Books by Sue Reich

Quiltmaking in the 1910s can be best described as the convergence of the quilt styles of the late nineteenth century with the new innovations of the early twentieth century. One phenomenon of the era was the emergence of major entrepreneurial quilt designers and the exciting fresh look in quilts they contributed to the quilt world. Two catastrophic events in 1917 and 1918 interrupted the emergence of these new trends in quiltmaking. World War I, also referred to as the Great War and the 1918 Pandemic Flu, also known as The Spanish Flu brought hardship and death to America, and the entire world. Much of the quiltmaking from April 1917 to March 1919, was mostly focused solely on providing for our soldiers and the Red Cross. With their quiltmaking skills, women contributed thousands of quilts for one of the greatest benevolent efforts of the twentieth century.

Historically, societies of women gathering together for the purpose of quiltmaking have been referred to as quiltings, frolicks, and bees. This book brings together newspaper articles about their needlework activities with quilts inscribed with hundreds of names - known as signature quilts. Quilting communities encompassed families, church groups, civic and social organizations, and varied awareness groups. Using their quiltmaking skills, women comforted both their families and those in need. They successfully raised monies for their villages and towns, for veterans and orphaned children, for worldwide organizations such as the Red Cross, and benevolent causes close to home. This nearly 200-year tradition in quiltmaking carries into the 21st Century. With needle and scroll, quiltmakers continue to capture their special family events, hails and farewells of friends and coworkers, and needful societal causes in the medium of cloth.