The Quilting Bee

The Quilting Bee

In fellowship sweet, the quilters meet,
Their long winter days to invest
Snipping and sewing, only slowing
To visit, to eat, or to rest.

Calico scraps are heaped on their laps,
Each one an exact size and hue;
Fingers nimble with thread and thimble
Create pretty patterns anew.

Heads bent to the task, you need to ask
If these seamstresses love to quilt
Their talented touch expresses so much
As piece unto piece is built.

Friends try to perceive who will receive
Each quilt that is stitched from the heart;
With needlework fine, the patterns entwine
A treasure, a true work of art!

(author unknown)

note:
The month of March is " Women's History Month"

In honor of the rich quilting history we share, let us never forget all those women who went before us....the women who raised families, toiled in the fields, baked bread, pulled water up from the well, made important scientific discoveries and inventions, are the head of companies both large and small, marched for our rights, and did so many other things at the same time. One of these was and is, sewing, crafting and quilting.

There were women who crafted with needle and thread for the warmth, the comfort and the beauty of their homes. In their giving and our receiving, their lies a rich legacy of both creativity and history shared.

women's quilting links from:
Wikipedia: History of Quilting

America's Quilting History: quilting history, styles & myths

Patterns Through Time: pattern history & free patterns

• Traditional Bible Block History and Patterns
• Quilt Block Patterns of America's Pioneers
• Quilt Block Patterns from the Colonial Revival
• Civil War Quilting Patterns
• History of Quilt Patterns both Vintage and Antique
• Stitching Your Way Into the Past

In honor of Finn's Frugal Fridays:
check out Frugal Quilting Fun

and because almost all of us do believe that most pioneer women sat around a quilting bee, we should all at least read: dispelling the myths surrounding "Quilting Bee's" ;)

For additional wonderful links, check out:
Stitching Your Way Into the Past (articles on making a reproduction quilt)
Early Quilting and Textiles (articles from ancient Egypt to early America)
Needlework Around the World (from Dutch patchwork feestrok to French boutis)
Stars and Stripes Forever (articles on quilting for country and community)
The African American Presence (articles on Black American quilting)
From Family Ties to Grand Events (articles on heritage quilts)