African slaves had a tradition of making quilts.
They use large shapes and bright colors for their quilts.
In Africa people used woven material to see other people from a far distance.
That is one reason why they use bright colors and large shapes.
On the quilts they also put many different symbols. Most of the African Americans
made quilts with the diamond pattern. The diamond pattern was said to be a
symbol for the cycle of life. Other symbols were said to stand for; birth,
life, death, and rebirth.
The African people also believed in charms and put these on their quilts.
They believed that charms could heal or ward off evil spirits.
A log cabin quilt with a black center for the chimney hole was said to be
a safe house. Underground Railroad quilts were said to give cues as to the
path to freedom. Research on the Underground Railroad has no evidence that
this actually happened but the stories have been told from generation to generation.
For more information click on the following links:
http://www.womenfolk.com/historyofquilts/abolitionist.htm
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~UG97/quilt/atrads.html
http://www.africanaonline.com/slavery_quilts.htm
http://www.beavton.k12.or.us/greenway/leahy/ugrr/quilts.htm