Savannah

In the Pre-War South, almost every manufactured good was imported from the North or overseas. In fact, local and state laws pointedly discouraged manufacturing, a cause for deep concern among some Southerners as war appeared inevitable. The region’s few textile mills were small, averaging only 12-24 looms (New England mills commonly had 10 times as many), and most produced warp for home weaving, a few checks and plaids, and utility cloth for the plantation or prison on which the mills were situated. By 1850, chintz was readily available throughout most of Georgia, with the exception of the mountain areas, and chintz quilts were popular because of the rich colors and designs of the printed and glazed cotton. Most likely produced anywhere from Philadelphia to India, these beautiful textiles found their way onto quilts in small blocks or in “Tree of Life” quilts, which required only small pieces of expensive fabric on a possibly less costly background. Chintz was also popular on the wreaths and flower baskets found on Friendship and Presentation quilts. Quilts, however, were still considered extravagant. Unlike blankets, they used two layers of fabric and a great deal of thread - another "import". Because of seam allowances, patchwork quilts used up even more fabric and thread. They also took much more time to make than blankets. Even after commercially produced cotton fabric and thread became more affordable, quiltmaking was still considered costly in both time and in materials.