Quilting PartyAn early American quilting party combined work with a social event. Also called a quilting bee, a quilting party was an all-day event. The hostess and her family would prepare for it by removing the furniture from one room and setting up a wooden quilting frame. A large bed-quilt-in-progress was attached to the frame, and chairs or benches were put around it. Neighbors arrived with dishes of food for a pot-luck lunch and dinner.The women decided which quilting pattern to use, marked the quilt with chalk, then quilted through the day. In the evening, the men arrived to eat and join in the conversation, games, dancing, and singing. At these social occasions neighbors also celebrated other events. They would finish a quilt to give a bride, to send with a friend who was moving away, or to sell and raise money for a church or charity. They swapped news and gossip about the community. The quilting party was an event that brought the community closer together. Where can people still find quilting parties or bees today?
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