For many, the quilt is a place to display collected iconography. Use icons from each of the states and create a state-by-state quilt. For example, create a patch for each state which displays the state bird, centered around a large patch of a bald eagle. For another idea, inspired by a quilt displayed on the Futility Infielder site, quilt one patch for each different national baseball team. These patches could display the team mascots, the team names or images of players.
Create a quilt based on one of the most iconic pieces of Americana: the American flag. Representing the original colonies and the current states, the American flag represents the present day and its tie to the past. In addition to the current American flag (“the 50 Star Flag”), you could create a quilt which displays other important American flags. Or, for a larger quilt, include patches for all of the flags. For a more encompassing quilt, include different takes on the flag, such as the unfurled flag, the torn flag at war and the different flag mast positions.
Create a quilt that celebrates important historic events. Starting from the top left corner and moving down to the bottom right, work on a timeline. In terms of events, the Los Angeles Public Library suggests that the following events (among others) were important to national history: the signing of the U.S. Constitution, Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin, the Civil War and the invention of the airplane. Alternatively, focus national events into a specific category. For example, create an American movie-history quilt; Americans were responsible for many cinematic advances.
Often times, quilters collect and display stories and memories. For example, the AIDS Memorial Quilt collects the names of people (with corresponding messages) lost to the illness. Create a story quilt of your own, with patches inspired, developed or created by people all across the United States. On one patch, for example, include the story of a New Yorker, while on another patch, include the story from a rural South Carolinian. For ease in creation, narrow the focus of the quilt, focusing on local food, local weddings or even local ghost stories.