Contrary to statements made in this article, no historians believe the quilt code existed in the antebellum period, and no such code helped enslaved people flee slavery. The authors of the book Hidden in Plain view are not historians, and their flawed and inaccurate work has been criticized for years by most historians who study American slavery, the Underground Railroad, Abolition, textiles, and quilts. The great tragendy is that across this nation people prefer to promote the quilt code as a substutue for the very real stories of actual people who faced incredible adversity and put their lives and the lives of their families at great risk to attain freedom for themsleves and for others. The quilt code has no basis in historical events, the quilt patterns are mostly late 19th and early 20th century designs, and the methods used to convey the code are nonsensical and racist. By sharing the very real stories of people who escaped, and those who helped them (including other slaves and free blacks in the community), we will all discover and celebrate the courage, brilliance, and determination of real heroes and role models.

Tags: keepsake quilting, people, quilting machine, beginner quilting, quilting fat quarters, underground