I don't know if it is me or what, but many of the children I was close to when we were kids were discovered to have parents I liked better than them when I got grown.  Ruby was the mother of three fine friends.. Charles, Jerry Paul, and Terry Martin had been dear friends of mine since my first grade.  One by one they had left the earth, and her husband had gone then too. Ruby kept her fingers and mind busy by quilting.  As long as she kept busy she had a smile on her face.

Quilting is as old as the hills, and for many, quilting has that added flavor of filling domestic needs, social distinction, and being recognized as a craft. It is wonderful to have the skills needed for such a craft.  It can be the means of handing down traditions, and which has an end product that can not only look beautiful, but keep you warm at night as well.

Quilting methods don’t vary enormously throughout the world, but the designs are largely specific to a country, or a society, although the traditional American patchwork designs have become loved world wide. 

In colder climates, the quilting circle was also an excuse for women to get together to talk over the important matters of the day -- and in the process, quilting provided invaluable support for each other.  Back in the old days, the Colonists had to be hardy and even tough. Most families had to start from rock bottom scratch. Homes had to be built, and furnished, and in those days, nearly everything had to be grown or made, including those new-fangled light bulbs called candles.

Needlework was a very necessary skill for a woman back then. Without this skill, women would not have been able to make their clothes, and would not be able to make the soft furnishings that not turn a log cabin into a home’, but are necessary for keeping out draughts from windows and doors, and for keeping everyone warm at night.

When societies became more established and there was money and time available, the quilting circle would make quilts to commemorate certain events, and together produce really large quilts that would adorn the walls of the buildings that served as community centers.

And of course, the social network was invaluable. The older women would pass on their skills as needlewomen, and designers of quilts and other crafts. More importantly, they would pass on the invaluable knowledge about family life. Childbirth, medicines for common ailments, cooking and how to grow herbs and vegetables – this was the sub-text, and the very important function of the quilting circle.

Clearly in different times, and different places, women would have different topics that would dominate the quilting circles’ conversations.  The quilting circle was common place. It was necessary, it was helpful and social, and it produced wonderful pieces of work for individuals and for communities.

In sharp contrast, these days, many of us almost live in social isolation.  Neighbors are someone you meet on the Internet.  Friends are someone you USED to know.  Once you learn the basics of quilting you can change that by holding small quilting events in community centers, your back bedroom, and other places.  It could fill a great void.