Bed Skirts
By : LaZinnia Manley
Early bedding bedspreads and coverlets in America were produced by hand or woven on a loom just as other textile products were. The complexity of the woven bedspread patterns were limited only by the talent of the person hand weaving them or the limitations of the early type textile looms in existence at the time.. The patterns woven into these products could also be influenced many different cultures from around the world. This would depend upon the ethnicity of the person making the bedspread or coverlet.. They quite often were given as gifts and were kept as heirlooms by many families.
In the earliest years of American History these bedspreads and coverlets were woven by hand on basic looms at home or could be embroidered by hand. By approximately the early eighteenth century, professional male weavers took over most of the textile production in America due to the popularity of these items. The development of more advanced technology used in textile looms allowed mass production that was not possible before..
The Colorado Springs Museum has on display over forty early American coverlets. Among those featured include examples of the most common weaving patterns.. They include examples woven at home by women as well as professional woven patterns produced on textile looms. They vary from simple to complex in pattern design..
Prior to the nineteenth century industrial revolution, textiles were among the most expensive household items possessed by early Americans. They became cheaper after the development of textile looms that could produce products in larger quantities. Textile products were immensely popular among early Americans. Bedspreads were no exception and demand increased as the price moderated.
Commercial textile products became a symbol of status and wealth among early Americans. Woven bedspreads, table cloths and other items such as clothing were extremely popular and quite expensive for the time period. It was not until the nineteenth century that ordinary people could afford store bought textile products. Many of the patterns from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are still being produced in America. Modernization has not changed the popularity of well designed patterns used in bedspreads and other textiles. Explore these pattern designs and I think you would agree.
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