Australian Quilting

Women were given the materials and tools to make patch work quilts en route to
their Australian destination so that they could sell them and be able to support
themselves when they landed.

Sadly, only one of these appears to have survived, but it is clear that the British
women brought with them the skills and traditions of quilting.

Quilting was thought to be a ‘suitable’ occupation for a lady, and the quilters
soon began to put their work together at exhibitions, and a market in quilts was
quickly established. The British traditions were retained, and quilting in Australia
continues to respect and reflect the styles and patterns of the mother country.

The History of Quilting – The United Kingdom

Clearly a colder climate than Hawaii, the traditions of ‘make do and mend’ were
such that for centuries, cloth was very valuable and not to be wasted. Long
before any mechanical cloth production, every piece of cloth was made by hand
or with simple weaving frames. Anything so time consuming to produce could
only be treated with care and considered to be of value.

Long before the first settlers arrived in America, British women, and men were
involved in patchwork and quilting, both for home and commercial benefit. So the
history of quilting in Britain goes way back.

There are records of padded clothing being made for soldiers to be worn
underneath their armor to protect them from the metal, and also to provide
warmth and comfort. And as far back as the fourteenth century, quilted fabrics
were used as bedcovers and clothes.

The History of Quilting – Hawaii

Hawaiian quilting is said to have started when the wives of two chiefs were
introduced to quilting by missionaries on board a boat. Hawaiians would not
naturally have begun to quilt for domestic use, as quilts were not needed in the
warm Hawaiian climate.

The missionaries showed the Hawaiians how to cut up fabrics into pieces and
then sew them back together. This the Hawaiians found rather wasteful, as they
were careful with all their resources and didn’t understand the concept of cutting
up a large piece of material, only to sew pieces of it back together, and then be
left with bits that couldn’t be used.

About Quilting

Quilting is as old as the hills, and for many, has that wonderful combination of
domestic necessity, social cohesion, and craftwork and commemoration.

Quilting methods don’t vary enormously throughout the world, but the designs
are largely specific to a country, or a society, although the traditional American
patchwork designs have become loved world wide.

It is wonderful to have such a craft, which is a means of handing down traditions
amongst womenfolk mainly, and which has an end product that can both look
beautiful, and keep you warm at night.

An exception to this is of course the Hawaiian quilting tradition, which began
under the tutelage of the missionaries, and evolved into a means of recording
the Hawaiian beliefs and lives. Their quilts talk of their gods, their departed
spirits, the new members of their society yet to be born, and the main historical
and cultural events of their society. Their use of the beautiful flowers and the
love of their culture give Hawaiian quilting a truly magical and precious quality.
In colder climates, the quilting circle was an opportunity for the women to come
together, to talk over the major matters of the day and to provide invaluable
support for each other.