Originally Posted by Arleners
scrap quilts are the origins of quilting itself. Back in the day, quilts were made from the scraps left over from sewing clothing, and "recycling" the useable parts of old clothing. I think the Colonials would be horrifed at the idea of us buying new fabric and cuttring it up into patterns.
I agree. Out here on the prairie women could not afford to go the general store and buy fabric for quilts. I always picture a wife/mother sitting in her rocker by the fire in the evening in their prairie sod house with her small box of scraps and outgrown clothing. She is cutting and sewing by hand each piece of fabric. My favorite old quilts are those where she cut the largest piece she could from each scrap and the quilt has all different sizes of pieces.