ManybelievetheartofquiltingarrivedwithColonialwomenduringtheirimmigrationtoAmerica,butquilting

camemuchlatertotheUnitedStates.Infact,quiltswerenotastapleinAmericanhomesuntilthemid-nineteenthcentury.Eventhen,only63percentofhouseholdslistedthemamongtheirhouseholdgoods(Kiracofe1993:59).Thisincreasewasduetomajordevelopmentsinefficienttransportation.WithintricatewebsofroadsandrailgrowingacrosstheAmericanlandscape,cottonandothertradegoods

eventuallyreachedeventhesmallestsettlements.From1818to1830,theUnitedStates’demandforcottongrewfrom92millionpoundsto300millionpounds

(Kiracofe1993:77).ThisiswhenquiltingreallybegantobecomeprevalentintheUnitedStates.Accordingtoquilthistorian,RoderickKiracofe(1993:48),quiltsfromthisperiodinhistory“areusuallythosewhich

weremadeforaspecificpersonoraspecificoccasion.”Thismonth,theItiFabvssawillfocusonthesespecialoccasionquilts,orFriendship/Albumquilts,madebyour

ChoctawcommunityafterourarrivaltoIndianTerritory.Friendship/AlbumquiltswerefirstcreatedinPennsylvania,butby1840quicklyspreadthroughouttheUnited

States.Thisparticulardesignmadeforperfectcanvasestocommemoratespecialeventswithinacommunity.Women

oftenusedfabricfromdeceasedfamilymembers’clothing,cutfromoutgrownorwornshirtsanddresses,andwithaspecificpurposeinmind.MargaretSeebold(1993:81)suggeststhismixofoldandnewfabricwasto“makeyouthinkalittleoftheperson

whomadeitorwhosedresseswereinthere.Maybeyoudon’tthinkofthemanyothertimeexceptwhenyouseethatquilt.”Withthis,eachblocksquarewascreatedwithintention,tokeepmemoriesalive,andhonorablysignedbythe

artist.Friendship/Albumquiltsfeaturerepeatedsimilardesignblocksoverthequilttopwithpatterned,orasolidcolor,

rectangularbandsinbetween,toframethem.Themakersoftensigntheirnameeitherinthecornerswhereblocksmeetoroneachblock.Signatureswereeitherappliedwithastampusingastencilorhandwrittenininkdirectlyontothefabric.AttheWheelockAcademy,femalestudentscombinedtheirfriendshipwiththeirnewlylearnedsewingskillsto

createsuchaFriendship/AlbumquiltshortlyafterourremovaltoIndianTerritory.AfineexampleiscurrentlyondisplayattheWheelockMuseuminMillerton,Oklahoma.TheseyoungwomennotonlyintricatelyembroideredeachfloweronblocksthroughouttheFriendship/Album

quilt,butalsosignedeachoftheirsquareswiththeirdelicatelyscriptedsignatures.Thisisanexquisitely,raresamplefromourearlyChoctawquiltmakers.OneWheelockAcademystudent,OdethaJeanBilly,wentontocreatethisbeautifulbabyblanketwiththesewing

skillsshelearnedwhileinresidence.HerFriendship/Albumquiltcommemoratedthebirthofhergranddaughter,KathiaJeanBakerSpring.Itfeaturedfoursmallelephantswithinasolidborderframe.Whatisparticularlyspecialaboutthisblanketisthe

careandattentiontodetailthisgrandmotherhad.Shemadetheearsoftheelephantsandtailsloose,knowinghergranddaughterwouldenjoythesensoryplaytime

onthequilt.TheFriendship/Albumquiltisaspecialgifttocommemoratespecialeventsinafamilyorcommunity(births,

weddings,retirements,moves,etc.).Friendship/Albumquiltsserveasvitalkeepersofhistoryaswell.Forinstance,thequiltpicturedabovewaspassed

downtoAudreyJacobsbyhergrandfatherRev.SimonD.Belvin,aprominentPresbyterianminister,featureshandembroideredchurches,namesofpastors,aswellasdatesofeachchurch’sservice.Itservesasanalbum,orrecord,oftheimportantserviceworkofthePresbyterianFaithwithintheChoctawNation

ofOklahomaovertime.Morerecentinhistory,ChoctawquiltmakersusedT-shirtstomakeavariationofaFriendship/Albumquilt,

Iti FabussaPiece by Piece: Choctaw

Women Quilters

affectionatelycalledT-Shirtquilts.ThemakercarefullymeasuresoutblockswiththeT-shirtdesign,then,piecesthemtogetherwithinaframe.These

shirts,oncepiecedtogether,serveasanalbumofmemories.Choctawtribalmember,LoisFayeandhersister,MargieSpringWilliams,weremembersoftheAmericanHero

QuiltMakers.ThisgroupofwomenmetonceaweektoafewtimesamonthtosewFriendship/Albumquiltsdestinedtocomfort

woundedsoldiersontheirjourneyshomefromconflict.Thequiltsfeaturedjeansdonatedfromthecommunity.Eachsquarewaspiecedtogetheronthequilttopand

allowedtofrayonitsedgescreatingauniqueborder.Theyweredesignedtobesturdytowithstandthepurificationneededinwoundcenterswithoutsacrificingaestheticappeal.Overtime,thistalentedgroupofwomennurturedtheirskillsetbysewingover100quiltsforwoundedsoldiers.So

muchso,thatLoisFayelaterwentontoenterhercommemorativeCodeTalkersFriendship/AlbumquiltintheLaborDayQuiltShowandwonaribbon.CountlessChoctawwomenhavewonsimilarprizesthroughoutourhistory.WiththeadventofthehighlyprizedSingersewingmachinein1850,moreandmorewomenfoundpleasurein

sewing.Itspedsewingtimeconsiderably,cuttingthetimetomakeacalicodressfrom6½hoursto57minutes.

Unfortunately,sewingmachineswerenotprevalentinIndianTerritory,ortheStateofOklahoma,fordecadestocome.Eventhen,Choctawwomendidnotfollowthistrend;theyvaluedthetimespenttogether.Theycontinuedtohold

quiltingparties(Faiman-Silva2000:138;GillespieandBresenhan2010:62).Itwasduringthistimethattheysharedcommunitynewsandinformation,learnedfromoneanotherandfostered

relationships.Choctawwomencontinuetogatherathomes,churches,camphouses,andcommunitycenterstopiecetogether

quiltstoday.Thesequiltsarestillenteredintocompetitions,auctionedoffasfundraisersandgiventomembersofthecommunity.Overtime,thesequiltshavebecomeexamplesofthecommunalspiritittakestocreatethem.Communityisarich

partofChoctawlifetodayandquiltsareabeautifulexampleofthis.Unfortunately,quiteafewquiltersnotethatastheyagetheyhavenoonefromtheyoungergenerationstoteach

theartofpiecingblocksto.Doyouknowhowtosew?Considervolunteeringtohelpassistwomencreatequiltsinyourarea.Ifyouhavestoriesofquiltingorknowofotherdesignsandpatternsusedbyourancestors,pleasecontactusatthe

HistoricPreservationDepartment:DeannaByrd(580)924-8280ext.2353ordbyrd@choctawnation.com.

Photo Provided Rev. Simon D. Belvin was the pastor at Good Spring Presbyterian Church USA. The above quilt was made by members of the different congregations as a retirement gift. The quilt blocks are hand embroidered and picture the different churches, names of the pastors and the dates of each church’s service. The quilt was passed down to Rev. Belvin’s granddaughter, Audrey Jacobs.

Stickball player Ryan Spring recalled the memories and details of each T-shirt’s significance pieced within the Friendship/Album quilt made by his aunt, Lois Faye Spring Ingram, for his wedding.