Friday, June 1, 2018

The Richness Of History And Culture Found In Quilt Museums

By Margaret Price


A vacation, nowadays, is defined as going to museums that give people wonderment. Most museums being visited are space museums, or those who give people a peek on history, or aquatic museums that give land dwellers a peek on the life under the sea. However, quilt museums are deemed as boring due to its lack of high tech stuff. Vacationers are oblivious to the fact that these kinds of museums will give them a sense of pride for their country upon learning how and why quilts were made.

Life during the colonial era was hard. Families lived in shabby houses that can be easily destroyed by harsh weathers, and can easily be penetrated by the cold during the winter. Also, people were finding it hard to put food on the table. With the cold, and no food in the stomach, families get weak and prone to illnesses that may result in death.

During that period, only men were recognized as fit to be employed by the government and private establishments. Women are considered to do the house chores alone. The house chores include taking care of the home and their meager belongings, preservation and preparation of food, and taking care of the wellbeing of all. However, the wages of men is not enough for their family to survive.

As food is being prioritized, other needs like clothing, and or garments that can protect them from the cold becomes neglected. This is why some housewives resulted to quilting the used clothes of their parents, grandparents, and the clothes of family members. The housewives make quilts as bedcovers, or put up into their windows to stop the freeze from coming in, or to serve as blankets for their children.

As the years passed by, quilting became a hobby. It became a skill that became prominent among women of any age. So prominent, that it became a custom for young females to make 12 quilts that are pieced and 1 quilt that is an applique for the bridal bed. When it is decided that the couple is to be married, all thirteen quilts are sewn together to make one masterpiece quilt.

A quilt has become an heirloom, too. A mother would give the offspring a quilt to remind the child of how the family has lived in the past. The offspring will then pass it on to the next generations that will bring honor to the ancestry.

However, quilting is not only done by one housewife inside the house. It can be a great bonding opportunity for the neighborhood as well. Some women organize a quilting bee that will bring all women of all ages a place to gather and party. There would be food shared, along with techniques to quilt and stories are shared, too.

Some women place their quilts in a prominent place in the wall. Those pieces are the more colorful and elaborate ones. By showing the piece they made, they are also showing just how sharp their skills in quilting has become.

When vacationing, widen your mind by visiting this kind of museum. One would never know that the piece one is looking at is from a uniform of war hero that helped the country bring freedom to the citizens. After all, the present is a result from the past that will be carried out to the future.




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