MAGAZINES | AMERICAN PATCHWORK & QUILTING

International Quilt Museum

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Adapting to Different Cultures

As often happens, one country’s tradition was adapted to suit the needs and climate of another country and culture.

“Log cabin quilts were often foundation-pieced—the ‘logs’ stitched to a piece of muslin or other rough fabric—and so they didn’t have batting and weren’t quilted,” says Carolyn Ducey, curator at the International Quilt Study Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. Mathilde chose an unconventional finishing technique: about one-third of the way down the back of the quilt she created an opening that fastens with buttons. A wool blanket could be slipped inside, providing further insulation against cold, Nordic nights.

Photo courtesy of International Quilt Study Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2005.015.0001.

More to check out:

International Quilt Study Center
Broken Log Cabins
Global Perspective: Hawaii