When President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act in 1862, the Western part of the U.S. was open for development. There was free government land to be had and it was up for grabs. Before leaving for their great “Westward Ho!” adventure, pioneering women made quilts, thousands of them. Many of the patterns created then are still in use today by the members of the Quilters’ Guild of Brooklyn. Many patterns emerged reflecting the lives of these women and their families. Barbed Wire Fence, Log Cabin, Double Wedding Ring, Church Dash, Sun Bonnet Sue and Freeman School are a few examples. Many of the quilts from those homesteading years were preserved and can be admired in museums and galleries.
