A Stitch in Time Essay

The both stories give you a clear understanding of what the characters think about the quilts and why they're so important.The main idea behind the quilts is to let the reader know what the characters have been through and what memories were formed in their lives.In “Everyday Use”, The quilt was made from their grandma's old dress and the grandpa army uniform. In “My Mother Pieced Quilts”, the mom used old dresses and nightgowns.The Daughter reflects on her mother's memories when she runs down and up of the quilt.There are sculptures of their family and in the quilt, there's death and life, love.The quilt becomes a

A long time ago, buckskin and buffalo skins were what the women mostly used for making everyone's clothing. The hard-working women of the Sioux made skirts out of one piece of cloth sewn together at one side and looped over a belt. Their

Cotton, first domesticated in 2300-1760 B.C.E had been domesticated and heavily cultivated and manufactured into textiles for export (dying techniques had become prominent as

Guatemala is home to a centuries-old weaving tradition through which indigenous women assert a sense of “belongingness” to family and community. The women and their families are descendants of the ancient Maya Indians, and the tools of their trade are cotton yarn, the backstrap loom, and time-proven patterns and techniques. Each village and region is identifiable for its own weaving design and colors. Techniques and designs are passed from mother to daughter and traditional clothes are still preferred by most. Some believe that the different patterns existed before the Spaniards arrived. Others believe they were brought from Europe. It is known that the conquistadors used the clothing to label people and control the populations. The traditional technique was to wrap the threads on a warping board, and then mount them on back-strap loom where a panel was woven. Panels were decorated with brocade designs depending on the textile tradition of the weaver’s community as well as her personal taste and skills. Finally, the woven panels were sewn together to make a garment (Guatemalan Culture).

On viewing her work, I am reminded of the traditional art of quilt making, an art once dismissed as “women’s work” but reevaluated by the Pattern and Decoration movement during the second wave of feminism during the 1970’s. Historically quilt makers have used its qualities to communicate political and social messages. For example, the Abolition quilts made during the US Civil war era were inscribed with messages decrying the evils of slavery. However, Gower uses the repetitions of the motifs and tessellations of quilt making practice to draw attention to the excesses of mass

The first art piece consists of a beautiful curtain fragment of coptic textile from the late Roman and early Byzantine 4th century. Woven textiles were commonly incorporated in Byzantine clothing tapestries, furniture coverings and curtains. The most expensive textiles were made of silk. Inexpensive textiles like the curtain fragment were made of linen and wool. Although dyed textiles were rare, they were colored with plant based dyes like saffron or minerals (Carrol, pg.57). The majority of textiles were created by the horizontal two-beam loom later to be replaced by the vertical loom and domed spindle whorl.

physically and mentally, quilting has acted as an art that transcends racial barriers and to bring

Quilting can also be used for expression of oneself or for social commentary. Back in the 1800’s when there were many wars women would usually make quilts because they were what was needed in those times and the fabric was often hard to come by and it was usually saved for clothes making.” It was a means to escape from the isolation of their lifestyle and it allowed them the artistic freedom to express themselves. The quilts produced by our ancestors told stories about their lifestyles that could not be captured by pen and paper. Every quilt we see today, regardless of when the quilt was made, relates a story. The types of fabrics, the design of the quilt, the signature of the quilter, all reveal an intimate story of the woman or man who made the quilt.” (Meeske,Quilt Me a Story) They used quilting to get out of the bleakness and horrible things that were going on in their lives at the moment and put how they felt in the quilts. Around the mid-1800’s women quilted a lot more to show artistic talent, political views, and even their emotions. “Prior to a woman’s ability to vote, some women used their artistic talents and expressed their political views through a quilt. The issue of slavery in the United States in the mid-1800s led to quilt patterns called Slave Chain

The quilts are used in the representation of what heritage means to Mama and Maggie versus Dee’s view of them. Mama describes that:

As a result America started to produce three quarters of the world’s supply of cotton, allowing for big businesses to mass produce cloth. Cotton soon became “king” exceeding the value of all other products in America combined.

Navajos came to the southwest with their own weaving traditions; however, they learned to weave cotton on upright looms from Pueblo peoples. Navajo women believe the art of weaving was taught by Spider Woman, who constructed a loom according to directions given by the Holy People. By the 18th century the Navajos had begun to import Bayeta red yarn to supplement local black, grey, and white wool, as well as wool dyed with indigo. Using an upright loom, the Navajos made extremely fine utilitarian blankets that were collected by Ute and Plains Indians. These Chief 's Blankets were characterized by horizontal stripes and minimal patterning in

The Crazy Quilt started around the nineteenth century and still the most common quilt today.. The Crazy Quilt is a quilt that is consisted of many different types of fabrics and materials. These quilts were not always the prettiest but no one complained about their durability. At times, the only materials available for fillers were grasses and corn husks so string or twine was used to stitch the layers together. The Crazy Quilt consisted of old worn out clothing or old blankets that would be cut into squares then stitch them together, creating a crazy and fun designed quilt.

How does the difference between the way Dee (Wangero) and Maggie would use the quilts represent their two different ways of defining and treating their family’s heritage? Does the narrative give approval to Dee’s way or Maggie ’s?

Culturally, the symbolism of a quilt is understood to be an heirloom piece that is closely guarded and highly prized. The ownership of the quilt and the generational lines it passes down is known before the piecing is begun. Stitching the pieces together is done by groups of women. The tiny bits of cloth each carry a memory, one from grandpa's shirt, one square from an aunt's Christmas dress, a piece from the flannel nightgown a mother wore as she pulled her sick child close to her bosom. The pieces are carefully and artistically pieced together into a collage of

The Flower cloth is intriguingly designed by hand. Hmong women were responsible for sewing the cloth and the beautiful embroideries. Several Hmong women use a rare method of reverse appliqué, "designs made by sewing on a patch to the underside of a fabric and then cutting away and turning under the edge of the top fabric" (Fadiman ). The design is extremely difficult and takes years to acquire this skill. Hmong dresses are elaborated with trimmings, coins, and a variety of colorful yarns. The dresses were highly decorative and added bulk to the man or woman wearing the dress. However, the Rooster hat is a modernized tradition when the Hmong people came to the United States. The base of the hat was normally purchased and decorated with the coins and trimmings.