The Double Wedding Ring Pattern

The next quilt I will write about is the Double Wedding Ring quilt pattern. This pattern is not an old pattern and is not believed to have existed until after the Civil War. It is a rounded off version of the Double Irish Chain quilt and symbolizes unity. The Underground Railroad meaning of this pattern symbolized the chains of slavery. When a slave saw this pattern, it meant the rings or shackles of slavery could be removed.

I have a double wedding ring quilt that I bought from my sister-in-law's great grandmother. I had it in a quilt holder on display but my brat rat terrier decided he liked to chew a corner and pull it out of the holder and lay on it. I could not blame him for that but he did do some time in his kennel for the chewing. It is now displayed on a quilt rack, facing the wall where no critters can chew on it!

Peanut says, "Who, me??"

Log Cabin Pattern

Today I am going to write about my favorite quilt pattern of all time: The log cabin pattern. It symbolizes shelter and safety. Slaves trying to make their way North could rely on the pattern as a symbol that a person is safe to speak with or that the house nearby was a safe house along the Underground Railroad. Sometimes they would draw the pattern in the dirt to symbolize shelter and safety.



Below is a picture of a wall hanging I made my Grandma Meyer, who taught me to quilt. She was gracious enough to hang it above her and my Grandfather's bed. She pinned my name to it so that someday I would get it back. It now lives in my craft room and I think of my Grandparents, who always made me feel sheltered and safe.

Backstitches of Time

Backstitches of Time: The Secrets of the Quilt

               

I love quilts. I love to make quilts, and I love the geometric patterns and the feel of the fabrics. I grew up around quilts and my Grandma Meyer taught me how to quilt. Through her, I learned that patience and faith has a lot to do with how things turn out, and that sometimes you can make the best things out of the scraps that life hands you. I also learned that every hand made quilt has a story. Patterns are carefully chosen, colors and prints can hold memories or celebrate new family members, and it always bring warmth and comfort to the person who receives it. I am writing this blog as a class assignment, and I hope you find the meanings of some of the quilt patterns as interesting as I do.

  Fabric patterns have told stories throughout the centuries. Perhaps one of the earliest stories of a fabric pattern was from The Holy Bible, when Moses was found by Pharaoh’s daughter floating near some reeds in The Nile River. His swaddling cloth was that of a Hebrew pattern. Pharaoh’s daughter hid his cloth and raised Moses as an Egyptian prince. This cloth played a role that eventually led him to learn the truth about his true identity, and what great things he went on to accomplish for his people: to lead them out of Egypt and slavery.

As history tends to repeat itself, I find the history of fabric patterns and their secret meanings during the time of slavery in the United States of America as pertinent as it was in biblical times. The meaning of a quilt goes far beyond its warmth, comfort and security. Every time you see a quilt, look at its pattern and see if you can figure out its secret. 

My North Star Quilt