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<h1 style="padding-top: 3em;">QUILTS</h1>
<h2>THEIR STORY AND HOW<br/> TO MAKE THEM</h2>
<p class="center" style="padding-top: 3em;"><b>BY</b></p>
<h2>MARIE D. WEBSTER</h2>
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<h2>INTRODUCTION</h2>
<p><span class="smcap">Although</span> the quilt is one of the most familiar
and necessary articles in our households, its story
is yet to be told. In spite of its universal use and
intimate connection with our lives, its past is a
mystery which—at the most—can be only partially
unravelled.</p>
<p>The quilt has a tradition of long centuries of
slow but certain progress. Its story is replete with
incidents of love and daring, of sordid pilferings and
generous sacrifices. It has figured in many a thrilling
episode. The same type of handiwork that
has sheltered the simple peasant from wintry blasts
has adorned the great halls of doughty warriors and
noble kings. Humble maids, austere nuns, grand
dames, and stately queens; all have shared in the
fascination of the quilter’s art and have contributed
to its advancement. Cottage, convent, and
castle; all have been enriched, at one time or another,
by the splendours of patchwork and the
pleasures of its making.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_xvi" id="Page_xvi">[Pg xvi]</SPAN></span>
In its suitability for manufacture within the
home, the quilt possesses a peculiar merit. Although
exposed for a full century to the competition
of machinery, under the depressing influence
of which most of the fireside crafts have all but
vanished, the making of quilts as a home industry
has never languished. Its hold on the affections
of womankind has never been stronger than it is
to-day. As a homemaker, the quilt is a most capable
tool lying ready at the hand of every woman.
The selection of design, the care in piecing, the
patience in quilting; all make for feminine contentment
and domestic happiness.</p>
<p>There are more quilts being made at the present
time—in the great cities as well as in the rural
communities—than ever before, and their construction
as a household occupation—and recreation—is
steadily increasing in popularity. This
should be a source of much satisfaction to all patriotic
Americans who believe that the true source of
our nation’s strength lies in keeping the family
hearth flame bright.</p>
<p>As known to-day, the quilt is the result of combining
two kinds of needlework, both of very ancient
origin, but widely different in character.
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_xvii" id="Page_xvii">[Pg xvii]</SPAN></span>
Patchwork—the art of piecing together fabrics
of various kinds and colours or laying patches of
one kind upon another, is a development of the
primitive desire for adornment. Quilting—the
method of fastening together layers of cloths in
such a manner as to secure firmly the loose materials
uniformly spread between them, has resulted
from the need of adequate protection against
rigorous climates. The piecing and patching provide
the maker with a suitable field for the display
of artistic ability, while the quilting calls for particular
skill in handling the needle. The fusing of
these two kinds of needlework into a harmonious
combination is a task that requires great patience
and calls for talent of no mean order.</p>
<p>To our grandmothers quilt making meant social
pleasure as well as necessary toil, and to their
grandmothers it gave solace during long vigils in
pioneer cabins. The work of the old-time quilters
possesses artistic merit to a very high degree. While
much of it was designed strictly for utilitarian purposes—in
fact, more for rugged service than display,
yet the number of beautiful old quilts which
these industrious ancestors have bequeathed to us
is very large. Every now and then there comes
<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_xviii" id="Page_xviii">[Pg xviii]</SPAN></span>
to light one of these old quilts of the most exquisite
loveliness, in which the needlework is almost painful
in its exactness. Such treasures are worthy of
study and imitation, and are deserving of careful
preservation for the inspiration of future generations
of quilters.</p>
<p>To raise in popular esteem these most worthy
products of home industry, to add to the appreciation
of their history and traditions, to give added
interest to the hours of labour which their construction
involves, to present a few of the old masterpieces
to the quilters of to-day; such is the purpose
of this book of quilts.</p>
<p class="address"><i>Marion, Indiana</i><br/>
<i>March 18, 1915.</i></p>
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<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</SPAN></span></p>
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