“The History of Quilts” lecture with Martha Ray and exhibit, Sod House Museum

The Sod House Museum offers a new quilt exhibit featuring twenty-five quilts from the late nineteenth through the early twentieth centuries, when quilts were no longer made for mere warmth. By this time quilt makers expressed their creativity within the limits of popular decorating trends. Quilting was a time of relaxing and socializing for most women, as it was a time when the ladies of the community got together. Today, contemporary fabrics allow quilters make quilts of rich colors and still use the historical patterns that have been handed down for generations.

Martha Ray, retired director of historic homes for the Oklahoma Historical Society will present a lecture entitled “The History of Quilts” at the Sod House Museum on May 20, 2017, from 10 am to noon. Ray will present an overview of how the need for a warm covering was a motive for women of all ages and time periods to create quilts, coverlets and other bed coverings. Many of these creations became works of art. Quilted textiles are as old as recorded history. Archaeologists have found evidence of these in burial sites dating back many thousands of years. It would seem that every culture needing protection from the cold discovered the benefits of layers of cloth sewn together to provide an insulating covering. In every case, not only was the example utilitarian, but some attempt at artistry was also present. It seemed that the surface of a quilted article was also recognized as a surface to be adorned. Ray will discuss the history of the quilts on display, the evolution of the names of the quilts, the quilt patterns themselves, the fabrics used and the quilting process.