What do
farms and quilts have in common/? Odd question isn’t it and not one I normally
would be considering. A couple of
unrelated events brought the thought to mind late last year. When my husband broke his ankle, I took over
his outside shores which consisted mainly of looking after our brood of
chickens. Plodding between the house and
coop in rubber boots and wearing a red plaid jacket while carrying a basket for
eggs is not my idea of fashionable clothing. .
My husband remarked that I looked like a farmer’s wife. I am not sure why I didn’t look like the
farmer rather than his wife but I had to agree with him. Unstylish my clothing
might have been but they made a lot more sense than if I had tried to get
through the mud and chicken fertilizer while wearing strappy sandals and a cute
little dress (not that I have either.) However, no matter what I wear, our
small flock of chickens and the occasional few turkeys don’t qualify us for the
title of farmers. Even if we ever do add
the mini dairy goats and a pig, I still think we are more likely to be called ‘wanna
be’s’ rather than the real thing. Other
people’s opinion aside, we still like to
give ourselves the label.
The second
prompt to my question occurred when a friend asked if I would help her find
some farm related fabric for a quilt she was making. As I was doing that, I realized that farms
and farming are often featured in quilts.
In addition to the usual animals and machinery, there is a host of farm related
blocks. One that continues to be popular with both new and experienced quilters
is Log Cabin. When I think of that
structure, I visualize a small building on land that was just cleared. There may be just a hole for windows and the
floor packed dirt but it is home. This
versatile block is also known as Furrows
(a plowed field), Country Lane, and Barn Raising. A
successful farmer needs a Windmill, Weathervane, Churn Dash, and Double Axehead. He may go on a Wild Goose Chase, use a Monkey Wrench to fix the machinery and build a Rail Fence
around the property. A Flower Pot or
two placed in a window will brighten up a kitchen and, of course, when you pick
produce a Basket is needed, on hot days it is nice to sit on the porch with
Grandmother’s Fan which will also help to Shoo Fly that get too close.
I don’t
know of any other occupation which has so many quilts associated with it. It makes sense when you think of the early
pioneer women learning to survive in an often inhospitable environment. Quilts kept them warm and making them brought
neighbours together. The patterns they
created would reflect the life they were living.
At a time when there wasn’t any money for
adornments for the home, a carefully pieced quilt added beauty and colour to a
long dark winter’s evening. Children could cuddle under a quilt when they were
ill, put them over a clothes line to make a tent and sit on them while enjoying
a picnic with pretend china.
What do
quilts and farm’s have in common?
Everything. The two are as
intertwined as the hand’s of young
lovers. Quilts and farms both evoke the
same emotional response; the feeling of comfort, family, honest labour,
simplicity. Quilts and farms are part of
North America’s heritage; the story of two countries that grew and took
their place amongst their older counterparts.
My
comfortable jacket and small flock of chickens may be far from the herds and
conditions of my many times great grandparents but the goal is the same. Whether I am gathering eggs or sitting at my
sewing machine, I am doing my little to provide food and comfort. I am also continuing to carry the thread to
the next generations. Our grandchildren
love to hear about Nana and Grandpa’s chickens and to sleep under the quilts they
received. We are their link to both the
past and future.
