Gathered in time

by Kae Covington

There are stories in quilts. And while it is the names of men that are most often recorded in history, the women were there all along; and the quilts they produced reveal much about the times in which they lived. In the words of one quilt maker, "Each quilt, step by step, speaks for its maker - her voice is clearly there, between the fabric and lines of stitches.". Called by Brigham Young, the first Mormon pioneers arrived in Utah in 1847, bringing with them a quilting tradition that took root and flourished. In spite of sometimes bleak circumstances, the pioneer women possessed an urge for artistic expression that is universal. To preserve this artistic heritage, from 1989-1994, the Utah Quilt Heritage Corporation documented over 2200 quilts crafted in Utah from settlement to 1950. With over 80 color plates, Gathered in Time showcases a representative selection of these remarkable quilts. Each quilt is accompanied by a story about its maker that carefully combines family and cultural