The Amish community in the United States is famous for its lovely quilts. These Amish quilts reflect the lifestyle and spiritual values of the women who make them and are prized throughout the world for their high quality of workmanship and simple but elegant design.
The Amish lifestyle is based on two key concepts, hochmut and demut, both of which are represented in traditional Amish quilts. Hochmut signifies a rejection of all things arrogant, proud, and haughty while demut represents humility, peace, and composure, all traits of very high value to the Amish way of life.
Since hochmut rejects the flashy side of outside life, Amish quilts, just like Amish clothing, are made from cloth of solid colors. No patterns or other embellishments on the quilts are allowed. And no red or yellow, either, as these colors are thought to be just too worldly to have a place in an Amish community. Black is the color preferred by most Amish communities.
Since Amish quilts are made of solid-colored fabrics only, they strike some people as being somewhat austere, even boring. However, a closer look reveals an intricate pattern of stitch work done to some very exacting specifications. Upon close inspection, the quilt seems to come alive with movement and life.
Amish quilts are intended to be functional items for household use but the simplicity of color and the striking patterns stitched into it have made them highly valued prizes for folk art collectors around the world.
