What Are Amish Quilts?

Traditional style Amish quilts began to appear in the United States in the 1870’s. They were for practical rather than decorative use  and usually incorporated the same fabrics used to make the family’s clothing.  Critically, the clothing needed to be practical and serviceable.  Consequently, solid black dominated, along with solid hues of deep blue, purple, red, or green.  Furthermore, simple geometric designs such as bars and diamonds normally featured in the quilts.  

Interest in all things Americana became very popular around the time of the American Bicentennial in 1976.  As a result, quilting in general, as well as Amish quilts, enjoyed a revival.  Quilting quickly grew in popularity with more and more patterns and stitching designs.  Likewise, the Amish kept up with this trend.  For example, they included more motifs, such as baskets, in their quilts.  In addition, they were quilting with swirling feathers and cables rather than just straight lines.

If you would like to delve deeper into Amish quilts and see some fine examples, head over to the International Quilt Museum to see some Classic Amish Quilts.  Additionally, you can go to the same website to see even more Amish quilts.

Lastly, you may wish to learn more about the Amish people.

See also:  https://redbridgequilts.com/the-long-and-interesting-history-of-quilting/