Wreaths on the door year round are welcoming sights but no more warm a welcoming beacon than at Christmas time. No matter if your wreath graces the door of an Arts & Crafts bungalow or an ultra contemporary modern design, a wreath says home. Today, wreaths are used all year long but particularly as holiday adornments on front doors or even as attractive center pieces.

The wreath has a long history, dating back to the ancient cultures of the Persian Empire. From sporting events, to scholars and kings to religious associations the wreath is a long standing icon. Originally called a “diadem”, wreaths were a circle of fabric, used as a headband, and sometimes adorned with jewels. Diadema is a Greek word, meaning “a thing bound around.” Recognized by athletes worldwide, the Olympics used these circles of laurel leaves to crown the victors of ancient Olympic Games. When the Olympic Games started migrating from city to city, each venue would award wreath headdresses made of branches from local trees.

It was not only the Olympians who adorned themselves with wreaths. A symbol for peace, olive branch wreaths became in vogue. While the Romans tried to shun the fashion of wearing diadems it was not long before the upper classes wore garlands of oak leaves and laurel. The symbolism of laurel wreaths spawned the phrase “to earn your laurels.” Long recognized as an insignia for military attire and political status, even Julius Caesar was crowned with a wreath of fresh laurel.

As the Romans conquered the world, all roads led to Rome and the entire world shared in Roman culture. Other countries soon designed head wreaths of their own. From the head wreath idea evolved “crowns”. In fact, the word crown derives from the Latin word “corona”. Corona means garland or wreath. So important had the head wreath became in New Testament times that in the now infamous scene of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion the Roman soldiers placed a wreath thorns as a crown on Christ’s head and mockingly declared him “King of the Jews”.

No one knows for sure when wreaths went from head wear to home décor but simple deduction assumes that as victors came home they displayed their awards on the walls of their homes.

One particular wreath is seen only at Christmas, the Advent wreath. Advent, or “coming”, is the season celebrated in the Christian church symbolizing waiting and preparing for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus or Christmas. The Advent wreath may have had its inspiration from the Swedish Crown of Lights. The Swedish Crown was a candle-bearing crown worn by young Swedish girls to celebrate a young Christian martyr named Lucia, who gave her entire dowry to the poor.

As pagans were evangelized wreaths, like many other religious practices, may have been incorporated into church ordained Christmas practices to appease the new converts. In Eastern Europe people had used candles to light up wreaths made of evergreen leaves in winters. This pagan practice supposedly brought about and early spring and longed for sunshine. The traditional Advent Christmas wreath has four candles in the circle and one candle in the middle. The wreaths are made of evergreen leaves a symbol of the permanence of life. The wreath’s circle shape also symbolizes no beginning or end and that God is eternal.

Interestingly, the wreath is a symbol used in many Amish quilt designs. From circles of tulips to boxes of simply wrapped Christmas presents, the Amish women have added them into quilts even more welcoming than a well placed wreath. Whether you have hung a holiday wreath proudly at your threshold or assigned one to the center of your highly polished solid wood Amish crafted dining room table, rest assured your Christmas wreath is part of a long and interesting historic tradition worldwide.

Where and How to Hang Your Wall Art – Part 2

Just like Amish furniture your Amish quilt is meant to be an heirloom that lasts generations if properly cared for. In order to ensure the value of your tapestry quilt will be maintained there are a few simple tips. Select a focal point in your home, perhaps above an Amish crafted couch or buffet. An Amish quilt hung on a wall makes an excellent and colorful headboard choice. Remember, select a spot that will not receive too much sunlight, in order to prevent fading.

No Amish textile should ever be hung with rings because of the weight being unevenly distributed. Much like an old shower curtain, rings can cause sags, creases and tears. Carpet tack strips should never be used because the very sharp edges cut the fibers and eventually rust. Adhesives should never be used when mounting textiles because of future conservation issues with the glue. Metal rods or any metal coming in contact with your Amish quilt should be sealed to prevent rusting. Wood bases or strips should also be painted if they are to touch the textile because of acid deterioration when touching the fabric. Everything touching the textile should be made of acid-free materials.

A very cost effective and simple display option, if you are handy with a needle and thread, is to stitch on casings. These casings made of heavy cotton, linen, or even cotton twill rug binding can be hand sewn across the top of the back and a metal rod slightly shorter than the width of the Amish quilt can then be inserted in the casing. You can hang from two slightly angled nails or two screws in the wall or alternately, the quilt can be suspended from the ceiling via its rod hanging from above with monofilaments. Favored by many museum conservators, a strip of Velcro is hand-sewn to the top back of the textile and the fabric is simply pressed into place. Stitching will not damage and in fact, by distributing the weight evenly across the width of the piece, the casing-and-rod or Velcro methods are the gentlest ways of hanging a quilt. Rigid mountings can be accomplished by mounting on stretchers and even framed. For smaller pieces fabric-covered archival quality foam core board makes an excellent base for your Amish lap quilt or baby quilt.

Now that you have it prepared for hanging it is important to know how to hang. Finding the studs is important for support, especially with heavy quilts. If you are suspending from monofilament, find the ceiling supports. Your tapestry should be a small distance from the wall to help prevent mildew from building up on your wall hanging. Summers humidity, even in air conditioning, can cause mold and weaken fibers, so use preventative measures with quilts just as you would to protect your Amish hardwood furniture.

In many homes across the nation the Amish blanket chest or quilt rack contains one of America’s greatest pieces of artworks; the Amish quilt. These quilts hold a stature of reverence in textile design and execution. The Amish belief that belongings should be necessary, durable and aesthetically pleasing is perfectly showcased in the Amish coverlet.

Amish quilts cannot usually be associated to one artist although they can identify the taste of a particular community. Community is a key element of Amish culture. The women stitch together not only squares of cloth but a civilized society. While we outsiders celebrate the artistry and craftsmanship of the Amish they do not celebrate individual artisanship but community. Quilting, normally a utilitarian need, is naturally a community event. Women gather as a group, working cloth and thread, and then pass off the creation to a lucky community member such as a new bride or mother.

Harmonizing beautifully with old or new interior decors the Amish blanket can lend color, pattern, and conversation starters to a bedroom, living room or family room. Amish quilts are first pieced together by treadle machine in solid color fabrics with bright and somber colors. Large geometric medallion patterns, often trimmed out in black, are heavily quilted with intricate designs stitched by hand. Swirling feathers, curves and grids play into modern Amish bedspread making.

Just like the solid wood furniture the Amish community still produce for your home today their Amish quilts are still handmade with the same concern for quality as those made by generations past. Amish woodworkers, recognizing the integrity of their textile counterparts’ artistry, have designed quilt racks, blanket chests, cedar chests, bridal chests and hope chests to display or safely store these precious linens. Hung properly, the Amish quilt is the definitive artistic textile in decorating with wall tapestries. The Amish quilt rack displays within easy reach your Amish covering. Amish chests, whether in cedar or other hardwoods, are beautiful storage units for the quilts. The ultimate display is the Amish made solid wood bed, a magnificent backdrop for any quilt. Displayed in its full glory on an Amish crafted paneled or poster bed, used as it was meant to be, the Amish quilt shines.