Quilting is typically thought to be a woman's craft or art. After all, needle and thread were argued to be exclusively women's tools by the middle of the nineteenth century. This Depression-era quilt presents an exception to the idea that men do not quilt. African American migrant, Morris Williams, brought his quilt making skills with him to Chicago in the early part of the 20th century. This variation of the Log Cabin, arguably the most quintessentially American quilt pattern, is known as Straight Furrows. It is characterized by the play of light and dark. Made around 1930, this is one of five Morris Williams' quilts in the Museum's collection
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