Quilt Perspectives

Often, quilts told a story of the quilter's life, major event, or especially their family history. This was often the case for African American quilters in the 19th century. Many times, there was not a way to document a story or family tree, so women created story quilts to preserve their personal history. These magnificent works were passed down through the ages and family treasures. Sadly, other African American quilts, such as string quilts composed any available scrap material that was sewn into blocks, do not exist due to the extreme level of use.