QUILT MAKER

With materials scarce in the American colonies, women recycled old clothes and sewing scraps into new and much-needed patchwork bedcovers. Early American patchwork patterns that became popular were given names such as Log Cabin, Double Wedding Ring, and Bear's Paw.

In the years before the American Civil War, people active with the Underground Railroad hung patchwork quilts on outdoor lines with patterns that had specific meanings to help slaves escape safely to freedom.

Long considered mundane “women's work,” over the last few decades patchwork quilts have earned the status of being one of America's great art forms. Today, as magnificent, historic patchwork quilts hang in the country's finest museums, we use newly stitched patchwork quilts to add visual warmth and beauty to our homes.

Salary

According to Ruggiero, “Quilts can sell from the $100 to $200 range to upwards of $20,000 to $40,000.” Prices depend on factors such as design, intricacy, craftsmanship, quilt size, materials, and the reputation of the quilter. There is no set salary for quilters.