Quilting through the ages

On Friday, December 11th, 2020, six WFWP participants joined in a virtual meeting hosted by the WFWP Hackensack New Jersey chapter to hear Mrs. Joy Lascari give a presentation of quilting in America through the ages. We were also delighted to see some of her own handiwork (see pictures)!

Joy has taken a keen interest in needlework since she was a little girl. At age five, she was already making clothes for her Barbie dolls. Then in junior high school she would sew her own clothes as finances were tight and she wanted to design her own clothes anyway.

By the time she went to college, she was knitting, crocheting and sewing all kinds of things. After reading the book Hidden Art by Edith Schaeffer, she discovered how to express her artistic nature in a way that brought joy to herself and others. Joy taught sewing, crocheting and knitting to adults in an adult night school in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey. 

One of her favorite activities is making quilts. She often uses pieces of fabric that tell a story and by seeing the quilt she can remember that story.

Joy was inspired by her grandfather’s quilting practice. Living in the state of Washington, he would cut logs for the ladies of his town who had lost their husbands and then join in on their quilting circles and quilt himself!

Early quilting was done not only out of necessity but also as a means of socializing, especially during the long winters. Often the ladies would quilt blankets to send to missionaries in South America. A quilt in a sense is a symbol of a warm embrace. They wanted to share their love of God with the people in Bolivia and Brazil.

According to folklore, quilts were used during the days of the Underground Railroad to guide enslaved people and show them where to go or what to look out for on their travels to freedom. The quilts contained different codes; these may have been an arrow pointing north or an “x” meaning “danger.” The quilts were then hung out of windows or on fences for the fleeing slaves to see. (See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Railroad)

Our meeting ended with a question and answer session. Mrs. Irmgard Baynes showed a quilt she was making for people who needed a bit of love and said that if anyone wanted to send her a 6 inch by 6 inch knitted or crocheted patch she would be happy to include it.

We look forward to gathering together again online to learn new things and see each other.