In a way, I can kind of understand the push away from quilting and other handcrafts. It's easier to go buy a blanket for a bed than to make one. Fabric is expensive. Then there's all the time required and learning the necessary skills, skills that many people don't learn in their youth anymore. The same goes for knitting socks and sweaters. It's not surprising the trend has gone over to cheaper to produce factory goods for convenience. It's freed up the average mom a good deal of time in her day to do other things, like cooking, cleaning, and selling on eBay. Then there's all the working moms and single moms that really don't have the time for leisure activities like knitting, sewing, and quilting.
I know it's easy to blame modern production facilities for the loss of valuable handcrafted goods in this country, but it's more than just that. Let's face it, how many people really want to sit there for hours piecing together a quilt? How many people want to be bothered making clothing for their kids when they outgrow them so fast? How many people really want to knit a constant supply of socks when they know that they'll just have to replace them when feet grow or holes are worn in? That's not even mentioning how hard it is to keep up with things like sweaters. Handcrafting goods for a family is a lot of constant work. Then there's staying on top of fashion trends on top of it all. Gone are the days when kids aren't judged for wearing their older brother or sister's hand-me-downs. While at one point that was normal, kids get harassed if it's too clear that their fashion choices are out of date, or that Mommy makes their clothes. In some communities it's not so bad, but in others it's a real big deal, so I get it. Handcrafting is no longer necessary, nor is it really practical or fashionable in most cases, or hasn't been. It's a leisure activity for those who have the time and money to engage in it.
So where does that leave quilting in our modern day? For a very long time I thought it was a very forgotten thing. I know my mom got into a quilting craze in the 80s, but I don't know whatever happened to it. I just remember seeing pieces of green fabrics that would make some kind of star pattern when put together. However, I haven't known too many people that quilt. From everything I've heard it was a skill that was fairly limited to wealthy older women who had nothing better to do with their time than make quilts. It's got a huge reputation as a granny craft by those who aren't involved with the craft.
I have to admit, I've been drawn to quilting for a while. I've really been too embarrassed to admit it around most of the people I know. Most of them seem to think quilts are pretty ugly, and in some senses, I'm inclined to agree. I've always thought quilts were particularly hideous, using garish patterned materials that clashed with each other. However, it's because of that rather hideous, often clashing nature that they are beautiful. Sure, a modern eye for fashion and trends say that those quilts clash, aren't fashionable in any way, and have no place in a modern home. The modern trend towards simplicity or something exotic and imported pulls attention away from something that is so inherently American. However, those often clashing colors and patterns have their own distinct beauty. Part of it's the geometry of it all, pieces fit together just so. Part of it is the bold departure from the modern in piecing together colors and textures that don't "work" in a modern vocabulary. Mostly it's just the beauty of a traditional craft being used for a traditional reason. However, most of the friends I've had really don't understand that.
Plus, there's the huge waste of time and resources that can go into quilting. It's not exactly a cheap hobby, much like my other favored hobby of knitting. It's incredibly time consuming, which is a huge drawback to many I know. They'd rather spend their time sitting in front of a computer looking at YouTube videos or chatting with friends than they would engaging in something as detailed as quilting. Besides, there's also the image that quilting (much like knitting and crocheting until recently) is for grannies, and I'm not even close to being a granny. In a way, I have to agree. Quilting would take a good deal of time away from my other hobbies. It would certainly take away from my knitting time, and I'd really like to get back into embroidery. What can I say? I'm a woman with a love of hobbies! Quilting is definitely an expensive one from everything I've heard, even if you make all your own patterns, fabric isn't exactly cheap anymore. I've looked into it for my grand ideas of making clothing for my own kids. I don't even know half of what you need to quilt, but I know it takes more than some fabric, some batting, a needle, and thread. I can definitely see where my friends are coming from on that end of things.
However, yesterday I realized I just might want to get into it. The wonderful mom teaching Link's global arts class brought two quilts she'd made. They were beautiful. It made me realize that I'd really like to make quilts for each of my kids, even if they were never finished until they moved out of the house. I know my great-grandmother used to quilt, and my mom tried her hand at it, so it would be like preserving a traditional family craft, like knitting. It would also be a unique gift I could give my children, especially for cool nights. There's nothing more wonderful than climbing between your sheets with a nice, warm afghan with a quilt laid on top. That's enough to keep you warm and cozy all night, even in a house as cool and drafty as our own. Quilts and afghans are much better than store-bough comforters, not just in warmth, but in durability and quality too! It would be a wonderful gift I could give to my children.
Maybe this will be the start to inspiring a whole new generation. True, it seems to only be the homeschool set that gets this wonderful introduction to a rich world of arts and culture, but that's a start. How many of these kids will go on to inspire others? To show others that knitting, quilting, and so much more are more than just "granny crafts". Further, it's a return to rich, heritage crafts that have become a part of our nation's history. It would be a shame to have these wonderful crafts lost to time because people would rather hop on their computer for social networking sites and empty games than create these beautiful works of art that are not just stunning, but practical and useful too.
It was a practical solution to saving scraps of clothing people no longer needed and reusing them. That is what your great grandmother used to tell me. The woman gathered not out of boredom, but as a community to bond and come together. It was a tradition passed down among women and in part it was a part of coming of age that your stitches were considered of a quality that you would be allowed to join the quilting beas.
ReplyDeleteToday people tend to buy material so it will match. It is harder to recycle and reuse, to trade with your neighbors. We also don't always have modern clothing that makes great quilted material. So the traditions have changed.
I've heard tons of different stories on how quilting started as a tradition. Apparently there's a lot of research that proves when quilting first came to this country it was a hobby for the rich who could afford the fancy materials quilts were made of. The practical aspects of using scraps of fabric from hand-made clothing or recycling the bits of old clothes that weren't worn out is more common to the prairie settlers. Of course, I've heard a lot of oral traditions stating that quilting was actually started using scraps of fabric. It's interesting to see how the art/craft has evolved over time. It's theorized by some that we're actually returning to the original way quilting was done, when wealthy women with time on their hands would buy fancy materials to make quilts.
ReplyDeleteNo matter what the real story is, I think it's an incredible tradition. I'm not sure how I feel about buying all kinds of matching fabrics so the quilts all match, except maybe in a few of the real easy kits I've considered to get me started, but my favorites have always been scrap quilts. I think I'm going to have to do a lot more research so I can present my kids with a bunch of alternate stories behind the quilts so my kids can learn not just about the rich history, but also the incredibly personal stories of the people who made them.