Quilts Are An Important Part of Heritage

Quilts are an important piece of our heritage.  They offer insight into the social, cultural, and economic history of an area.  A quilt is defined as two layers of fabric, frequently with some form of batting or stuffing sandwiched between them, held together by ties or stitched designs.  There are hundreds of different quilt patterns, including variations in patterns.  They vary from simple patchwork or crazy quilts to intricate appliques.

Quilts hold memories of the materials used to create them.  The fabric may be scraps collected over years or exchanged among friends, pieces of old clothing, bits of ribbons or lace, homespun or manufactured.  From repurposed feed sacks to the finest quality material quilts tell stories of people and events, express their maker’s artistic abilities, and add comfort to lives. 

Vera Stinson, Sadie Allison, and Blanche Jones finish a Sunbonnet Sue quilt
at the Cedar Mountain Community Center in 1983.

A popular means of finishing a quilt was to hold a quilting bee.  These gatherings gave women and girls an opportunity to share the work and display their skills, as well as to socialize.

In 1985 the North Carolina Quilt Project took on the task of creating a permanent record of quilt making in North Carolina through 1975.  The goal was to document and photograph the wide variety of quilts made throughout the state.  A quilt historian recorded physical characteristics and a detailed history of each quilt and its maker.  More than 10,000 quilts were documented over a two year period, including 178 in Brevard in September 1986. 

In 2011 members of twelve communities within
Transylvania County came together to create a large quilt
depicting the history of the county.  This quilt, like many family
quilts, is a legacy to future generations.

One of the Transylvania County quilts recorded was stitched by Sarah Eliza Lyon in memory of her sister, Hannah.  Seventeen year-old, Hannah Lyon drowned while crossing the French Broad River near what is now known as Hannah Ford Road on February 23, 1863.  Sarah, who was only about three-years-old at the time of her sister’s death, later made the Double Irish Chain quilt using material from the dress Hannah was wearing when she died as one of the fabrics.

In 1988 UNC Press published North Carolina Quilts featuring more than 100 quilts crafted and documented in North Carolina.  The complete documentation of the North Carolina Quilt Project is now housed at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library.  Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs.  For more information, comments or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-3151 X242.