A People and Their Quilts

by John Rice Irwin

Book Overview

Quilts are a reflection of the people who make, use, and cherish them through the years. John Rice Irwin has personally conducted interviews with hundreds of old-time quiltmakers, some of whom were over one hundred years old. Detailed photographs taken by Pulitzer Prize winner Robin Hood depict an opulent conglomeration of quilts, from the community quilt which became known as the Murder Quilt. More importantly, Irwin looks under the quilts, at the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0887400248
• ISBN13: 9780887400247
• Release Date: January 1984
• Publisher: Schiffer Craft
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 2.21 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 9.1" x 12.1"

Customer Reviews

A People & Their Quilts

Must be one of the best books available recording quilts and their makers, family life in the Appalachians post depression era. A wealth of knowledge on everyday tack quilts as well as the best quilts handed down through family.

a people and their quilts

Loved this book and the stories of the people and how they lived. From the poor to the wealthy, they all found a way to bring a little color, warmth and light into their lives. The pictures are excellent and the stories are touching. One of the best I have found so far.

Unique style that hits the Appalachian home

This book isn't just about quilts and not just about people. This book is about how quilts helped a primitive Appalachian people survive the cold winters. Each quilt is not only described but the story of it's maker is told with it and why or how they made the quilt. There are amazing touching stories of survival throughout. A must read for collectors of quilts and for those who want to remember a past so different from today. Any Appalachian grandparent would treasure this book.

Absolutely breathtaking

I bought this book while visiting Williamsburg with a friend. It so captured my attention that I had to read some of the stories to my companion. We were both quickly enthralled. I brought it back with me and introduced my quilting group to it. Several more copies sold the next day. The stories are heart warming. The photographs are incredible. The man who picked up quilting only after his wife passed. Well. Just amazing. The wedding quilt made in the late 1800s by friends and relatives of the bride. Awe inspiring. This book is not a "how to" book. But if you are interested in quilts, quilting and quilters, it is a must for your library.

Humane & understanding

This book is superb & worth the extra effort to special order it. The author interviews women (and a few men) of Southern Appalachia, where quilting as a mainstay of life has never really gone out of fashion -- hence they've never had a quilting "revival" either. Photographs are gorgeous, and the stories about the people make you feel rooted to the land. One of the more intriguing stories is the "Hanging Elephant" quilt, which shows an applique block of an elephant being hung for the crime of killing a Tennessee man in 1916. The book is printed on heavy, high quality paper. Quilt history buffs and anthropologists will love this book. As for hobbyists, it's not a how-to book, but the photographs will furnish much inspiration and food for thought.