Amish quilts are a relatively new craft within Amish communities, a craft that varies in fanciness between different Amish communities and one that has changed over time.
Amish quilts
The Amish are well-known in the United States for their “simple” living, plain dress, buggies, furniture, and quilts. Interestingly enough, though, the Amish did not really start making quilts until the 1870s. Up until that point, most Amish shunned quilts as too modern and too fancy.
And even when quilts became more mainstream within Amish communities, the patterns, colors, and designs always seemed to be at least one step behind those of the rest of the world. Also, the designs varied between different Amish communities.
This is because, unlike other Christian denominations, the Amish are organized on a local level. They do not have central organizations in charge of church policy like the Catholic Church and other Christian religions. This means that each and every church and community is independent from the next; although, churches with similar beliefs and practices may choose to affiliate with one another.
The most conservative and largest of all the Amish are those of the Old Order Amish, but there are more progressive groups that have formed. As conservatives, you can expect the Old Order Amish quilts, common to Lancaster County, to be less elaborate than those of more progressive Midwestern Amish communities. The stitching used in different communities also varies.
The first Amish quilts made used one solid colored piece of fabric for the top, and the only design was the one stitched into it. While some of this stitching can be considered quite elaborate, other stitching patterns were much more simple, depending on what was allowed within the community – sometimes, quilts deemed “unnecessarily fancy” would not be allowed.
As time went on, in the early 1900s, piece-work quilts became more popular within the Amish communities. These quilts utilized different blocks of color. These blocks often came from scraps leftover from clothing making, and these scraps did not have patterns. Still, these piecework quilts were not generally made to be entirely elaborate – one popular design is the “Center Diamond” which features a diamond in the middle of the quilt, inside a square.
These days, Amish quilts have become very popular. Older quilts are hanging in museums and up on walls as art. Newer quilts are cherished for being handmade (although, treadle sewing machines are oft-used). And, perhaps, another reason that these quilts have become more important to mainstream America is that outside of Amish communities, quilt-making is a dying art.
In the booming 1950s, many American households opted for synthetic, ready-made blankets over handmade quilts. At the time, such items were considered “luxuries,” and they were a sign of middle-class America. Only more recently have we noticed our consumerism, and started searching out something more natural, something more historic, something more simple and beautiful, something more like Amish quilts.
It is important to note, however, before you search out your own quilt, that Amish-made does not necessarily guarantee quality. It is best to see the quilt for yourself and view the stitching. As with most crafts, arts, and trades, some craftsmen, artists, and tradesmen are better than others.
