Plain and Fancy: Country Quilts of the Pennsylvania-Germans

Celebrate the colourful quilts of traditional Pennsylvania-German communities, including the Amish, Mennonite, Lutheran, or other rural districts whose names have become synonymous with beautiful folk creations. Colour photographs on every page take the reader back to a time when bold graphics, vibrant colours and fine stitchery were the mark of these serious-minded people. The 200 quilts showcased here have been selected as representative of these communities, and many have been culled from private collections and have never been viewed in public before now. The reader will find the familiar designs of the Amish and Mennonite quilts - Star of Bethlehem, Bars, Sunshine and Shadow, Centre Diamond - but will also discover lesser known examples from other religious communities in Pennsylvania. Throughout, the author places these masterpieces within their cultural tradition, tracing them back to Europe and explaining the symbolism of the designs. With the help of this book the reader can recreate these masterpieces.