Peggy Woods from Houston, Texas on July 13, 2018: There were many such signs and meanings behind these quilts which were used to point escaping slaves in the right direction towards safety. Several years later, quilter Eleanor Burns and Sue Bouchard became fascinated with Williams’ story and created a sampler quilt based on the secret code, publishing the patterns in the book The Underground Railroad Sampler. The names of the blocks used and the meanings associated with them are very interesting and pay homage to those involved in the Underground Railroad. Some people believe that certain classic quilt blocks were used to send messages to slaves escaping to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Just as today’s children know all the slang for video games, so the slave children knew all the names of quilt patterns. While many have questioned this theory, it remains part of the folklore that surrounds the Underground Railroad, and quilt codes are incorporated into the Black History Cairn in … This code tells the slaves to box up their belonging that they want to take with them on their trip on the Underground Railroad. If the sky wasn’t clear, look for or listen to the geese flying north in the spring.”. By Gillian Valladares Castellino Underground Railroad quilt block patterns and what they were supposed to have meant: Source: Underground Railroad Qui… Article by Tiffany Avery-Scott. “Follow the geese flying north. Susan Hazelton (author) from Sunny Florida on November 27, 2018: SweetiePie I like them all in varying degrees. Pamela Oglesby from Sunny Florida on July 18, 2019: This is a fascinating article about the underground railroad. Come and learn the meaning of the blocks said to have lent the slaves a helping hand to freedom. By life. North Star: A signal with two messages--one to prepare to escape and the other to follow the North Star to freedom in Canada. Abolitionists would give the slaves new, fresh clothing to change into so they could blend in with the other blacks living in that area. The home of Levi and Catherine Coffin's home was used for years as a station, or stop along the way to freedom. They don’t have to do anything except believe. Railroad workers “The orange is life, or light,” she explains, pointing at the glowing horizon line on her quilt, The Johnson House. The Underground Railroad Quilt Codes* Secret messages in the form of quilt patterns helped enslaved people escape the bonds of captivity in the Southern states before and during the American Civil War. Underground Railroad Quilt Block Meanings People have long believed that the symbols used in quilts of the South during slavery were actually used as secret messages for slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad. Genna East from Massachusetts, USA on July 14, 2018: What an interesting article. Quilt showing many of the Underground Railroad Quilt squares. “I walked around where they slept, where they ate. I really enjoyed the article and the historical information. During the time of the underground railroad, safehouses had to be made so slaves can have a place to stay and get information to know when the "railroad" would come. It got its name because the enslaved people who took it disappeared without a trace as if they were traveling underground. How the Quilt Code of the Underground Railroad enabled the slaves to run away from slavery safely. The late Ms. Williams was an African American, a former school administrator and had a law degree from Howard University. Beautiful example of a Wagon Wheel pattern quilt. In art, students can make their own quilt patterns and describe the meaning behind their selections. Dorothy Logan in front of her quilt, holding the book The Underground Railroad Sampler. After all this time, they have been lost or have fallen to pieces. Built in 1768 in the heart of Germantown, Johnson House’s woodwork, flooring, and glass are all original to the house. Some of the most common were … Homepage Quilting History Quilt Patterns. “The danger is that you start questioning people’s belief systems and how they get their information.”, “I’ve found some people have a hard time thinking or believing anything they cannot see or touch,” Tindall says. November 13, 2019 Post a comment ... Quilts Of The Underground Railroad Quilting Pattern Png Patchwork Healing Quilting Club Demonstrates How Patterns B O N N E L L A R T C O M Underground Railroad Class These quilts were embedded with a kind of code, so that by reading the shapes and motifs sewn into the design, an enslaved person on the run could know the area’s immediate dangers or even where to head next. July 04, 2018 Post a comment Ppt Underground Railroad Quilt Blocks Powerpoint Underground Railroad Quilt Code Catbird Quilt Studio Old American Quilts Held A Secret Code That Led Thousands To Quilts … “If you’re wondering about our irritation, I think it’s more frustrating that the codes keep getting presented as fact.”. MacDowell’s team recorded almost fifty interviews. Sew a part of history. First of all, what the heck are quilt codes? By life. Literally, if anyone found out they could lose their lives.”. The Language of Quilts Since the beginning of time, people have always needed to reach out to others. “I simply ask them, ‘Do you think it’s possible?’ Nonverbal communication, symbols, and secrets are all forms of communication.”. While researching quilts in South Africa, she made the acquaintance of contemporary quilters who have—“lo and behold!”—caught wind of the book and started coding quilts of their own. Though not all of her quilts are coded, Tindall is a believer and defender of the codes. The Underground Railroad was the secret path that enslaved people used to escape from their owners. The Sailboat quilt block tells the slaves to take a sailboat across the Great Lakes to safety. Sharon Tindall is a Virginia-based quilter, educator, and one in a tradition of contemporary quilters who design textile works inspired by this “quilt code.”, “When I’m creating a quilt, I’m focused on the purpose of the quilt,” she says. They need to follow the trail of bear tracks to the food and water that has been left for them. The quilts were placed one at a time on a fence as a means of nonverbal communication to alert escaping slaves. Jul 17, 2020 - People have long believed that the symbols used in quilts of the South during slavery were actually used as secret messages for slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad. She especially knows that it’s out of her hands. “One woman who was originally from South Carolina but lived in Detroit said she learned quilting as a child in South Carolina. That is to say, the authenticity of quilt codes is, among other things, a matter of emphasis. Quilt Code #3: The Crossroads This pattern referred specifically to Cleveland, OH, which was an Underground Railroad hub that offered access to … Some people believe that certain classic quilt blocks were used to send messages to slaves escaping to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Feb 1, 2020 - People have long believed that the symbols used in quilts of the South during slavery were actually used as secret messages for slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad. to segregation laws and seeking industry jobs during what is known as the Great Northern Migration, or the Black Migration. Join our mailing list and help us with a tax-deductible donation today. In recent years, one of the most powerful quilt myths to emerge has centered on the role quilts may have played in the Underground Railroad. “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” 2014, orange silk, cotton batik, 54 x 60”, Sharon Tindall, “Follow the Drinking Gourd (Green),” 2019, green batik, printed cotton, 26.5 x 26.5”. The quilts were hung outside of homes along the Underground Railroad to let the slaves know what was safe or unsafe, and to communicate further instructions or directions. Other patterns that have been included in the quilt code are the wagon wheel, drunkard’s path, and tumbling blocks. Many have religious or Biblical names or are inspired by the sky, stars or heavens. These quilts were said to impart important instructions and warnings to people traveling the Underground Railway. This interesting quilt is made with the tumbling blocks pattern. MacDowell has done the research. Slaves could not read or write; it was illegal to teach a slave to do so. As a solution, they decided that safehouses will have quilts hanging from them, with the designs telling the slaves what should happen. Back in the days when slavery was prevalent, and the Civil War was quickly approaching there were people who were bound and determined to help slaves reach their goal of freedom. I can see the promise of such a system. Our list Quilt Block Names and Meanings: The Ultimate Guides includes names, photos, descriptions, and even a little history for the most popular quilt blocks out there. “Of course there is no documentation! When I started finding the codes for quilt blocks I couldn't contain my excitement. Each quilt pattern had a different meaning. One way that they can do this is by using pictures or symbols. So it was with the underground railroad. Whether or not you believe Tindall’s interpretation, you might agree her belief provides poetic justifications for belief versus fact. Someone else we recorded said that her family hid important papers in the binding of the quilt. This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. May 31, 2019 - People have long believed that the symbols used in quilts of the South during slavery were actually used as secret messages for slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad. Eleanor Burns shares a story passed down through families about a link between slave-made quilts and the Underground Railroad. This pattern has been called many. the underground railroad quilts squares where made with codes to help the slaves to freedom I love all the quilt square designs, especially the tumbling blocks, I am not sure why. In many cases it indicated that this was a safe house. For Tindall, the quilts become vehicles for the voices and footprints of people running for their lives. “The risk is that it is not a true story,” MacDowell says. Known as the Freedom Quilt patterns, these quilts were displayed as signals to slaves that they should begin to pack for the journey (Wagon Wheel),dress up (Shoofly) and … In every culture, there are beliefs, myths, urban legends, rumors, even conspiracy theories that rise to the status of sacred narrative whether or not they are “true.” In many cases of folklore, hard facts may not influence a belief. Simply put, she has faith. Are these quilts harming anyone? “Almost every February, stories appear in papers across the country,” MacDowell explains, referencing African American History Month. Sharon Tindall, “Colorful Underground Railroad Sampler,” 2008, cotton, 88 x 70”. It meant gather your tools and get physically and mentally prepared to escape the plantation. “Now, I would not jump to any conclusions that every African American quilter held their needle pointing to the north, and that is the problem with the Hidden in Plain View book. Underground railroad quilt meanings. Underground Railroad was and how African slaves, known as fugitives, “rode” it to freedom. The log cabin quilt block is extra famous and extra traditional. I asked Tindall what the Flying Geese quilt pattern meant and how it assisted runaways on the Underground Railroad. Based on surveys of quilts made during these years, the evidence for some of these patterns just isn’t there, breaking the spell of this captivating story. But there are many other ways people can communicate as well. Drunkard’s Path = Zig-zag as you go along in case you are being stalked by hounds, Double Wedding Ring =Now it is safe to remove your chains and shackles. The quilt code may or may not be a story, but it is a lovely idea. Quilt making is a beautiful, traditional art form, and tells stories rich in history. She felt a kind of kinship. Tindall uses combinations of cottons, raw Dupioni silks, Swarovski crystals, natural fibers, Malian mud cloth, and even glitter to convey the spiritual, intangible components of her narrative compositions. We tell unforgettable stories about people, ideas, and a wide array of arts and traditions that help us explore where we have come from and where we are going. The wide woolen stitching lines were roads.”. The slaves, the Johnson family who protected them, that presence was the colors in the sky of the quilt. A common "x" mark on the quilts was believed to tell the slaves to dress up after escaping. The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early to mid-19th century, and used by enslaved African-Americans to escape into free states and Canada. Ms. Our conversation stretched to weeks as I sought more detailed information about how they were used. ... QUILT PATTERNS & THEIR MEANINGS Monkey Wrench This meant the slaves were to gather all the tools they might need on the journey to freedom. Centered on an empowering account of enslaved African Americans who ingeniously stitched codes into quilts to signal those seeking freedom in the North toward safe haven, this gratifying story has stirred controversy within the world of quilt scholarship. Some believe that quilt patterns were also used as a form of secret code to help pass on directions or messages to escaping slaves. The pretext for her belief in quilt codes is not unlike a person trying to explain or provide supporting evidence for a belief in God. Amongst the patterns which are said to have held meaning for enslaved persons on the Underground Railroad was the monkey wrench pattern, which supposedly advised slaves to begin to pack the things they would need for their journey. Books that emphasize quilt use. Was her whiteness a factor in not hearing that story? “I have taken the gifts God has given me and I’m returning them back to Him through the quilt codes.”, Scholar Marilyn Motz has a definition for belief that seems to fit: “a process of knowing that is not subject to verification or measurement within the framework of a modern western scientific paradigm.”, As she points out, “the term belief actually calls into question its own validity.” And anyways, “we usually describe our own beliefs as knowledge.”. “Flying geese are blue; the sky is blue, red and black,” she responded. These symbols were placed onto quilts to help the slaves escape. Sharon Tindall uses a historical pattern made up of triangles and rectangles called Flying Geese. Slaves couldn't write or read, and that gave them a problem. Underground Railroad/Jacob's Ladder Quilt Pattern. “You really get a sense of enslaved people there,” she says. We thank you for your support! Author: Susan Hazelton. Safe houses, hopefully no farther than 10-11 miles apart, were called Underground Railroad Quilt Patterns And Meanings. Tobin and Dobard found some quilts that had unusual knot patterns. Two Quakers in particular were thought to have saved 3,000 slaves themselves. Is it any wonder that this nine patch quilt block called Underground Railroad would be a directional type of block featuring a definite path? Angels are on the way ps pinned, The Underground Railroad: Many Paths to Freedom, The Underground Railroad: A Code of Secrecy, Part II, The Underground Railroad - A Road to Freedom. Maybe the protocols for experiences of belief versus fact are just different. It came off like verse, or a nursery rhyme. Quilt historians and Underground Railroad experts are not all in agreement with the quilt-code theory. Whether or not the codes are “real,” Tobin and Dobard are responsible for a twenty-year tradition of craftsmanship that has cropped out of a confidence in what they wrote, in the codes. I was disappointed by her answer because I didn’t understand. Come and learn the meaning of the blocks said to have lent the slaves a helping hand to freedom. Sarah Ives, in National Geographic News (Feb. 5, 2004): . Underground Railroad Quilt Patterns Meanings. For them, the codes are poetry, healing, and, especially, a means of expressing history. PUBLISHED February 5, 2004 Two historians say African American slaves may have used a quilt code to navigate the Underground Railroad. Now the lineage of artisans using quilt codes is robust. To join them all together, people used to sew a string through all the layers and tie it off with knots. freedom using the Underground Railroad quilt code. As quilts hung out to … Quilt historians and Underground Railroad experts are not all in agreement with the quilt-code theory. In the latter part of the nineteenth century, many Log Cabin quilts were made by the foundation method with a … Other patterns that have been included in the quilt code are the wagon wheel, drunkard’s path, and tumbling blocks. Sometimes these quilts would be casually thrown over a porch banister or hung out on a clothesline. the underground railroad quilts squares where made with codes to help the slaves to freedom Craft and empowerment -The Underground Railroad Quilts. Slaves couldn't write or read, and that gave them a problem. I had a great time researching this. We delve into the complex lives of individuals and communities to find what inspires and motivates people as they respond to animating questions at the center of contemporary life. Nowadays, some African American women make coded quilts for their daughters and granddaughters, and that will keep happening. Soon the story has lifeblood independent of its origins, and there’s no stopping it. How cute is this? At its center, a quilt is an assemblage of historical and creative cues in the form of fabrics, shapes, symbols, textures and colors. This quilt poster and guide is packed with ideas for helping children study the Underground Railroad by learning about the quilts—and the secret escape codes quilters stitched into … In Stitched from the Soul (1990), Gladys-Marie Fry asserted that quilts were used to communicate safe houses and other information about the Underground Railroad, which was a network through the United States and into Canada of "conductors", meeting places, and safe houses for the passage of African Americans out of slavery. Folklife is a digital magazine of music, food, craft, and culture. It has been disputed by a number of historians. "She showed a black and white picture of this pattern with the caption, "One of the most striking quilts having Biblical names." Underground Railroad Symbols Andrew Jackson was the 7th American President who served in office from March 4, 1829 to March 4, 1837. They jumped to conclusions without documentation.”. Susan Hazelton (author) from Sunny Florida on July 13, 2018: I am glad you enjoyed this article. Quilt showing many of the Underground Railroad Quilt squares. Just a few are Jacob's Ladder, Underground Railroad, Road to California, Off to San Francisco, Gone to Chicago, Stepping Stones and Trail of the Covered Wagon. Nimble fingers working in secret, armed with needle and thread, engaging with a visual language, doing their part for freedom. That’s according to Marsha MacDowell, a quilt scholar and director of the Quilt Index, a massive online catalog of more than 90,000 quilts. The North Star quilt block tells them to follow the North Star to safety. It can also represent that they need to seek shelter. Thank Goodness for these people. Underground Railroad Quilt Blocks A number of popular quilt blocks were used to make up the underground railway quilts. These Americans migrated to the Midwest from the rural South saying Godspeed! 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