Book Review: World War II Quilts
March 20th, 2011 by Morna
World War II Quilts
Sue Reich
Schiffer Publishing; $39.99
World War II era quilts have not been extensively studied, always being considered with quilts from the 1920s-1950s. Sue Reich became interested in this era after her family attended the dedication of the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. This book resulted from five years of researching quilts and newspaper accounts of quiltmaking from World War II years. Sue looked at five styles of quilts: red, white and blue patriotic quilts; quilts with military symbols and insignia; quilts made for donation to the Red Cross and other organizations; quilts made to raise money for the war effort; and quilts that are like other quilts made between 1920 and 1950. I found this to be a fascinating look at quilts from 1940-45, ones I had not previously considered. I was charmed by the “Sweetheart Pillow Quilts” made from silk sweetheart pillow covers that were printed with poems and military base notations. Fun, too, were the variety of “Victory Garden Quilts.” Since I recently looked at the Modern Quilt trend today, I was amused by the notation in one of the articles Sue found: “Quilting, 1943 style, however, isn’t exactly what it was for grandma.” This book adds immensely to the scholarship of quilt history.
Look for the book at your favorite quilt retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.
Tags: book review, Quilt History, quilting