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.
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Audio transcript for: Quilting, Part 1 Early Teaching Quilting, Part 2 Quilting & Sewing, A Family Tradition Quilting, Part 3: Two Of Her Favorite Hymns Quilting, Part 4 Home Remedies
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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...
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Quilting Ms. Audrey Liddle is a shop owner and quilter in Lexington County. She learned the art of making quilts from her grandmother in Pennsylvania. She started when she was just six years old and...
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Rebecca Hill describes her process for canning vegetables.
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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...
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Resident of Promised Land, SC (Greenwood County). Learned how to quilt and make lye soap from her mother. Her father could make just about any type of split-oak basket: fish trap, clothes hamper...
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Rebecca Hill explains how she cures her meat with salt.
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Ahrens, Pat All Male Chorus of Blacksburg Arnold, Mac Ayers, Sara Basket, Nancy Baylor, Amos Bellow, Roger Bennett, Mary Jane Benson, JD Blackwell, Richard Boggs, Horatio Manning Bollack, James Booker...
