American quilts.(Current and Coming)

Sewing has long been an activity for American women, who were taught all manner of the needle arts during their childhood. A critical part of a girl's education in this discipline was learning how to stitch letters so she could work her initials or name onto the various linens made for the household. From the nineteenth century forward quilt-making became both a solitary and a social activity for women that required a great deal of time. Indeed, the survival of so many quilts, has often been attributed to the sentimental value attached to them. While there have been scores of exhibitions devoted to American quilts over the years, the subject of written or stitched words on quilts has not been studied in depth. Happily, the American Folk Art Museum in New York City has assembled a group of nineteen quilts made all over the United States (but primarily in the East) between the nineteenth century and the present, all of which bear text in a variety of formats. The show is entitled Talking Quilts and is on view until August 1.

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Nineteenth-century quilts that incorporate words often bear only the name of the maker and the date being commemorated, such as a birth, marriage, or retirement. However, by mid-century quilt-makers began to think of words ...