Quilting began in America from a shortage of fabric and the ingenuity of the early settlers.
Women would turn worn-out clothes, blankets, curtains, towels, and sheets into works of art to keep their families warm during the cold New England winters.
As with so many other community events, such as building homes and barns, sharing the harvests, and celebrating, quilting became an activity that brought families together for the common good.
Women would gather, often weekly, to sew.
Fabric, patterns, and labor were shared.
Frequently, everyone in the group would work on the same quilt so it could be finished in a shorter period of time.
Small quilts were made to welcome a new baby into the community; large bed-size quilts were made for a young couple getting married; and other quilts were made as blankets were needed or when fabrics were available.
As girls grew up, they joined the quilting circles, learning quiltmaking skills, becoming a part of the quilting community, and continuing the tradition initiated many generations prior.
As America grew and changed, so did quilting.
Quilting circles continue their tradition in some communities, both in geographical and in social communities.
New forms of quilting circles have been created - weekly or monthly gatherings of loosely-formed groups making quilts for a specific cause, i.
e.
, breast cancer, neglected and/or abused children, AIDS patients, etc.
Quilt Guilds offer an opportunity for quilters to meet periodically to exchange ideas, learn new skills, and share their stories.
The transfer of quilting knowledge and skills has taken a different form, not relying on the community quilters to include individuals in their circle to share their craft.
With manufacturing and technology providing tools and fabrics for quilters that make creating a quilt easier and more fun, opportunities have opened up for people of all ages to enjoy a craft not previously accessible to them.
Information technology has now expanded the opportunities even more.
As the art of quilting has traveled around the world, people across the globe have become interested in learning a craft that ties generations, families, communities, and human beings together.