by Linda Ann Nickerson

Created on: January 14, 2009

The Quilting Bee: More Than Simply Sewing

In early American history, the quilting bee was a mainstay of popular culture. Pioneer women gathered to share community and communal crafts and other projects.

To the first American settlers, quilt making was much more than artistry, although it most certainly was that. A handcrafted quilt was a necessity for survival on brisk nights, as well as a decorative wall hanging and a treasured family heirloom.

Traditionally, local families assisted one another with larger projects, such as barn building and quilt making. Both occasions became important social gatherings for friends and kinfolk.

The Boys Raised Barns, as Girls Crafted Quilts

A big barn raising offered a reason for gathering. Men and boys would cut and saw and sand and hammer until the structure was complete. The festivities invariably included a potluck picnic supper and plenty of socialization.

The quilting bee was the handcrafting counterpart to the barn raising. Women would gather up their children and sewing supplies to join their friends and family members at a preselected home. The children would play together (usually stitching needlework samplers, making cornhusk dolls and crafts, practicing their reading primers or participating in games), while the women stitched a quilt.

The quilting project would often be stretched on a large wooden frame. Grandmothers, mothers, sisters, aunts and others would pull up chairs and begin sewing together.

Most often, the quilt owner would have completed the design piecing and actual construction of the quilt ahead of time.

During the quilting bee, the ladies (and older girls) would perform the quilting stitchery, fastening the top of the quilt to the inner batting and lining with decorative top stitching. This was always done by hand.

By sharing the quilting project, the women could lighten their stitching workload, while enjoying an occasion for socializing and fellowshipping together. This multi-generational gathering also offered opportunities for younger women to learn new stitches, life skills and insights from their more mature role models.

Caring and Sharing While Quilting

Certainly, the advent of automatic sewing machines and other technologies have diminished the practical need for the quilting bee. Mass production of blankets and bed linens have made home-sewn quilts a creative and crafty luxury, rather than a family necessity.

What has happened to the old-fashioned quilting bee?

Quilting has become quite popular in some circles lately. Quilting clubs and sewing groups are enjoying a resurgence in popularity. Many of these groups gather to stitch up quilts together, often producing quilts for soldiers stationed overseas, homeless shelters, orphanages and other philanthropic causes.

Over time, the term "quilting bee" has come to include any social gathering designed to share a task in community.

Learn more about this author, Linda Ann Nickerson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.