MIDDLE ROW - String Quilt Top

String Quilt Top, 1970s

Donor: Johnnie Miller, 1990

Johnnie Miller of Kalamazoo created this quilt top. She grew up with a family tradition of quilting. Her mother and grandmother could each complete a quilt in a day. 

A string quilt is made from strips or strings of fabric. Mrs. Miller preferred them because she said, “With string quilts, you get all different colors. I love to see the colors hanging on the line.”

The Quilting Bee

Quilt-making is a traditional women’s folk art. Because many women quilted at home, the quilting bee became a popular social gathering in the 1800s. Women gathered to quilt and catch up on the latest news. Sometimes “bees” lasted all day with several quilts completed.

Collecting Quilts

Quilts are for more than keeping warm. They have become family heirlooms and works of art. Their designs may tell a personal story, mark an important point in a maker’s life, or carry on a folk tradition.  

The Museum has a collection of 50 quilts, ranging from simple bedcovers to elaborately quilted pieces.