Linda Elisabeth LaPinta has deftly pieced and stitched a radiantly researched and illustrated social history of one of Kentucky's most storied traditions. Artistry, utility, and sometimes even exploitation thread through this tale of three centuries of Kentucky women (and a few men). Brightly patched with quilters and quilt artists' own accounts, it will inspire quilt lovers today and for many years to come.
~Emily Bingham, author of My Old Kentucky Home: The Astonishing Life and Reckoning of an Iconic American Song
Linda LaPinta's phenomenal research explores everything you ever wanted to know about Kentucky quilts and quiltmakers and their historical impact on Kentucky. Additionally, she accomplishes her vital goal of elevating the status of quiltmakers as the truly remarkable artists they are!
~Marsha Weinstein, Former Director of the Kentucky Commission on Women, Past President of the National Collaborative for Women's History Sites, and Vice President of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Trust, Inc.
In Kentucky Quilts & Quiltmakers, Linda LaPinta vividly explores the centuries long history of quilting in Kentucky, its cultural and artistic impact, and its economic role. Most importantly, LaPinta brings much deserved attention to generations of quiltmakers, like my grandmother, whose vision and achievements built a continuing artistic legacy in the Commonwealth. Kentucky Quilts & Quiltmakers is an invaluable resource for anyone hoping to learn more about quilting or our state's rich cultural heritage.
~Matt Collinsworth, CEO of the National Quilt Museum and former Director of the Kentucky Folk Art Center
LaPinta has done exhaustive, astonishing research to provide this remarkable look at quilts and quilters in the Commonwealth. This lovingly written and beautifully illustrated book, like the quilts to which it pays tribute, is a treasure.
~Silas House, author of Clay's Quilt
This valuable and accessible volume, encyclopedic in scope, documents the important contributions of Kentuckians, past and present, within the context of American quilt culture. The author has compiled an expansive overview of the range and diversity of quilt-related experiences, events, influence, styles, and purposes, illustrated and enhanced by the inclusion of transcribed interviews with quiltmakers, collectors, and movers and shakers.
~Laurel Horton, quilt researcher, author of Whitework: Women Stitching Identity