The tradition of patchwork quilt patterns is almost as old as our country. The early settlers had very few clothes to keep them warm or fabric to make more garments bed coverings were in short supply. Because of this, the women would save any scrap left from sewing and the good part of well-worn garments to make into patchwork quilts.
But, as is the nature of women, they are tired of scraps sewed together just for warmth. They discovered that by putting the scraps together in certain ways that the quilts would be beautiful–something that was in short supply in the colonial houses.
Then, came pattern swapping. After church or in town while shopping, one woman would describe the new pattern she was using and then share it with the others present.
These patterns were drawn out on any little piece of paper they could find. And it would happen that by the time the woman got home she had forgotten exactly how the patches went together….and also the name of the pattern. She would just ‘fix’ the pattern and assign it a name of her own choosing.
This is the reason we have so many patterns, and names, that are very similar. Some of the patterns will have 20 or more ways to set the blocks together. The Log Cabin, the Gate Latch and the Drunkard’s Path are some that can be put together in many different ways.
The quilt patterns were often named for something near to the woman’s life. One is the Flying Geese….just a simple triangle that can be placed in a row, one after the other, or side by side. There are many ways these little triangles can be arranged…including for the logo of Southern Appalachians Creations, Inc.
The geese remind us of our beautiful mountains and the geese that fly over. Geese, I hear, can be a spirited bird… and they make good watch animals. The SAC will be spirited. We are going to share our love and appreciation for beauty and the arts with the rest of the world, as we will do with our families