When you think about the Amish community, odds are you'll picture horse and buggies, barn raisings, farming, quilting bees and hand made crafts. In the past few decades the Amish quilt and craft trade has become a very popular tourist attraction. More and more Amish, especially women, have embraced this enterprise as a way to both socialize more with each other, and earn extra income.
Although it's easy to assume Amish quilting has been a tradition for them for hundreds of years, they actually did not begin quilting until the late 1800s. On the other hand, their English neighbors had been making quilts for years. The Amish were still using the bedding of their German ancestry, which was feather beds and coverlets.
Since the main tenet of Amish culture and beliefs is to keep away from the temptations of the modern world, the introduction of quilting was a bit too modern for them at first. So although it may seem as though things never change within Amish society, that is very untrue. Changes occur, just at a much slower rate than they do in the modern world.
As with many creations, Amish quilts began as plain, one color quilts. Though few Amish quilts show up before 1870, the earliest quilts used solid, dark colors such as black, brown or blue. Over the years however, the Amish quilt has begun to evolve.
The Amish community is slow to change, and changes must be approved by the leaders of the community. That's most likely why it took years and years for the Amish quilt to evolve past one solid color. Eventually some very basic piecing and colors were added, such as a diamond border in the middle of the quilt. While reds and other colors began being used, they were still very muted colors, though within the quilts they showcased a plain and natural beauty.
In the outside world, different quilting styles quickly evolved, getting more and more eye catching. As usually, the Amish quilt style changed slowly and incrementally. They do embrace the tamer patterns such as Sunshine and Shadow and the Nine Patch. The Amish do not practice typical art skills like painting or drawing, so quilting was a great way to show the creativity and skill at work within the community.
Another huge aspect of the Amish quilt was the quilting bees held to piece the quilts together. It was the perfect excuse for Amish women to be able to get together and catch up with each other. Once the household chores were done, the women would get together to work on projects together, which led to a large outpouring of merchandise and thus the beginning of the lucrative quilting business in the Amish world.
There is a definite difference between an Amish quilt and a factory made quilt. Each quilt is the distinct creation of its maker, and showcases creativity, stitching and other sewing talents. The Amish are now well know for their quilts and other crafts because of the fine workmanship and design. - 16463
Although it's easy to assume Amish quilting has been a tradition for them for hundreds of years, they actually did not begin quilting until the late 1800s. On the other hand, their English neighbors had been making quilts for years. The Amish were still using the bedding of their German ancestry, which was feather beds and coverlets.
Since the main tenet of Amish culture and beliefs is to keep away from the temptations of the modern world, the introduction of quilting was a bit too modern for them at first. So although it may seem as though things never change within Amish society, that is very untrue. Changes occur, just at a much slower rate than they do in the modern world.
As with many creations, Amish quilts began as plain, one color quilts. Though few Amish quilts show up before 1870, the earliest quilts used solid, dark colors such as black, brown or blue. Over the years however, the Amish quilt has begun to evolve.
The Amish community is slow to change, and changes must be approved by the leaders of the community. That's most likely why it took years and years for the Amish quilt to evolve past one solid color. Eventually some very basic piecing and colors were added, such as a diamond border in the middle of the quilt. While reds and other colors began being used, they were still very muted colors, though within the quilts they showcased a plain and natural beauty.
In the outside world, different quilting styles quickly evolved, getting more and more eye catching. As usually, the Amish quilt style changed slowly and incrementally. They do embrace the tamer patterns such as Sunshine and Shadow and the Nine Patch. The Amish do not practice typical art skills like painting or drawing, so quilting was a great way to show the creativity and skill at work within the community.
Another huge aspect of the Amish quilt was the quilting bees held to piece the quilts together. It was the perfect excuse for Amish women to be able to get together and catch up with each other. Once the household chores were done, the women would get together to work on projects together, which led to a large outpouring of merchandise and thus the beginning of the lucrative quilting business in the Amish world.
There is a definite difference between an Amish quilt and a factory made quilt. Each quilt is the distinct creation of its maker, and showcases creativity, stitching and other sewing talents. The Amish are now well know for their quilts and other crafts because of the fine workmanship and design. - 16463
About the Author:
About the author: Deborah Lichtie works as an marketing specialist and consultant for several sites such as Amish Quilt and often does freelance content writing for various other sites. She has a particular interest in history and especially Amish culture, as well as different types of craft creation, including stamping, wood carving and quilting. In her spare time she sells amish quilts on her website and via ebay.
