We all know that patchwork is pieces of fabric cut into various shapes and sewn together into patterns.  During the first one hundred years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, many women and girls—and even a few men and boys—sewed patchwork.  But how did patchwork-making start?  Where did people get their ideas for the designs? And how were the patterns named?

This delightful, informative alphabet book, which uses the names of early-American patchwork patterns for its letters, tries to answer these questions and many more.  From Anvil, Buggy Wheel, and Churn Dash, to Letter X, Yankee Puzzle, and Zigzag, the straightforward , simple text of Ann Whitford Paul and the rich, earthy illustrations of Jeanette winter show in colorful detail the fascinating stories of the people and events involved in the origins of this beautiful form of stitchery.

From the dust jacket