I'm excited to welcome CLARE O'DONOHUE, who was featured here earlier this year. Clare has written a guest blog for us, in conjunction with the release of her latest book, THE DEVIL'S PUZZLE.
Here is the link to her previous visit: http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Mystery/Ple
Clare's website is here: http://clareodonohue.com/
Her blog is here: http://clareodonohue.com/blog/
She's on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/people/Clare-ODonohue/100
http://waybackwhenmagazine.com/Quilting.html
Quilting
An American Art
by Clare O'Donohue, Author of the 'Someday Quilt' Mystery Series
I quilt. I know I could run to one of a dozen big box stores for a blanket that would be cheaper and, in theory, keep me just as warm, but I prefer to quilt. In the nearly twenty years I’ve been doing it, I’ve made about a hundred quilts. Some are less than two feet square and some are big enough for a queen sized bed, and all of them tie me to generations of women who have kept this art form alive.
A quilt is defined as two layers of fabric with batting between them, stitched together to hold the layers in place. And with that definition, quilts go back as far as ancient Egypt. Evidence of quilted clothing is all over the world, from China to Europe, and whole cloth quilts are traditions in Wales, the South of France, and many other places. But when most of us think of a quilt we think of patchwork patterns, a myriad of small pieces of sometimes dozens of different fabrics sewn in squares, diamonds, triangles… or any possible shape. And that type of quilt was born in America.
Interestingly, while most of us assume that quilts were the standard on Colonial beds, little evidence exists to suggest women had the time or means to make the quilts we think of today. Some quilts that might have been made prior to the Revolution were believed to have been made by women of upper classes, who used scraps of imported chintz fabrics, often with floral patterns. The women would cut out the designs and appliqué them to a larger piece of fabric for decorative quilts that would have been draped over a chair rather than actually used. This style, called broderie perse, remains part of our quilting tradition, and is sometimes used in quilts today.
It was later, in the decades leading up to the Civil War, when patchwork seems to have become the norm. By the 1840s, cotton fabrics were more available, and by the 1850s sewing machines were being mass produced. In some areas, women used old clothing and blankets, cut up and re-sewn, to make practical, warm quilts. But there is far more evidence to suggest that fabric was bought for the purpose of making quilts, and it is at this time that patterns were beginning to show up in newspapers and magazines of the day.
Patterns, and particularly their names, are a wonderful insight into American life. They seemed to center around scripture (with names like Cathedral Window, Crown of Thorns, Jacob’s Ladder), nature (Autumn Leaves, Bears Paw, Shoo-Fly), and home life (Broken Dishes, Attic Windows). Romance played its part with quilts being made especially for weddings, such as a Double Wedding Ring pattern, or a Lover’s Knot. Superstitions, particularly about weddings and quilts, are quite popular. It is said that a single woman who makes a Lone Star quilt will never marry. Since that quilt has hundreds of small pieces, my theory is that any woman making it by hand wouldn’t have time to marry!
There has been much debate in recent years about the role quilts played during the Civil War. Some historians believe that quilts were used as clues in the Underground Railroad, to aid escaping slaves as they made their journey north. The story goes that certain quilts would be placed on a fence to signal to runaway slaves that one house was safe, or that danger was nearby. The majority of quilt historians, however, see this is a romantic myth. One quilt often cited as used in the Underground Railroad, the Log Cabin, didn’t actually become popular until after the Civil War, as a tribute to the fallen Abraham Lincoln.
But quilts did have their place in history. Quilts were often used to make political statements. The pattern known as Robbing Peter to Pay Paul was renamed Drunkard’s Path as part of the temperance movement, 54-40 or fight quilt block was designed as a political statement during the border dispute with Canada. And during the depression, happy, pastel colors with depictions of bunnies, children playing, and other lively scenes were sewn into quilts to counter act the difficulty of the time.
During World War 2, for the first time in a century, quilting began to wane in the United States. Women were working outside the home, and more “practical” sewing skills, such as making clothes or darning socks, were a better use of the limited time women had. And as the men returned from war, modern became the “it” word of the 1950s. In an era that brought us the TV dinner, could we really expect women to do something as old fashioned as quilt?
Quilting became a fringe art in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Fabrics and patterns were pushed to the back of stores or discontinued altogether. It wasn’t until the very end of the 1960s that a quilting revival took hold. As America approached its 200th birthday, people were looking to return to Colonial crafts, like metalworking, spinning and (ironic since it wasn’t really popular during Colonial days) quilting.
By the Bicentennial celebration in 1976, quilt shops had begun to spring up. Fabric was usually small floral patterns called calicos, and the tools were limited to a pair of scissors and pattern pieces cut from cardboard. But quilting was back.
In the more than 30 years since, quilting has become a multi-billion dollar industry with more than 20 million quilters in the US, and a growing number across the globe. There are hundreds of quilts shows a year, several boasting attendance of more than 50,000. Every day new fabrics, tools, and patterns hit the market.
But the past is not forgotten.
Quilts, and quilters, pay homage to those who have kept the tradition alive. From Broderie Perse, to the Civil War, to the 1970s revival, every quilter carries a piece of history in every stitch. And though my Jacob’s Ladder quilt might be made of Japanese-designed fabric, or my Drunkard’s Path, from Bali inspired batiks, I know that as I piece, I’m a small part of a great history. And that is why I quilt.
About the Author - Author of the 'Someday Quilts' mystery series, Clare O’Donohue is a freelance television writer and producer. She has worked worldwide on a variety of shows for Food Network,the History Channel, and truTV, among others. An avid quilter, she was also a producer for HGTV’sSimply Quilts with Alex Anderson, and is still trying to use up the fabric she was given while working there. O’Donohue lives in Chicago, IL. Visit her website at www.clareodonohue.com and theSomeday Quilts fan page on Facebook.
ABOUT CLARE
I was born in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest of four children. My parents are both from Ireland, but they met in London, moved to the US, and settled on Chicago’s South Side, where I was born and raised.
I always knew I wanted to be a writer and in fact wrote my first novel (mini-novel actually. It was 60 pages) when I was 15. It was a mystery. After college I worked as a newspaper reporter and writing teacher before moving to LA and getting my first job in television. That was on the HGTV show, Simply Quilts.
I worked on the show for four seasons, eventually becoming the Supervising Producer, but I’ve written and produced for a lot of other shows as well. In the last twelve years, I’ve worked on shows for The History Channel, truTV, Food Network, A&E, Discovery, TLC, and others. My work has taken me all across the US and abroad and I’ve met a diverse group of people – from CEO’s to prison inmates, Malaysian orphans to famous athletes.
But all along I thought about writing a novel. I still loved mysteries so I finally sat down to write one. And lucky for me, I had the time. There’s a lot of what we in the freelance world like to call downtime, but is more commonly known as unemployment. Since I wasn’t earning any money, I also had motivation to write something that could catch the interest of a publisher.
And, luckily, I did. In 2008 I published The Lover’s Knot, the first in the Someday Quilts series. Now I’ve added A Drunkard’s Path and The Double Cross. And in the fall of 2011, The Devil’s Puzzle.
With the release of Missing Persons, I’m launching a new, edgier mystery series; one that gives an inside look at the world of television. It deals with murder, friendship, and love, just like Someday Quilts, but from a very different viewpoint.
It’s been an amazing few years and hopefully it’s just the beginning. Thanks for being a part of it.
Clare
The Devil's Puzzle (Someday Quilts Series #4)
Nell and the crafty Someday Quilters undertake their first cold case in the latest addition to this bewitching series.
After their quilting retreat upstate, the Someday Quilts ladies return to Archers Rest to prepare for the town's big anniversary celebration. But their plans are unexpectedly derailed by the discovery of a human skeleton in Nell's grandmother's backyard-making Eleanor the prime suspect in a murder. But a skeleton isn't the only thing that's long been buried. When a wave of vandalism raises fears that the town's bygone history of witchcraft has been reawakened, secrets are unearthed that could change life in Archers Rest forever. In addition to a thrilling mystery and the warm camaraderie of the ladies, The Devil's Puzzleis full of the quilting lore and techniques that Clare O'Donohue's readers adore.
becke_davis wrote:*Stay tuned for the guest blog*
I'll be away from the computer in the morning, but I'll add it asap!
Don't worry, becke-- after re-reading Clare's first blog for us on the history of quilts, I am anticipating her next one. BTW, that's a great pic of a "Good Morning" quilt--looks like one of those designed to put people in a good mood! Where, though, do you FIND all these great pictures, huh???
As I wrote in the "What are you reading now?" thread, I just finished reading Double Cross, and I can hardly wait to read Devil's Puzzle! I want to read what Clare has to say about it first, though, so I will have to be patient a while longer.
Fricka wrote:
becke_davis wrote:
*Stay tuned for the guest blog*
I'll be away from the computer in the morning, but I'll add it asap!
Don't worry, becke-- after re-reading Clare's first blog for us on the history of quilts, I am anticipating her next one. BTW, that's a great pic of a "Good Morning" quilt--looks like one of those designed to put people in a good mood! Where, though, do you FIND all these great pictures, huh???
As I wrote in the "What are you reading now?" thread, I just finished reading Double Cross, and I can hardly wait to read Devil's Puzzle! I want to read what Clare has to say about it first, though, so I will have to be patient a while longer.
I just got back from a day out, Fricka, but haven't heard from Clare's publicist about the guest blog yet. I'll post it soon but, in the meantime, there is other reading material here!
As to the quilt images, I wanted to post a picture that related to Clare's books. I went to Google Images and searched "Good Morning Quilts." Et voila!
