Stitched from the Soul: Slave Quilts from the Ante-Bellum South

by Gladys-Marie Fry

Book by Fry, Gladys-Marie

Genres: Quilting, Nonfiction, History, Crafts, African American, Art

112 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1990

Reviews

[Jameelah Woodard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am longing to know more about how I get my creativity. Reading this book helps me see how my need to learn needle crafts lives in my blood. This book is a great beginner read to start thr process of understanding the life of crafters enslaved in American.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book for the history and the quilts. I liked the pictures, the writing style and the research she did. Slave quilts were often used up and lacked written documentation. Some historians don't take this into account and I find that unrealistic. I enjoyed her approach.

[Jean Carlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fry makes a significant contribution to our knowledge of the lives of slave women and the quilts and textiles they made in the 18th and 19th century. Acknowledged as “an untapped source of cultural study” these textiles (quilts, coverlets, rugs) are hard to document as few records were left. The extensive prologue explains her scholarly methodology and addresses the problems of researching the history of slave women. She used official historical accounts, the testimony of former slaves from the WPA writer’s project and other African American 19th century writings and oral tradition, acknowledging that each source has strengths and weaknesses. Her research extended to fifteen states and England. Other than two references to quilts being used to guide slaves on the Underground Railroad, a myth that has been perpetuated but never proven at this time (2016) there is much to be learned from the text as well as the many photos of quilts, people and even buildings on the plantation such as the “loom house.” The epilogue tells the story of Harriet Powers and her quilts; one now in the Smithsonian, and one in Boston at the Museum of Fine Arts. It’s sad to learn that she had to sell the first one for $5 when times were bad and that she so hated to part with it that she visited the “darling offspring of her brain” at the home of the new owner several times. On the other hand, doing that is probably the only reason the quilt has been preserved for posterity.
Notes and Bibliography.
Serves as the catalog for the 1989 traveling exhibition by the same name at New York’s Museum of Folk Art.

[Carole Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

You may not have thought about quilt makers during the years of slavery in the U.S., but slave women made quilts for their own use, and they also made quilts under the direction of the mistress of the house. Slaves used what was available for them to sew with. actually many women became excellent sewers. Many quilts made for home use aren't extant, but there are many that exist and are in museums around the world. We need to celebrate those unsung women who quilted out of necessity and for the love of the craft.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent historical record of what was known about slave quilts before the Civil War.
Fascinating descriptions from actual slaves, captured by WPA workers, including the dialect spoken by these people. Details of their everyday lives.
I am grateful to have read this book courtesy of OhioLink, a feature of out Ohio Library system where we can read books that are not available in our local area. What a blessing.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected to only browse the photographs but the text caught and held my interest immediately. Very informative interpretation of historical clues about textile work by enslaved women before the US Civil War.

[Aisha Manus · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely great source for the history of slave made quilts! Loved it!

[Gwen Humphries · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great reference book on the quilts of enslaved African Americans.