Editor Notes: The cultural context of quilts and quilting, past and Present, is of increasing interest to scholars in a number offields. Professor Elaine Hedges has written extensively on the subject, exploring especially the place and meanings of quilts in women's lives. Here she reviews for The Quilt Journal three papers presented at "Tradition and Change: The Cultural Traffic in Quilts," a session included in last fall's American Studies Association meeting in Boston.

Author Notes: Elaine Hedges is Professor of English and Director of Women's Studies at Towson State University, Baltimore Maryland. She is the author or editor of many books and articles on women writers and women's quilt culture, including the text for Hearts and Hands, the Influence of Women and Quilts on American Society (Quilt Digest Press, 1987).