18 Quilting Bee Photos That Showcase A World Lost to Time

For those of us who still sew, quilting can be a wonderful way to unwind and to preserve family traditions. But, quilting is becoming a rare thing these days. There was a time when women would gather together to complete a quilt, all done by hand. I can remember walking into my grandmother’s house and seeing the frame all set up, while her neighbors came in and out to help complete the project. There are so many aspects about a quilting bee that now seem from another world.

Here are 18 photos from the past that show another world where ladies rich and poor, young and old, gathered together to create the quilts that surely became heirlooms in years later.

Via/ Flickr

1860s. Via/ Library of Congress

“Grandmother from Oklahoma with grandson, working on quilt. California, Kern County, 1936.” Via/ Library of Congress

Children quilting for the Red Cross, 1918. Via/ Library of Congress

Pettway family making a quilt, 1937. Via/ Library of Congress

“A quilting party in an Alvin, Wisconsin, home, 1937.” Via/ Library of Congress

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