Traditional pieced quilts have a long history. Women headed west in covered wagons would piece bits of cloth from used garments together with Yankee thrift to create bedcovers for the family. Quilting bees helped families by finishing quilts and creating a sense of community in a sometimes barren new land. Whenever there have been bits of fabric, thrifty men and women have created pieced quilts.

The patterns of quilts themselves tell a long history. Traditional piecing used such popular patterns as log cabin, nine-patch, drunkard's path, and Irish chain. The log cabin has many variations, all starting with a simple square for the center. History (and mythology) has it that a certain colored center square meant a safe house in use during the Underground Railroad. Alternating light and dark fabrics around the center square, a piece at a time, created wonderful patterns. Red square in the center could represent the hearth of the home, the light side the sunny side of the house, and the dark side the shady part of the house. Simple to stitch, easy to carry and work on in spare moments, pieced blocks became the foundation of quilting.

Another type of piecing, friendship quilts are just as popular today as a way of saying thank you to loved ones as they were in our history. These were precious memories to women who moved away from family and friends. Traditional pieced blocks would have a plain space for a signature or message from a friend or loved one. Women would gather to create these "going away" quilts, bringing the warmth of friendship into every stitch. Nowadays, with the machine, basic blocks can be pieced together and brought to a gathering for signatures.

Crazy quilts evolved from the 1876 Exposition and moved creativity into new areas by sewing asymmetrical pieces of fabric together in what seemed a very haphazard manner. Yet these quilts were well planned and executed, a great way for women to show off needlework skills, and they were more decoration than useful items. Made from silks, velvets, and brocades, the key was the stitching: herringbone, chain, and feather stitches, used in embroidery, made their way into decorative quilting.

Always thrifty, women began using feed sacks in piecing, primarily in the late 1920s. When synthetics began to appear, the price of cotton dropped, and manufacturers began using cotton to package their products, rather than barrels. Labels designed to fit on the round barrel tops were imprinted on cotton bags. Women would use bleach to get these labels off, but eventually, thanks to American marketing, companies would design patterns for their feedsacks, hoping to encourage women to buy their product for the feedsack pattern.

Yet another type of piecing, charm quilts have gone through several uses, from thrifty to showing off a huge variety of fabrics. Nowadays, with the development of the "quilter's stash," charm quilts are pieced using as many different fabrics as possible, again working traditional patterns using light, medium, and dark values of cloth.

The key to piecing has always been the small pieces. Each piece slowly becomes part of a larger design. Quilters can look at heirlooms passed down through the family and identify dresses, baby clothes, and other garments with a personal history. Many quilters begin with their children's clothes that they just don't want to throw away. With Isaac Singer and his machine, women were able to piece quicker and accomplish more.

Today we piece by hand because we enjoy the careful stitching and creativity worked into each stitch. We also enjoy the mechanics of being able to create an heirloom or practical quilt much quicker using new technology. Whichever way you choose, you are carrying on a tradition.

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