Quilted Reactions to Desert Storm ~ quilters reflected their
feelings in war related quilts ~ Making quilts during wartime is
a long tradition in America. It is easy to assume that these
quilts always reflected patriotism and the quilters' approval of
the concurrent war. In her research on Desert Storm quilters
Armstrong found their purposes and feelings to be far more
complex. As we look at the results of this study we realize
there was probably more depth to the stories behind the quilts
made during wartime in earlier eras as well. Because of lack of
documentation on many old quilts we have had to make assumptions
that are probably simplified versions of reality. We discover
that some Desert Storm quilts did not look like they were
related to a war. It's not always obvious that a quilter is
making a quilt in response to a war. This is true of earlier
quilts as well. The Dear Jane Quilt made by Vermont resident
Jane Stickle, although amazing in its scope and detail, did not
have symbols or motifs related to