The art of quilting once played a much more prominent role in the lives of young men and women. The bride’s quilt and the liberty quilt teach us lessons from days gone by.

Our current lifestyle finds us shopping for a wedding present at a local store; many people lack the time and patience to be able to create a meaningful gift with their own hands. Quilting is thought to be done mostly by older women who have retired and have more time to devote to such an intense art; however, today younger women once again enjoy the creativity of quilting. While this demographic makes up an incredibly important segment of the quilting community, too often others who enjoy the process are overlooked. Worse still, many people believe that this stereotype is typical of the historical quilter.

In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Not too long ago, quilting was considered a major endeavor not just by those who practiced it, but among communities at large. Creating a quilt was a skill that came through years of practice, and while most had the skills to create a basic design, not everyone was truly a master. Additionally, quilting was an important activity for women of all ages, and many men also recognized the value of a quilt. Quilts were commonly used to mark the coming of age of both boys and girls, as evidenced in the idea of ​​the bride quilt and the liberty quilt.

The bride’s quilt

In a time when many girls still brought a dowry to their weddings, quilts were an important inclusion in any hope chest. In fact, there were a certain number of quilts that needed to be included in any hope chest, ranging from ten to thirteen, according to American Patchwork Quilts by Lenice Ingram Bacon. The most important of these quilts was the one made by the bride, according to her design and by her own hands.

As the bride and groom planned their first accommodation, there was rarely any question that the bride’s quilt would cover their first bed. So one tradition for an engaged couple was to design a pattern for the quilt that would one day cover their marriage bed. It is clear from this effort that men played an active role, if not in the creation of the family quilt, then in the decision-making process that guided it. This may surprise many in today’s world of “he” and “she”! Traditional bridal quilts often used the symbol of love, the heart, or a pattern with multiple hearts included. The late 1800s brought, through the influence (and impracticality) of Queen Victoria, a penchant for white for weddings. White bridal bedspreads have also gained a lot of popularity, according to Jean Noon, who writes for UltimateWedding.com.

The quilt of freedom

If the role of a man in the Bride’s Quilt surprises you, you may be even more surprised when learning about the concept of the Freedom Quilt. While historians today consider the pre-industrial male to be something of a free person by gender right, the fact is that many men lived in servitude to their parents until they came of age. On his 21st birthday, a boy was a man in the eyes of the law and thus truly free to make his own way and keep his own money. One way the celebration was marked was through the creation of the Freedom Quilt. This quilt was usually made by family or friends, especially the young man’s mother, and had great symbolic meaning. Once such an instance cited in Mrs. Bacon’s book, the man’s quilt was made entirely of squares sewn together by swooning, hopeful young ladies.

Like the bride’s quilt, the liberty quilt was used on the marriage bed and was usually given to the groom on his wedding day.

Throughout history and still today, quilts such as the bride’s quilt and the liberty quilt often celebrate important events in the lives of those for whom they are quilted. Interestingly, both men and women participated in quilting bees, including sewing, although we often think of it as a women’s trade. No matter the gender, a quilt can become a family heirloom.