Scrap Quilts... Fact or Fiction

Many months ago, I watched a video on YouTube.  It featured a prominent figure in the world of quilting talking about myths.  One myth in particular bothered me.  The person claimed that the process of making quilts from scraps in the late 1800s to early 1900s was just not true.  That the quilts were made from a great number of fabrics because, due to the low price, the quilter would have purchased a lot of fabric to begin with.  That the idea of a woman using whatever bits she had to make a quilt just wasn't a reality.   I hope I'm not being overly disrespectful in saying that I'm just not buying it. 

I have done some research on my own.  I have seen quilts from that time period, made with a large number of fabrics.  I have seen quilts from own family (pictured above) that are clearly "scrap" quilts.  Let's face it... no matter how inexpensive the fabric became at the time, there were still women that couldn't afford to spend any extra on it.  That's just life and most of us have been there at least one time or another.  You buy for your needs, not necessarily your wants.  And when we can buy several different fabrics to make up a "scrappy-looking" quilt, there is a impression of planning: picking fabrics that coordinate with each other, spreading certain fabrics strategically throughout to give balance, etc., etc.  That is NOT the case with most of the scrappy quilts I have seen from that time period.  They don't always have the "right" fabric in the "right" places.  These quilts are beautiful in their own right, but they do not speak of having a designer with the finances to lavish merely on a quilt top alone.  

So, I believe that scrap quilts have been around for a very long time and I think they will continue to be made hundreds of years from now.  At least I hope that is the plan.  I love the idea of taking pieces that seem inconsequential and making one-of-a-kind masterpieces with them.  Art that is filled with love and memories.  (The picture above has an adorable print of what looks to be like Gerber babies on it.  I was told I had a dress as a baby made from the same fabric.)  Art that comforts and soothes and warms the souls of others.  Art that makes the heart sing.