“Commemorative American Quilts: Stitching Our History From 1876 to Today” By Sandra Sider

Just in time for America’s semiquincentennial anniversary (that’s 250 years for the numerically challenged) is the new book “Commemorative American Quilts: Stitching Our History From 1876 to Today” by Sandra Sider, stitching a tale of America’s history as told through the art of quilt making.

With a foreword by Pamela Weeks, Sider’s book reveals how quilt making from the country’s 1876 Centennial to present day has “acted as a tool for preserving stories, bridging cultural divides, and celebrating important moments both local and national—an easily accessible ‘scrapbook’ in cloth,” according to the publisher’s website. The book is a comprehensive deep dive into the history of quilting over that 150-year period and includes overviews of commemorative quilting as it fits in with many key points in the history of the United States. More than 200 photographs the myriad variations within this art form, and explanations of how quilt making intersects with eras such as the civil rights and women’s rights movements provide rich historical context.

Along the way, you’ll meet some of the women who have made pioneering contributions to this field in the infancy of U.S. history, and how women’s roles, the goal of racial equality, and the feeling of civic pride all influenced the quilt makers and their works.

About the author

Sandra Sider, an expert quilt historian, is a past president of Studio Art Quilt Associates and served as curator of the Texas Quilt Museum from 2012 until 2022. She has taught textile history for the MFA Textiles program at Parsons School of Design and elsewhere and has written or edited more than a dozen books concerning contemporary quilt art. sandrasider.com

Foreword writer Pamela Weeks is the Binney Family Curator of the New England Quilt Museum and has written and cowritten several books on quilt history, including “Civil War Quilts.”

About the publisher

A family-owned, independent publisher of high-quality nonfiction books since 1974, Schiffer has published thousands of titles on the diverse subjects that fuel our readers’ passion. From our traditional subjects of antiques and collectibles, arts and crafts and military history, Schiffer has expanded its catalog to publish books on contemporary art and artists; architecture and design; food and entertaining; the metaphysical, paranormal and folklore; and pop and fringe culture, as well as books for children.

 Schiffer Publishing is located in Atglen, PA. Website: www.schifferbooks.com.

Size: 8.5” x 11”, 200 color and black-and-white photographs, 256 pages, ISBN: 9780764371318, binding: hardback, price: $39.99

Contact Corbin Crable at editor@discovervintage.com.