Amish Bars Quilt

Many traditionally made Amish quilts combine simple and bold geometric shapes with abundant hand quilting to create utilitarian blankets for the home and the hired hands. Two other traditional features of an Amish quilt are the extensive use of black broadcloth combined with bright jewel colors using scraps leftover from constructing dresses and shirts. One of the delights of traveling in Amish country is seeing the colorful lines of washing strung out to dry, alternating black with splashes of color billowing in the breeze.

The Amish Bars quilt from the Quilts4U Traditional Quilts Collection is a modern interpretation of this design which has been said to depict the long rows of crops growing on Amish farms. This quilt is constructed entirely of cotton fabric purchased from Cherrywood Fabrics, a business which is famous for its hand dyed fabrics with a sueded stone washed look. This effect happens when the fabric in the dye baths is deliberately stirred less than normal, resulting in uneven yet attractive dye penetration of the fabric. The colors selected for the quilt reflect the traditional sober colors often used by both Amish and Mennonite quilters. Instead of black cotton, the quilt maker chose a charcoal tone.

In the traditional Amish style, this quilt features beautiful hand quilting along all the straight lines of the quilt. The choice of acrylic yarn for this style of quilting again reflects the traditional use of what early quilters may have had on hand. Very often, access to sewing products and notions did not exist for homesteaders in remote areas, or for pioneers on the road to new horizons. Many homeowners did keep sheep, and spinning was a vital part of early American subsistence.