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People have always depended on furs, fibers, and fabrics for protection and warmth, but these materials also served as a way to enrich their environment. Until the rail lines opened up routes to the South Carolina backcountry in the middle of the nineteenth century, residents had little access to imported goods. In the mountains and foothills, Scots-Irish immigrants brought a strong tradition of flax harvesting and linen production. In other parts of the rural south, plantations provided another source of homespun textiles. Textiles, especially quilts, can serve several functions. Quilts carry powerful emotional significance and many were made to show off fine fabrics and fancy needlework; others were composed of scraps and remnants. Whether using imported fabrics, domestically produced fibers, or material scraps from the family farm, quilts are intimately connected to the maker’s social and economic environment.

Content is provided by McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina.

For further information about any of the artists featured on Digital Traditions, send your questions and comments to hallagan@mailbox.sc.edu.

Resource Type
Cabinetmaking | Digital Traditions - Episode 4 Not Conforming | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades

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Not Conforming | Digital Traditions
Episode 6
Beachy-Amish Mennonites who live in Cold Springs, S.C. (Abbeville County). Sadie is an accomplished quilter.
Cabinetmaking | Digital Traditions - Episode 4 Quilting -2 | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades

  • Higher Education
Quilting -2 | Digital Traditions
Episode 7
Beachy-Amish Mennonites who live in Cold Springs, S.C. (Abbeville County). Sadie is an accomplished quilter.
Cabinetmaking | Digital Traditions - Episode 4 Small Town Life | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades

  • Higher Education
Small Town Life | Digital Traditions
Episode 8
Beachy-Amish Mennonites who live in Cold Springs, S.C. (Abbeville County). Sadie is an accomplished quilter.
Cabinetmaking | Digital Traditions - Episode 4 Baking Pies | Digital Traditions

Audio

Grades

  • Higher Education
Baking Pies | Digital Traditions
Episode 9
Beachy-Amish Mennonites who live in Cold Springs, S.C. (Abbeville County). Sadie is an accomplished quilter.
Mary Albertha Green: Quilting Photos | Digital Traditions

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Grades

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Mary Albertha Green: Quilting Photos | Digital Traditions
Mrs. Mary Albertha Green is a lifelong resident of the Sutton Community of Andrews. Mrs. Green has been quilting since the age of eight, when an aunt taught her to turn old clothes into beautiful and...
Sharon Golden: Quilting Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades

  • Higher Education
Sharon Golden: Quilting Photos | Digital Traditions
Ms. Sharon Golden is a member of the Berry Quilters Guild, a quilting group based in Newberry. She is self-taught and began the learning process in 1995 by looking at sewing books and magazines. She...
Alberta Gilchrist: Quilting

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Grades

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Alberta Gilchrist: Quilting
Episode 1
Resident of Parksville, SC (McCormick County). Gilchrist was a schoolteacher from 1921-1975 and started quilting as a youngster. Her grandmother was born into slavery and learned to quilt while she...
Alberta Gilchrist: Quilting

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Grades

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Alberta Gilchrist: Quilting
Episode 2
Resident of Parksville, S.C. (McCormick County). Gilchrist was a schoolteacher from 1921-1975 and started quilting as a youngster. Her grandmother was born into slavery and learned to quilt while she...
Alberta Gilchrist: Quilting

Audio

Grades

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Alberta Gilchrist: Quilting
Episode 3
Resident of Parksville, SC (McCormick County). Gilchrist was a schoolteacher from 1921-1975 and started quilting as a youngster. Her grandmother was born into slavery and learned to quilt while she...
Alberta Gilchrist: Quilting

Audio

Grades

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Alberta Gilchrist: Quilting
Episode 4
Resident of Parksville, SC (McCormick County). Gilchrist was a schoolteacher from 1921-1975 and started quilting as a youngster. Her grandmother was born into slavery and learned to quilt while she...
Alberta Gilchrist: Quilting Photos | Digital Traditions

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Grades

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Alberta Gilchrist: Quilting Photos | Digital Traditions
Episode 5
Resident of Parksville, S.C. (McCormick County). Gilchrist was a schoolteacher from 1921-1975 and started quilting as a youngster. Her grandmother was born into slavery and learned to quilt while she...
Maree Dowdey: Quilting Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Grades

  • Higher Education
Maree Dowdey: Quilting Photos | Digital Traditions
Because of her close ties with textiles, she became interested in enhancing the beauty of fibers with natural dyes. She learned how to use roots, berries, flowers and many other organic materials for...
Jovita Cordova: Crocheting Photos | Digital Traditions

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Jovita Cordova: Crocheting Photos | Digital Traditions
Mrs. Jovita Cordova is originally from Mexico. She now resides in Lexington County, South Carolina where she continues a tradition she learned from her mother in Mexico. She learned to crochet when...
Carrie Coachman: Quilting Photos | Digital Traditions

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Grades

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Carrie Coachman: Quilting Photos | Digital Traditions
A native of Georgetown County, Coachman was a quiltmaker whose work represented the best in the distinctive traditions of the South Carolina coast. Coachman grew up in a traditional quilt making...
Helen Carpenter: Quilting | Digital Traditions

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Grades

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Helen Carpenter: Quilting | Digital Traditions
Mrs. Helen Clark Carpenter practices canning and preserving at her home in Edgefield. She learned this tradition from her mother, in her home state of Ohio. She has been canning for over forty years...
Amanda Brown: Quilting | Photos

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Grades

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Amanda Brown: Quilting | Photos
Mrs. Amanda Brown is a quilter from Greenwood County. She works both by herself and with a local quilting group. Mrs. Brown learned from helping her mother and has been practicing her art for over...