Georgia Quilts: Piecing Together a History

This abundantly illustrated volume arises out of the painstaking work of the Georgia Quilt Project, the most authoritative survey of quilts and quiltmakers ever undertaken in the state. Georgia Quilts showcases the diversity of quilting materials, methods, and patterns used in the state from the nineteenth century to the present and reveals how quilts serve as conduits of history and culture. From plain bed coverings of fabric scraps to exquisitely wrought pieces made for the "best bed," each of the 120 examples featured in the book tells its own story of abundance or want, peace or war, tradition or novelty. Instead of the usual chronological approach taken by many quilt histories, Georgia Quilts looks at a number of themes through which the common story of the state, its people, and its quilting legacy can be told. Chapters follow various threads of the craft, including Civil War-era quilts, the cotton economy, quilting groups, feed sack quilts, everyday and fine-craft quilts, and special-occasion quilts, including those made as gifts to honor athletes at the 1996 Olympic games. The volume's contributors have a deep knowledge of, and strong personal ties to, quilt history and quiltmaking in Georgia. The Georgia Quilt Project, beginning in 1990, has documented more than 9,000 quilts. Volunteers conducted dozens of Quilt History Days around the state, interviewing quilt owners and examining and photographing their quilts. The 120 quilts included in this book have been chosen from the thousands seen by the Project. Some are notable for their beauty, rarity, or workmanship; others are simple, functional objects that have been cherished for their ties to family history. All have their own stories to tell about family, community, and the desire to leave something tangible behind.