How quilts are made


Quilting Patterns and the Great Depression

The Great Depression was an era thatquilting patterns for free with each
created quite a challenge for women whoissue to increase their readership.
desired to quilt. Not only was moneyAfter all, most household budgets could
very tight in households, but there werenot afford to purchase a magazine, yet
limited supplies nationwide. Women hadalone several quilting patterns.
to turn to creativity andSo to continue selling magazines and to
resourcefulness in order to createpromote the purchase of fabrics, many
beautiful quilts. Some popular quiltsvendors chose to offer free patterns
of today were actually born from Thethat would encourage the purchases.
Great Depression.Patterns such as the Star of Bethlehem,
The Great Depression, for those of usWedding Ring, Grandmother's Flower
who weren't around at the time, was anGarden and even Dresden Plate are just
economic slump in North America, Europe,some of the patterns we still use today
and other industrialized areas of thethat were actually the result of The
world that began in 1929 and lastedGreat Depression.
until about 1939. Begun with theOften women would share one magazine.
collapse of agricultural prices in theThey would trace the quilting patterns
1920's, it's most well-known for theor even a picture from a quilt
1929 collapse of Wall Street. It was thephotographed for the magazine to make
longest and most severe depression evertheir own patterns at home. The most
experienced by the industrializedpopular magazines would occasionally
Western world.offer iron-on quilt patterns. These
Bankers and other previously weatherwere extremely well received since
individuals who lost everything jumpedseveral women could share not only the
to their deaths from buildings. Workerscost of the magazine but could share the
who could find jobs still struggled toiron-on patterns for their quilting.
be able to feed their families. With theThus, offering free quilting patterns
total collapse of the economy, peopleactually became a common marketing
found creative ways to brings in smalltradition that is still used today.
amounts of cash while businesses had toI found it particularly interesting that
become creative to survive by vying forwhat was used to market to women and
a portion of that hard-earned money fromsell women's magazines in The Great
their customers.Depression is still used today. Many
So it's easy to see why companiescompanies even offer free patterns in
selling quilt fabrics, threads and toolstheir magazines for quilting and other
had to find a way to create value incrafts.
their products and encourage quilters toWe offer the same service at to people
continue to spend such hard-earned cash.who sign up for the patterns, even if
Luckily for them, quilts were athey don't belong to the members-only
necessity that had to be created by handsection of the website. Of course, those
because the severe economic timeswho do join the members-only site
limited the ability to purchase them.regularly receive original patterns
Women magazines began offering similarcreated just for our members.



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