Farmers' Daughters, Farmers' Wives

I get a lot of comments about the workmanship of the original quilt and the obvious talent of the maker.  I certainly will never match the tiny even stitches in the piecing and the quilting.  Without detracting from the overall quality of the sewing, the makers of the quilt were using everyday skills that all women used in the USA in the 1850s.  Sewing by hand was the only option; the sewing machine wasn't affordable for the average household until the 1870s.

The women who made the quilt weren't professional seamstresses.  I can state pretty confidently that each one of them was a farmer's daughter.  Many became farmers' wives, some were farmers' maiden aunts or farmers' mothers.  A few became schoolteachers, one of the few professions available to women in the 1800s.  One became a medical doctor.
For the women of Chester County, sewing wasn't a hobby, it was an essential skill for everyday living.  Education for girls in the 1850s included learning and polishing sewing skills.  Sewing taught neatness, accuracy, careful planning and patience; it was practical as well as creative.  It was an essential part of the school curriculum along with English, reading, spelling and arithmetic. (Source; 'Patches of Time' by Linda Haplin)

The quilt blocks in the Chester Criswell quilt reflect similar sewing abilities.  There is one exception.



Block made by Martha of Oak Grove, Sadsburyville



The fabric is badly damaged, but those little 'spokes' of the wheels are turned under and stitched along each side.  The big circle is like a gear wheel with regular little teeth all the way around.  I don't think I will be drafting a pattern for this block, I hope someone else can show how it was created.

Yes, there are men's names on the quilt too.  My hypothesis is that the men didn't actually make quilt blocks themselves, but signed a block made by their wife or mother.  I would love to be proved wrong.