Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- I. History. 1. Early quilts and quilted clothing ; 2. Northeastern Massachusetts : the crucible ; 3. Southeastern Massachusetts : from Pilgrims to poplins ; 4. Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard : quilting by the sea ; 5. Worcester County : the heart of the Commonwealth ; 6. The Connecticut river valley : a rich heritage ; 7. Berkshire County : rising to the challenge ; 8. The textile industry -- II. Community. 9. Cooperative quilting : 1770-1850 ; 10. Anti-slavery quilts ; 11. Agricultural fairs and quilts ; 12. Politics and patriotism in quilts ; 13. Lost towns of the Quabbin ; 14. Family quilts ; 15. Immigrant and ethnic communities ; 16. Quilts in war time -- III. Memory. 17. Quilts as memory ; 18. The colonial revival -- Notes -- Bibliography : selected Massachusetts quilts in other publications -- About the contributors -- Index.