The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-08
SOUTHERN QUILTING BEES.
Decidedly the Social Feature of the
Long Ago.
From the New York Sun.

Long Ago.
From the New York Sun.
To quilt well and rapidly was considered
fine art in the old south, and, strange as
it may seem, the housewives station in
life was fixed among the negroes and
poor white trash" by the number of bed
quilts that she possessed. The family
that owned dozen was considered well
to do. while one whose calico bed cover
ings, of as many hues as Josephs coat,
ran into the thirties, was thought 10 be
Quality" and treated with the utmost
Difference.
The making of the quilts was decidedly
the social feature of the long ago. II
was common to see a half-grown negro
boy ride up to the front gate of a coun-
try home and hear him shout, "Hellor'
His livery usually consisted of tight jeans
trousers geared well up under his arms
by means of cotton-made 'galluses," and
rolled nearly up to the knees; a blue and
white plaid shirt, and a crownless hat
in summer, or felt, with broad, Tapping
brim at other seasons. If the hello was
not answered at once. the lad would lazily
flick the flies away from his horse with
peach tree switch and finally call again
without dismounting. He would say to
whoever appeared: Mistress sont dis,
which usually proved to be an invitation
to quilting party worded thus:
Mrs. Mary Jane Smith and family are
requested to attend the quilting at Mrs.
Susan Browns on next Thursday"
Every family of the same rank and sta
ton for miles around would receive
similar invitation, and by 10 o'clock on
| the appointed day the home of the host
ess would be filled with matrons, maidens
and children galore Two or three quilts
would be framed and lined off in straight
i mr. ms
The matrons would assemble around one,
the young women around another, and
those who were most expert in the art
would undertake to finish one of the fancy
designs.
The frames were generally of home man
ufacture, and consisted of four boards,
each about three inches wide and one inch
thick; two were from eight to nine feet in
| length, and two from three to five feet. All
were bound over with stout lasting cloth,
| and the frame was either built to set u2
OF be suspended from the ceiling, usually
| the latter. The quilt was tackled upon tho
frame, and after all four sides were
quilted as far as the quilters could reach,
| II was rolled as far as quilted and work
was resumed on smaller square. 1t
was customary to line off the quilts with
cord dyed in pokeberry juice of brilliant
| purplish red.
The quilting would go on very bravely
until the old men and SWANS of the fam
lilies invited began to drop in for the mid
day dinner, which was no small part of
| the occasion. The hostess usually spent
| days preparing for the feast, and the menu
| generally consisted of roast pig and NUT
| ton, turkey, fried chicken, chicken pie
vegetables, pickles of infinite variety, and
as for sweets, there were cakes. buildings,
! pies, tarts, jellies, creams, and preserves
| innumerable, all served in a heterogeneous
/ mass on long table.
| Dinner over. the quilters would go back
to their work, but amid many trials and
! tribulations. for the men delighted in teas
! ing them, and the young men, in order to
make the young women quit work, would
resort to such strategic means as stealing
| spools of thread, scissors, and thimbles.
| The girls enjoyed this and didn't try very
hard to stop 1t, because a quilting to them
meant very little work and a great deal OF
| play.
One quilt was always finished by mid
afternoon and taken from the frame. Then
the fun began in earnest. Amid much mer-
| riment it was announced that the fortunes
of the young women would be tried. They
| gathered together in the center of the
| hall. and the young men threw the quilt
up. 1t was firmly believed that the FORUM
ate girl upon whose head it descended
would be the first of the party to be mar
ried.
one of these parties given at the ances-
trail home of famous old southern family
| ended with tragic event. A young man
rushed into where the women were quilt
ing, holding snake by its tail. He threw
| the reptile in the middle of the quilt, and
of course, a stampede among the quilters
followed. Each time as the snake crawled
to the edge the reckless fellow would seize
it by the tail and throw 1t back into the
| middle. The women warned him of the
danger and many of them pleaded with
him not to be so foolish. but he persisted
until the snake bit him. The hostess want
! ed to send for a doctor, and to give him
whisky, but he declined to let her do either.
In an hour he became violently i'll, and
died before a physician could get to him.
For many months after that the mere
mention of a quilting would send cold chills
through the women who were present.
No woman ever got too old to go to a
! quilting, and the older they were the more
( they seemed to enjoy it. There was one
| little woman, quite famous in her state
! for her 'eccent ricity in dress, who boosted
that she had been to 1900 cuttings in her
| time. She always wore a short WASTED
! handsome black silk gown, a long gold
4 chain and watch on the outside and
rings on both hands knuckle deep, and
never went without a black satin reticule
/ hanging at her side. Although IS years
old she refused to wear glasses, and when
some thoughtless young person remarked
that she could not follow the lines in quilt