| When you think of Amish people, you think of | | | | World, and Sunshine and Shadow were popular. Only |
| horse-drawn buggies, plain clothes, barn raisings, farms | | | | solid colored fabric was used but with more varied |
| and quilts. However, the Amish came rather late to the | | | | colors. Amish quilts were made of wool or cotton, as |
| quilt making. Long after their neighbors were piecing | | | | popular silks were considered too worldly. |
| quilts the Amish still used the old German featherbeds | | | | Most people assume that Amish quilts were done |
| and coverlets. There was a good reason for this. | | | | completely by hand but this was not the case. Many |
| Amish communities were formed so that the | | | | Amish quilts were pieced using a treadle sewing |
| members could remain apart from the temptations of | | | | machine but the beautiful quilting was always done by |
| the modern world. At this time, quilts were considered | | | | hand. |
| something new and modern. But what is considered | | | | Although most piecing was done at home, when the |
| 'modern' changes over the years. | | | | top was ready to be quilted it was often an occasion |
| The Amish do gradually make changes as well, but | | | | for women to gather around the quilting frame. This |
| often a few decades later. Amish quilt making is a | | | | sense of community and the importance of complying |
| good example of this. Very few quilts are known to | | | | with community standards had a great influence on |
| have been made by the Amish before the 1870s. | | | | Amish quilting. |
| Then over 15 years quilting became quite common. It is | | | | Changes in how quilts were made occurred slowly |
| now considered commonplace and expected in the | | | | and only with community approval. Interestingly, this |
| Amish community. | | | | also brought about a good deal of variety from |
| As we follow the evolution of their quilt making we find | | | | community to community as each community had its |
| that the Amish always used conservative styles | | | | own, often unwritten guidelines as to how things should |
| compared to what was popular in quilting at any given | | | | be done. Pink or white fabric may have been |
| time. The first Amish quilts were made in one solid | | | | considered unacceptable in a more conservative area, |
| color, of brown, blue, rust or black. Often worsted | | | | while drab browns may have been thought dull and |
| wools were used, and though the fabric was plain, the | | | | old-fashioned in a more liberal one. A quilt made in one |
| quilting done to hold the layers together was intricate | | | | community might be put away or sold when the family |
| and decorative. Swirling feathers, curves and grids | | | | moved to another one. |
| were typical quilting patterns. So even though they had | | | | In the early twentieth century new brighter colors |
| adopted the quilting process, they still did not do the | | | | became available. During World War II natural fiber |
| modern art of colored swatches and patches. | | | | was hard to come by and the Amish had to turn to |
| Gradually some basic piecing and additional colors | | | | the synthetics available. As most of the nation turned |
| were added. For example a quilt may have had a | | | | away from quilting, considering it old-fashioned and a |
| large diamond in the middle of a dark fabric with only | | | | waste of time, the Amish continued the tradition. |
| wide border around it. Fabric colors evolved to include | | | | The unique art of Amish quilting might have declined to |
| pumpkin, olive green and an occasional dark red. | | | | utilitarian craft if it were not for the discovery of Amish |
| These new colors were still deep and solid. | | | | quilts by the general population. In spite of so many |
| As the general population moved on to elaborate | | | | buyers eager to purchase them, quilts are still made by |
| Crazy quilts the Amish adopted some of the more | | | | the Amish for their own use. Women make quilts for |
| basic of the block patterns. Nine patch, Around the | | | | weddings, babies, friends and fund-raisers. |