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Bring the quilts of WWII to your location.  Choose from a portfolio of 50+ quilts made between 1941-1945 with provenance to World War II. Combine this with Quiltmaking That Saw US through the War Years: 1941-1945, a presentation about their historical significance.

 

 World War II Quilts 

  From 1941-1945, most able-bodied women expended all of their energies employed in the defense industry, volunteering for the Red Cross, planting Victory Gardens, and keeping the “home fires burning.”    These were essential activities of women on the home front.  During this stressful time of war, women were also making thousands of quilts. 

  Over the past five years, I have dedicated much of my free time to the study of World War II era quilts. I lecture across our great country and share my own collection of World War II quilts with museums, historical societies, quilt shows, quilt study days, and magazine publications. Through access to newspapers and magazines of the World War II era, I have been able to authenticate the patterns and designs available to quiltmakers; anchoring the quilts historically in time. There were very specific types of quilts made during the war: the obvious red, white and blue patriotic quilts; the quilts with military symbols and insignia; quilts made for donations to the Red Cross and organizations such as Bundles for Britain;[1] quilts made to raise money for the war effort; and quilts that look exactly like any other quilt made between 1920 and 1950.  In reality, all quilts made between the years of 1941 and 1945 probably have some connection to the war. This was the “People’s War” [2] and everyone was in it. Those five years were the most pivotal years of the twentieth century. If World War II had a different outcome, our lives would be very different today.  

  Over the past seven years, the World War II Quilts have been on exhibit across the nation at The American Museum of Science and Energy, Oak Ridge, TN; The National Quilt Museum, Paducah, KY; The New England Quilt Museum, Lowell, MA; The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, Golden, CO; The Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL; The Grout Museum District, Waterloo, IA; the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Abilene, KS and regional quilt exhibits.  

                                                                                                                                                                                 Exhibit and presentation inquiries are welcome.

                                Contact - suereich@charter.net

 

   

 

     

[1] Bundles for Britain was founded by the British War Relief in early 1940 to provide non-military aid to the British people.

[2] Engraved on the walls on the walls of the World War II Memorial.