Quilts have been around for so long and have been such an integral part of people’s lives that superstition and lore surrounding them is to be expected. Some of these stories have been passed down through the years, and some are heard once in a while but seldom repeated. Either way, they are part of traditions and part of families, just like the quilts.
Superstitions
1. No matter how tempted you are, never make a perfect quilt. Always make one mistake.
a. People have said this, at least in the United States, throughout recorded history. This is in reverence and honor to the Christian God. The logic behind this is that for anyone who believes in Him, they all know that He is the only perfect being. Making a perfect quilt is an insult to His perfection
2. Sewing a quilt on Sunday is bad luck.
a. Again, this is related to Christianity. Sunday is a day of rest. No matter how much you enjoy quilting, it is still considered work. According to superstition, if you do quilt on Sunday, you must unstitch every stitch using only your teeth to undo the bad luck. Does that not count as work?
3. When quilting a border, make sure that the corners are not interrupted by any other design element.
a. This superstition is less religious and more mystic. It is said that breaking a border design in the corner will lead to a shortened life for the quilter. Not only will the quilter meet her own maker a little early, but she will also meet a disastrous end.
4. If a young woman had not sewn her bridal quilt by the time she was 21 years of age, she would never be married.
a. Based on research, this little superstition made sense because women were generally married well before the age of 21 in centuries past. Quilts were made for the woman’s dowry chest for years, but the wedding quilt was not made until she was engaged. If a woman made it to 21 without ever being proposed to or being engaged, then she did not have a reason to make the wedding quilt. Given that the quilt was not made by the 21st birthday, she was considered an old maid and it was presumed that she would never be married.
Lore
Lore surrounding quilts is fairly hard to find. Most of the old stories fall under the superstition category. One piece of lore, however, is a sweet and loving idea and deserves to be remembered by those who love quilts.
1. Quilts that are put away for long periods of time and not used can get lonely.
a. This is a beautiful piece of lore surrounding quilting. This idea comes from the mystical idea that a small piece of the heart of any woman who had a hand in making the quilt is attached to the quilt forever. It is also said that the love of every family covered by the quilt becomes a piece of the quilt. Because of this, leaving a quilt put up and not used will cause all of this love and the hearts of all of those women and families to ache from loneliness. So, please use that quilt that someone made for you. There is nothing but love stitched into it.