Textiles: Quilting

This "Crazy Quilt" style of quilt top made by Bertha Layton Bobo of Bartow County won a blue ribbon at an early-1900s Bartow County Fair.

Quilters used scraps from old clothing, sheets, and even feed sacks. The quilt top is made up of blocks in a variety of colors and fabric with a brown velvet border. Some blocks have embroidered images of birds or flowers. Each block is edged with embroidery stitching.

The quiltmaker, Bertha Layton Bobo,  lived in Cassville and attended Crowe Springs Baptist Church. In rural communities, quilting bees were an opportunity for women from the community to meet and socialize.  Making quilts was a necessity when money was scarce, but it also became an art form. Many families handed down their treasured quilts to the next generation as heirlooms.