
cant changes over the years. Before
the turn of the century, the Amish of
Lancaster County used very dark,
muted colors in their quilts. At the
turn of the century, they started to
bring in the bright, jewel-like colors
that are the trademark of the finest
quilts. With the advent of polyester
in the 1930s and 1940s, moreover,
many Amish women began to incor-
porate this material in their quilts —
to the chagrin of current dealers. Cur-
rent quilts are marked by a use of
pastel shades, as well as by patterned
fabric — never an option in earlier
days.
Just as antique Amish quilts are in
demand, so are current ones, though
not to the same extent. Quilts made
by present-day Amish women sell for
between $550 and $1,500, according
to Rachel Pellman. The commercial-
ization of the quilts provides the
Amish with a measure of financial
clout and security that they may have
previously lacked; stories abound, for
example, of Amish paying for hospital
visits with quilts.
Yet this commercialization has af-
fected the quality of the handiwork.
Rather than depend on their instincts
for decisions about color and style,
many Amish women now try to bend
to the public's favor.
"Old Order Amish women come in-
"Broken Star," circa 1930, cotton.
This quilt was made in Ohio, and
displays colors and patterns
characteristic of that area.