The quilts pieced in those days (circa 1910-1930) were smaller than today's quilts both in length and width. There were bed boards on the sides of the beds and the quilts were made just long enough that they would tuck in (not hang down).

You could buy bats of 100% cotton for the batting. When the quilt had been pieced, it was then layered with the  batting and the lining and placed in frames. The frames were four flat boards and were homemade. Bed ticking was tacked on the boards and the quilt sewn on the two end boards. The one end board was rolled up as your quilting progressed along the two side boards. The boards sat on four "saw horses". Mom used the quilting frames her dad made for her until the day she died. At that time, the frames were about 67-68 years old.

As they quilted they made up their own quilting designs with many objects. They would draw around spools, thimbles, saucers, even leaves. (This is called "marking the quilt.") and then quilt around these markings.

Mom did not keep a count of the quilts she pieced, marked, and quilted at home, but knew it would be in the hundreds. From 1930 until two weeks before she passed away in November of 1984 mom quilted every Thursday at church. She never tired of quilting, and though her hands shook with a familial tremor, her stitches were small, neat, and of amazingly equal size.

Besides the three members of the Godt family heretofore mentioned, mom spoke that almost every woman in the valley where they lived quilted. She said they "Quilted all the time!" I am privileged to have many of my mother's quilts today. I also have the wedding quilt with the date "1899 "quilted in it that belonged to my paternal grandmother and grandfather.

The Godt farm north of Wright City, MO was established in the late 1880's after Grandma (Minnie) and Grandpa (August) came from Germany. They were diversified farmers, and raised corn, wheat, oats, and soybeans, as well as cattle, hogs, chickens, ducks, and sheep. Each produced an important and usable crop for the family.

The sheep were sheared by the men (Grandpa and his two sons, Henry and Florence)  in the spring, (late March or early April.) before hot weather. After shearing the wool was washed in the water with lye soap and laid out to dry, either on boards laid on the grass or on the grass itself.

The wool was then combed with wool cards. It was carded in strips and spun on a spinning wheel.  (Paul Godt, Florenz's son, has the wheel grandma used.)

After spinning mom (Lorene) would hold her hands apart and grandma would wind the yarn around her hands. The loop of yarn was dyed. Brown dye was made from walnut hulls. Mom did not remember how black dye was made, but remembered grandma had black yarn she used to make the black wool stockings she wore in the wintertime.

Grandma knitted gloves, scarves, and stockings from the wool yarn for her family. Some of the wool was used for comforts. After the wool was carded it was placed, like batting, between two layers of flannelette. The edges were sewn together and the comfort tacked every few inches with yarn.

In the early 1900's when  Lorene and Clara Godt were young women at home they would sit around the kerosene lamp in the evenings and make "Drawn handkerchiefs." It was noted that until the mid 1920's they used kerosene lamps on the farm. Then gas lamps. No electricity until the mid-1930's after my parents were married.