Quilts in a Material World:
Selections from the Winterthur Collection
St. Louis Art Museum
Through May 26
RAC Blogger: Debra Kokorudz

Upon entering Quilts in a Material World at the St. Louis Art Museum, I had a picture in my mind, of a patchwork of fabrics, constructed by poor and/or working class women, to enhance the beauty of their home. I have such a quilt, made by my great-grandmother. Oddly, it never occurred to me that the term was much more broad, the makers more diverse, and the form more ornate.

A quilt consists of three layers – the top, decorative layer, the batting in the center, and the bottom layer which is the backing. They are all joined together in the sewing technique deemed “Quilting”. I, and I am sure many of you, thought that the term quilting referred to stitching together little pieces of fabric to make a pretty pattern on a blanket, but it is HOW the layers of the blanket are joined together that makes it a quilt. And get this – there doesn’t have to be any patchwork at all!!!

Some of the first quilts in the exhibition are wholecloth quilts, which are one fabric on top, one color, and the texture is created by the stitching holding the layers together, both flat and three-dimensional. This was a showcase of needle skills for wealthy ladies in the 1700’s, highlighting their exquisite taste in fabric and décor and the amount of leisure time it took to create such a status symbol. Also featured was a quilted petticoat – Dear God, if I had to wear that thing under a dress everyday…

As the industrial revolution brought about availability of affordable fabric, more and more women of every class were creating quilts and using them to express the events of their lives, their opinions and level of education. Educated women could demonstrate their math and design skills with intricate grids and patterns, and their artistic skills by adding stencils. (Aside from the fact that the quilt as a whole was a masterpiece of form and composition, art in itself.) And ultimately, quilting became a forum for women, where they could meet and discuss their opinions and even political views. Such topics were taboo for women in normal parlor conversation, but to create a quilt in support of abolition, or a political candidate, was socially acceptable.

I also took a look at the pieces in the smaller exhibition A Stitch in Time in one of the upstairs galleries. It was interesting to see how these varied artists portrayed women sewing in such idyllic settings, framed by perfect light, with beatific looks on their faces, at the task which passed their leisure time or hard at work to bring in money for their families. Like snapshots in the mind of a typical male…

But the quilts are the true picture of what life was like for the women of the past few centuries, using their hands and their hearts, when their voices couldn’t always be heard. Working together to create a legacy for those who would look back and wonder how these women felt, who they loved, what they knew, and what they wanted to change in the world around them.