The Quilt That Walked to Golden: Women and Quilts in the Mountain West--From the Overland Trail to Contemporary Colorado (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Nanette Simonds (Author), Povy Kendal Atchison (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For the sheer volume of research and a fascinating read, we recommend this book as our reviewer's choice" -- Patchwork & Quilting, April 2005.

Review

"True to her form as a master storyteller, Sandra Dallas creates lasting images of women and their quilts in this wonderful book of quilt history."  —Quilter's World

 

"Sandra Dallas, who writes with a light and breezy style, pegs quilting to the pioneer women who sometimes used stitchery to preserve their sanity in the lonely, wide-open spaces of the West . . . a fascinating history."  —The Denver Post

"Written by one of Colorado's finest writers, our quilted history is well told in The Quilt That Walked to Golden.”  —Rocky Mountain News

"This book not only walks, it talks. And no quilt could have a better author to make it 'talk' than Sandra Dallas. A great book."  —Pat Schroeder, president, Association of American Publishers, and former member of Congress

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Breckling Press (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972121838
• ISBN-13: 978-0972121835
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #654,096 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Showcasing the lives of women who faced the Overland Trail, November 11, 2004

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

The Quilt That Walked To Golden is a full-color, coffee-table history book showcasing the lives and struggles of women who faced the Overland Trail to settle the mining and farm communities of Colorado Territory, and especially the role that quilts and quilting had in helping them survive, adapt, and thrive to difficult conditions. From stories of pioneering mothers who wrapped lost children in quilts as burial shrouds, to sewing and quilting circles that offered pleasant ways to socialize and interrupt the incredible lonliness of remote farms and mining camps, The Quilt That Walked To Golden is an enthralling account illustrated with both vintage and full-color photographs. Highly recommended for any enthusiast curious about the history of quilting in America.

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pioneer Women Gtitty Literally and Lpiritually, March 22, 2005

By	Constance M. Gotsch "Novelist On Board" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you like quilting, quilt designs, history, and the American west, you'll be a hog in a mud puddle with THE QUILT THAT WALKED TO GOLDEN by Sandra Dallas and Nordette Simonds. Using photographs, journal entries, pictures of quilts, and quilt designs, the authors present a picture of just how tough pioneer women were. With wagons packed to maximum capacity, many walked west, sometimes wearing all the clothes they owned because they had no room to pack them. When dresses wore out, they got ripped up and saved for quilt squares.

But quilts, it turns out, were more than bed covers. They protected wagons, wrapped the dead, bound injuries, and expressed social and political opinions women didn't dare express any other way.

THE QUILT THAT WALKED TO GOLDEN is an interesting read because it reminds us that the saying "where there's a will there's a way," might be trite, but it's true. When pioneer women wanted something, they got it--to the best of their ability, and then left us a wonderful record of their personal and social accomplishments in those magnificant covers.

An experienced journalist, Dallas draws the reader right into these women's stories. Anybody who thought history books were dry in school ought to read this one.

Nanette Simonds adds her own special chapter on contemporary quilting. Fabrics might have changed, but the reasons women quilt, and the uses for quilts remain very similar across time. Kinda comforting, you know?

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOMEN with "real backbone", absolutely a terrific book!, April 30, 2005

By	F. Lich "Texas Quilter" (Down South) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you like strong, brave women, the old American West, "quilts", and just want to be really proud to be female, this is the book. We have no right to complain about the switch on the microwave, or the too dark toast, etc., makes one feel quilty about the simplicities and pleasure of putting a quilt together today. This book is a "can't put it down" read. The pictures are well worth the cost of the book, THANK you Sandra Dallas.