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Commemorative American Quilts: Stitching Our Heritage from 1876 to Today
--Will tie in to nationwide publicity opportunities (Pub Oct. 2025, to sell throughout 2026= the US sesquicentennial).
--Author has proven track record of promotion/mktg of her past Schiffer Craft titles
--Author has proven track record of promotion/mktg of her past Schiffer Craft titles
256 pages, Hardcover
Published January 28, 2026
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Review of advance copy received from Publisher
We lived in Philadelphia for fifteen years including during the Bicentennial. We were regularly downtown for events, including watching 1776 on Independence Mall and visiting museums and historical sites, wearing our “Ask Me” buttons signifying to tourists that we were locals. We learned about the 1876 celebration and visited the remaining building from the Exposition.
I remember the Bicentennial star quilt pattern but it was before I started quiltmaking. Years later, I made my Bicentennial Memories quilt with 1976 Redwork embroidery patterns.
Quilting was part of the crafts revival spurred by the Bicentennial. I tried my hand at a number of crafts trending in the 70s–macrame, crewel work, rug hooking, and needlepoint. I had planned to make a quilt, collecting 3 x 5 inch pieces of fabrics for a Roman stripes quilt. But it was not until 1991 that I made my first quilt and found my craft!
Quilt history strongly interests me, especially political quilts and quilts made with political, presidential, and commemorative handkerchiefs and bandanas. I collect handkerchiefs and and bandanas, and I have donated some to presidential museums or libraries.
Sandra Sider’s book Commemorative American Quilts hits all my special interests: political quilts, the Centennial and Bicentennial, and commemorative textiles.
Teresa Barkley used a 1939 New York World’s Fair handkerchief in her 1989 quilt “Take Me To The Fair”
The book considers the intersection of quiltmaking and history, beginning with the Centennial in 1876. Promoting unity and national identity was important after the Civil War. A rising immigrant population meant more first-generation Americans.
Commemorative textiles, printed yardage, handkerchiefs, and bandanas, were popular. The Centennial exposition was influential in introducing Japanese art which influenced artists, home decor, and fashion.
The late 19th c Gilded Age crazy quilts were for show, not use, demonstrating elaborate needlework and using delicate silks and velvets–and commemorative textiles.
Commemorative quilt making continued into the 20th c with each fair and exposition, some famously with national contests, culminating in the Bicentennial, then continuing on the local level.
With the resurgence of quiltmaking in the 1970s came a proliferation of publications, new fabrics and tools, and the rise of influential quilt designers and teachers.
Quiltmaking evolved as an art form. Major exhibits showcased traditional quilts as an art form. Artists turned to quiltmaking with original and nontraditional construction and forms and themes.
Commemorative quilts have continued in popularity into the 21st c. The Grand Central Terminal Centennial had a quilt challenge and my friend Theresa Nielsen’s quilt was in the exhibit.
The book is packed with information and is visually gorgeous.
Thanks to Schiffer Craft for a free review book.
I remember the Bicentennial star quilt pattern but it was before I started quiltmaking. Years later, I made my Bicentennial Memories quilt with 1976 Redwork embroidery patterns.
Quilting was part of the crafts revival spurred by the Bicentennial. I tried my hand at a number of crafts trending in the 70s–macrame, crewel work, rug hooking, and needlepoint. I had planned to make a quilt, collecting 3 x 5 inch pieces of fabrics for a Roman stripes quilt. But it was not until 1991 that I made my first quilt and found my craft!
Quilt history strongly interests me, especially political quilts and quilts made with political, presidential, and commemorative handkerchiefs and bandanas. I collect handkerchiefs and and bandanas, and I have donated some to presidential museums or libraries.
Sandra Sider’s book Commemorative American Quilts hits all my special interests: political quilts, the Centennial and Bicentennial, and commemorative textiles.
Teresa Barkley used a 1939 New York World’s Fair handkerchief in her 1989 quilt “Take Me To The Fair”
The book considers the intersection of quiltmaking and history, beginning with the Centennial in 1876. Promoting unity and national identity was important after the Civil War. A rising immigrant population meant more first-generation Americans.
Commemorative textiles, printed yardage, handkerchiefs, and bandanas, were popular. The Centennial exposition was influential in introducing Japanese art which influenced artists, home decor, and fashion.
The late 19th c Gilded Age crazy quilts were for show, not use, demonstrating elaborate needlework and using delicate silks and velvets–and commemorative textiles.
Commemorative quilt making continued into the 20th c with each fair and exposition, some famously with national contests, culminating in the Bicentennial, then continuing on the local level.
With the resurgence of quiltmaking in the 1970s came a proliferation of publications, new fabrics and tools, and the rise of influential quilt designers and teachers.
Quiltmaking evolved as an art form. Major exhibits showcased traditional quilts as an art form. Artists turned to quiltmaking with original and nontraditional construction and forms and themes.
Commemorative quilts have continued in popularity into the 21st c. The Grand Central Terminal Centennial had a quilt challenge and my friend Theresa Nielsen’s quilt was in the exhibit.
The book is packed with information and is visually gorgeous.
Thanks to Schiffer Craft for a free review book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review