Enliven Your Decor with African American Quilts

Forget about plain decorative blankets that are more functional than decorative.  If you are looking for quilts that tell a story, depict history or convey emotional statements, discover African American quilts and the quilting traditions behind them.  These quilts will transform your bedding or wall hanging into a conversation piece and unique work of art.

Studies on the Multicultural Aspects of African American Quilts

According to students and staff at the University of Virginia, the early African American quilts have an "inter-textile character."  This is because the quilts were created by individual slave groups who were often sold and transported throughout the country.  As they were forced to adapt to new cultural areas, the slaves brought their quilting techniques, stories and characters to their new environments. These traditions eventually blended into the community, thus creating multicultural weaving techniques and styles in the African American quilts.

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At that time, there were four distinct "civilizations" that were represented in the African American quilting arts:  (a) Burkino Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Senegal; i.e., the Mande-speaking peoples; (b) Nigeria and the Republic of Benin, the Fon and Yoruba groups; (c) the Cameroons and Nigeria, the Ejigham peoples; and (d) Angola and Zaire, the group known as Kongo.

The weaving of the earliest African American quilts incorporated not only the skills and techniques of numerous regional groups but also incorporated, directly and indirectly, religious, cultural, and aesthetic experiences from the homeland.  For example, scholars believe that the colors and sizes of various shapes appearing on some quilts stemmed from warring or traveling tribes' practical needs, where their identifying symbols needed to be clearly seen from a great distance.  Many African American quilts today still have those unique characteristics.

Spiritual Beliefs Associated with Quilting Patterns

African American quilts have some fascinating design aspects.  Early quilt-makers refused to follow symmetrical patterns.  In their culture, they believed that evil spirits would travel in a straight line.  Designs were thus mixed up and asymmetrical to throw off demonic spirits.  Another reason that patterns were mixed was to protect the original design so that others could not copy the exact creation.

Status Inferred by the African American Quilts

Different materials were used to reflect the status of the owner of the African American quilts. Quilts would identify the bearer's prestige, power, esteem, and wealth.

Story Quilts

Some African American quilts are story quilts. The story quilts were not made for slave owners; instead, they were kept in the family as items of necessity to keep warm.  Views, experiences and emotions were worked into the patterns so that unbeknownst to the slave owners, the quilts told stories for future generations.

Story-telling quilts are not unique to the African American tradition.  Even if you attended a modern day quilting bee (or quilting party), you will find many people willing to tell you the stories that their quilts tell. 

 "Enliven Your Decor with African American Quilts" contributed by Ellen Sanderson