Welcome to beautiful and rugged and historic Oregon - the end of the Oregon Trail. The trail of the covered wagon train that brought settlers from the Eastern United States to the wilds of the West to forge a new life out of the wilderness.
A covered wagon, also known as a prairie schooner, measured just 4 feet by 10-12 feet. What items would you take on a 4-6 month overland trip to a new life that would fit into a 4x10 space? Remember that the items should be practical, useful and not too heavy.
Pioneer Quilts
Quilts most certainly were on the packing list for pioneers travelling the Oregon Trail in the mid 19th century. Quilts were indeed useful for warmth, cushion, comfort, connection and sometimes a coffin
To learn more about the importance of quilts on the Oregon Trail, visit: Women and Quilts during hardship
Quilts tell a story in their patterns and fabric and colors. Quilt patterns like Wedding Ring and Log Cabin were familiar to Pioneer woman. Patterns like Flying Geese and Sailboat were communication devises on the "Slave Train."
To learn more about the meaning of pioneer quilt patterns, visit: Pioneer Quilt pattern names and stories
Quilts Today
Quilts today still thrive in our culture for their aesthetics, their practical use, their link to our past and as a creative and social activity. In this tour of Oregon Quilt museums you will find quilts that came over the Oregon Trail as well as contemporary art quilts. We'll explore quilting guilds and shops in Oregon (see links at right) as well in our virtual experience of Oregon Quilts and the culture and creativity surrounding them.
To view some contemporary quilt patterns, visit: Contemporary Quilt Patterns
To view a slide show of beautiful modern art quilts, visit: Art Quilts
Reflection Assignment
You're assignment on this tour is to sit back and be wowed by the beauty and manifestation of love and care and art in the quilts of Oregon. Take the tour by clicking on the quilt museum destination links at the top of this "Start" page.
When you've completed your tour, write a 2-6 paragraph, thoughtful reflection on Quilts and Quilting and the craft's connection to women or history or art or culture. Type your reflection as a comment to my blog post Oregon Quilt Tour Reflections. We will be sharing these reflections next class to generate a class discussion.
