How Are Amish Quilts Made?

Amish is synonomous with simple living.

The word Amish is synonymous with plain dress and simple living, qualities reflected in their quilt-making. The Amish shunned quilting until the 1800s because of their distain for art, believing it serves no real purpose. Quilts were first looked upon as art so it took a long time for quilting to catch on in Amish communities. But quilts do serve a purpose and the practice gradually spread from the Quakers and Mennonites to the Amish.

History of Amish Quilts

Amish use dark, solid colors.

The Amish began by making quilts from one solid color--either blue, black, brown or rust, with designs hand stitched onto the top. As quilting became more popular in their communities, the Amish switched to pieced-quilting, piecing together scraps of cloth left over from making clothing into squares and rectangles. Amish women are always busy working in the garden, cooking and making clothes--so quilt-making is done in the winter.

Modern Amish Quilts

The red quilt is an example of Amish quilting design.

In 1976, Americans preparing to celebrate the Bicentennial became fascinated by Amish quilts. To keep their quilts from being stolen off their clothesline, the Amish began making quilts for sale. To catch the modern person's eye, quilters used brighter colors and developed unique patterns. Even so, Amish quilts remain subtle and full of life. Piecing a quilt can be done on a machine, but the real signature of an Amish quilt is the excellent hand quilting.

Reproducing an Amish Style Quilt

The key to making Amish-style quilts is to use colors that invoke the feeling of the Amish. Remember that simplicity and lack of embellishment is important. Stay away from print fabrics and stick with solid dark colors, like black, dark brown or burgundy for your background fabric. Geometric designs in bright colors combine with this dark background to help acheive that Amish look.

Sewing

Machine piecing is fine for Amish quilts.

Hand sewing is the cornerstone of Amish quilt-making. Surprisingly, though, many quilts were sewn on treadle sewing machines. So if you want to machine piece your Amish quilt, go ahead. Instead of using cotton batting, opt for polyester as cotton works its way through the dark background and makes a mess on your quilt top.

Amish Patterns

With the popularity of Amish quilts, patterns are widely available. One place to find authentic quilt patterns is the Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum. The museum carries the geometric patterns you associate with Amish quilts and the traditional quilting stencils for hand and machine quilting. Amish quilting patterns are also offered at most quilt shops.

References

• The Amish Quilt: History of the Amish Quilt
• Amish Suite 101: Amish Quilts
• Womenfolk: America's Quilting History: Amish Quilts & History: Beauty in Simplicity
• History of Quilts: Reproducing Amish Style Quilts
• History of Quilts: Amish Sunshine and Shadow Quilt Pattern with Quilting Design