A story in each quilt

This is the time of year when thoughts turn to cozying up in a warm quilt in front of a fire with a cup of hot cocoa in hand. That quilt that brings such warmth to us physically can also bring warmth to our spirits, because each quilt has a story to tell.

Quilts tell stories in several ways. First, there is the way in which the quilt was made — was it made by one person? Was it made by a group? Historically groups of friends or neighbors might come together to work on a quilt — sharing in either the construction of the quilt top by piecing bits of fabric together and/or by sitting around a quilt frame to stitch the actual quilting lines into the quilt sandwich.

These gatherings were known as quilting “bees,” a term, according to wordhistories.net, that has been used since the late 1700s in the United States to mean a meeting of neighbors to work together to benefit one of their group. It is traditionally assumed that “bee” refers to the combined labors of bees in a hive, although some say it is a variation of the word “boon” which referred to voluntary help given to a farmer by his neighbors at the time of harvest, haymaking, etc.

Some of these quilts were “friendship quilts” or “signature quilts” — quilts made by the group to honor a member’s wedding, anniversary or perhaps moving away from the area. These quilts were made of blocks that had space for each member of the group to sign the quilt. The signatures might be written in ink, sometimes by each person or sometimes by the group member with the nicest handwriting, or they might be hand-embroidered. What a wonderful keepsake for the recipient of the quilt to have! He or she could look back at all the signatures and relive wonderful memories.

Other quilts tell a story through the specific block design. For example, the “Flying Geese” block resembles the formation of geese flying across the sky. The “Log Cabin” block mirrors the building technique of stacking logs on each other. The “Snail’s Trail” block looks like the trail of a snail (without the slime). The “Drunkard’s Path” block resembles the curving path of someone who has had a bit too much to drink. (Examples of each of these blocks can be easily found on-line.)

Some stories told by quilt blocks have found their way into history books. The “Drunkard’s Path” block is said to have been used on the Underground Railroad. Supposedly when it was displayed, it warned escaping slaves to zigzag their path — as if drunk — to make capture difficult. (More on this in a future column.)

Finally, and the best story of all, is that quilts tell the story of a community. We recently were privileged to be able to donate 30 quilts made by our members to our colleagues in the Log Cabin Quilters of Hayfork, Calif. Their neighbors and friends in Trinity County were impacted by wildfires this fall, and they wanted to be able to provide a quilt to each one of those families. A quilt won’t rebuild a house or conjure a new car, but it can deliver a clear message — you are part of a community that cares about you.

The Ocean Wave Quilters hope that this holiday season brings each of you the warmth of community and caring.