The Preservation of Self in Everyday Life

Sociologist and quilter Marybeth C. Stalp explores how and why women quilt.

Quilting: The Fabric of Everyday Life (Dress, Body, Culture) Paperback – 1 Dec 2007 by  Marybeth C. Stalp

‘Quilting is used in multiple ways as an extension of women’s care taking and tradition-maintaining activities.  Quilts bookmark and commemorate important family events and, through gift exchange with friends and kin, solidify social ties.  They leave visual, tactile records of women’s daily lives and of their skills as artists and technicians, aspects of their lives that women hope will be remembered. Quilting can strengthen women’s identities and heighten a sense of connection with the past, especially with women ancestors.’