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African-American Quilting: The Cloth Sings to Me

17 minutes 15 seconds

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Senior Black man wearing glasses, a teal-colored African scarf and head wrap, and a dark suit jacket stands next to an African wall hanging and speaks towards camera.

Presents African American quiltmakers who use cloth and other materials, including African fabrics, to record family histories, current events, and their own personal stories. Textile historian Dr. Floris Cash discusses how quilts are interwoven with the lives of black women in America.

Media Details

Runtime: 17 minutes 15 seconds

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Viewer Comments

  • Tiny default profile photo
    Carol H. (Reseda, CA)
    February 25th, 2015 at 09:27 AM

    I thought this would cover historical African-American quilts, possibly made by slaves, telling a story. Instead, it showed current African-American quilters talking about their largely-machine made quilts, many without an African-American theme. My textiles students enjoyed the video though, as the quilts had interesting colors and patterns, and it showed how quilting/crafting or being part of any group of people with similar interests can be a life-enhancing activity. I also shared with them how I joined a quilting group when things were getting ugly at my work, and how therapeutic this was.