American Beauty....quilting dates far, far back to Chinese dynasties who quilted layer together to make their clothes. "Patching" or patchwork, as we know it, is distinctly American. And the maker of this old quilt top was a true quilter. The top is set 17 squares by 21 squares. Each square finishes at 4". It's a hand pieced top. I bought it many years back at a little antique shop for about $20. It's not a "beauty" by most standards. In looking at it, the maker had just the ONE red square..which is pretty much dead center(I have the quilt folded over for the picture). It's not so much what she HAD, as what she DIDN'T have. Of the 357 squares in the quilt, more than HALF are pieced. Scraps of the same fabric pieced together to get a big enough piece to cut 4.5". Think about that. All done by hand. I amazed me then and amazes me now....how much that gal wanted to make "one more top". No doubt finances were an issue. Maybe she was a widow living with a son and daughter in law. Trying to keep to the background and be mostly useful but invisible to her daughter in law. Things were hard for everyone, but hardest of all for an older woman after her husband died or left her. There was no Social Security as yet, and few job opportunities for women. There was no social organizations to seek help from, nor any pension plans. I have lived this first hand. At age 27, my mother and father "took in" my Grandmother when her husband died unexpectedly. In your 20's with a one year old first child, and your mother in law comes to live with you....seemingly forever. My dad was always good to my Grandma, but I'm sure it caused many strains on the finances and the marriage. Gram was dependent on them for EVERYTHING...clothes, food, shelter, medical needs, glasses...any and everything you can think of. Could she have been the maker of this quilt top??? Definitely. To fill the spare time, to her herself occupied, to make something useful, yes. You would and could piece together the tinest bits to make another block that would make another quilt. You would be doing what you could, where you were, with what you had. And so would I. I'll tell you a little more about this quilt tomorrow...*VBS*