patchwork

patchwork, the process of joining strips, squares, triangles, hexagons, or other shaped pieces of fabric (also called patches), by either hand or machine stitching, into square blocks or other units. It is one of the primary construction techniques of quilting and is often combined with appliqué. In constructing the quilt top the pieced blocks may be stitched together, alternated with blocks cut from a single fabric, or separated by long strips of fabric known as sashing. The blocks may be arranged in a wide variety of settings, including rotated 90 degrees “on point.” Pieced or plain border strips are often added to complete the quilt top. In the crazy quilt the patches are of irregular size and shape; like crazy blocks, string-pieced blocks, formed of strips of fabric, are sewn to a fabric or paper foundation.

Although by the early 1800s patchwork quilts had appeared in other countries, particularly England, they flourished in 19th-century America as both bedding and decorative showpieces of the needlewoman’s skill. At the end of the Civil War, thousands of cotton print fabrics appeared, along with patterns published in newspapers, women’s magazines, and other sources. Patchwork designs were named to celebrate the familiar in everyday life (Wedding Ring, Cherry Basket, Churn Dash, Pickle Dish, Log Cabin). They commemorated political events (Underground Railroad, Kansas Troubles, Clay’s Choice), historical figures (Burgoyne Surrounded, Lincoln’s Platform, Le Moyne Star, Little Giant), expressed their makers’ beliefs (Cross and Crown, Delectable Mountains, Jacob’s Ladder, Temperance Goblet), and reflected a love of the natural world (Pine Tree, Lone Star, Ocean Waves) or the maker’s sense of humour (Old Maid’s Puzzle, Wild Goose Chase, Robbing Peter to Pay Paul). Many patterns have more than one name, and many are still being made today.