According to Roxann Baker of the Western Wayne County Quilting Guild, quilted clothing far predates the needlework of early American and Victorian women who used the technique for bed coverings. This month, the Belleville Area Museum will present Patches & Patterns, a display and exhibit of more than 100 quilts in response to the growing interest and recognition of quilting in America. Baker firmly believes the role of quilts as symbols and signals during the Underground Rail Road effort to guide runaway slaves north to freedom, although there are many who claim that is a myth. Quilting, she said, was a dying art during the 70s, 80s and 90s, until the guild and other groups across the country began to actively push the art form and pass it on to younger craftsmen.

Tags: art, quilting patterns, quilts, quilting fabric, longarm quilting, quilting