The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-06-08
THE QUILTING PARTY
An Old Dutch Middle Glass
Custom in America.
Common in Randolph, Moore and Montgomery
Counties. AFulI Description Of the
Good Old FroIc.


To the Editor: Transplanted to American
soil and installed there generations ago
by Bockerknickcrs is the Dutcn common
folks custom of having annual quilting
froiics-a custom that has business at
one end and fun at the other end
Without we llth but with thrift the
yeomanry of Holland felt at the begin
ming of married life that the future
daughters should have some sort of
dot (dower l call IT'D upon marriage, COM
mensurate with the ability of the parents
to provide. They hit upon the bed quit
idea pretty much the same as the Spanish
undertook the accumulation of jeWelry
and the French the getting together oil
an enormous quantity OF petticoats for
like purpose, except that the jewelry
and the petticoats were in constant use,
while the quilts remained quiet and I'M
obtrusive. This is not moral age, there
fore comparisons are not odious.
No winter passes that does not wit
ness in the heart of North Carolina out
among the country people frequent neigh
borhood gatherings in order to get over
the long nights in the business and the
pleasure of quilting party. Old and
young people come together to do busf-
ness, gossip and merrymake and as a
consequence any one who has gone out
side of the towns to stay overnight may
often see in a corner of his room care
fully neatly folded and piled up dozens
of clean, pretty quits awaiting to be dis
posed of as parting marriage gifts to the
daughters of the family.
or course the size of the pile depends
upon the length of time the couple have
been married and the health and indus
try of the housewife, and while the pile
does not go on increasing forever, yet
it keeps mounting upwards until the
daughters are in position to start a
pile of their own or the old woman tot
tiers into earth.
With marriage begins the saving Of
every scrap of cloth-every rag of calico
and the sewing together of the pieces
into innumerable designs until the whole
is big enough to make a quilt Often
more than one quilt is ready for the frame
and frolic at winter tide, but one quilt
ing each year is pleasantly imperative.
Go to Randolph, Moore and Montgom-
cry counties and verify this statement
about the quiltpiles and be astonished.
quilting party somewhat resembles
that peculiarly Southern entertainment,
corn shocking. The only difference
is that the former is mixed with serious
ness and jollity, whereas the shucking
is chiefly composed of liquor.
The quilt builders have been subjected
to as many frauds and indignities as is
usually put up by book agents, lightning
rod men and fruit tree purveyors. Ere
| quently a patent right to make ones
own frame is bought, kind of sky right
to pay something to the agent and get
| in no returns, doctored or otherwise
| They invariably go back to the frame
of the mothers-the four sticks-discard-
| ing the devil with two sticks on roller
Four sticks. say six feet by four feet
are dashed together or nailed at each end
| and on this square frame is first pin
| toned the underground work of the fu-
| ture quilt, then the cotton batting is laid
on thick or thin as the future under
study is expected to be fat or lean and
next the pretty network of patches
crazy and otherwise, is carefully laid on
top cautiously stretched, basted don't
think l am woman, for l would not be
one if l had to be born again, and the
| quilt is ready for the frolic.
The neighborhood is invited to come
to that frolic. Old people and young
bucks and buckesses flock to the home
stead regardless of sleet, snow or rain
The fiddle and the banjo go too for fun
A room is set aside for these and the
bucks and buckesses. In another room
laid out on four chairs, one at each cor
Il
the frame with the future bed quilt at
tached.
Around this with plenty of elbow room
sit the sedate old hens, needle in hand,
and spool of thread in the middle OF the
apparatus, ready to be chucked from
Eliza to Mary, as the needle became ex-
hausted. They do not say more than is
absolutely necessary. 1t is bad form to
do so and they are chaperoning the young
gents, not their own daughters, against
contagion with a drinking society of
gentlemen.
In an adjoining room, fiddle, banjo,
boys and gals are having a real good
get-up and get time, making ready for
yet more quilting frolics. swinging cor
ners, reeling, pigeon winging, double
shutting, but housekeeping never. Re-
minds one of a high society sphere in
Rockingham, where there is a scramble
between a dollar (silyer), a case knife
and religion.
When the quilt is finished, except the
binding, which is a kind of aftermath, a
beautiful supper is served where old and
young come together and take part in
the sport with cracking bread, onions,
sousc, molasses cake, sausage, persim-
mon beer and Indigestion.
Thus windeth up the proceedings-in
the best of internal cheer to meet at
the next quilting of one of the other old
hens.
These gatherings having no chaperones.
are rarely ever disturbed by unbecoming
conduct. The age and eminent as we'll
as imminent responsibility of the party
in power-the old hens-not only inspires
confidence, but commands a sort of re-
spectability that is surely first or second
cousin to awe.
This bed quilt industry was with us be-
fore the war-about the time our fore
fathers debut it neither died nor
languished on account of the war OF
our forefathers, and is today as healthy
and &C nc in oil 10