Q U I L T I N G :
A  H I S T O R Y

If you are a quilter, or about to begin quilting, you are practicing a technique that has a long and rich history!

The earliest form of quilting may have been created as a way to keep warm... if one layer of animal skin or fabric was warm, several layers would be warmer! If material was added in the middle of the layers, the warming effect was even greater. This idea of layering fabrics into a "sandwich" appears to have been used for both garments, carpeting and bedding in ancient times.

Because fabric is perishable, we don't have many historical examples of actual quilting. We have to turn to art and literature to learn more about early quilting techniques.

In Averil Colby's classic book, Quilting, (London, Batsford, 1978), Ms. Colby cites one of the earliest examples of quilting might be a "carved ivory figure of a Pharoah of the Egyptian First Dynasty, wearing a supposedly quilted mantle, c. 3400 B.C."

More history of quilting can be found in the popular literature of the Middle Ages, where references to quilts abound, usually in the form of bed quilts. There are also references to quilts in some of the trade journals that survived from early times. Many examples are cited in Ms. Colby's book. Certainly some of the most colorful examples of quilting and needlework are found in the paintings of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, a time when quilting became a decorative art form as well as a means of keeping warm. In some cases, quilted garments were used in place of armor, as they protected the soldier, while allowing him to move more easily. Similar garments and quilted armor can be found in Eastern cultures as well..

In earlier times, woven cloth was a luxury, and every scrap may have been saved for patching up garments and bedclothes. In Europe, when fabric became more available and affordable, patching up garments was left to the poor. Elaborate costumes, with beautiful quilting and needlework can be seen in the paintings of the time. Women began making quilts, simple at first, but later elaborately embroidered and sometimes patched with sumptuous fabrics left over from dressmaking.

In colonial America, families settled in remote regions where supplies were often scarce. Women were expected to make clothing for the family, and very often they wove and spun the fabric themselves. Every scrap became valuable, and every fabric scrap was used. Many young girls made quilt tops in preparation for their eventual marriage, using fabrics imported from England, a rare and precious commodity.

The Industrial Revolution changed quilting dramatically. Printed fabrics were more readily available, and houses were better heated, diminishing the need for heavy quilts. Victorian ladies turned patchwork into a new form, the crazy quilt. Irregular pieces of silk and velvet were heavily embroidered to turn into lap covers.

Today, quilting has reached the level of art. In addition to beautifully hand-sewn traditional patterns, many quilters use their quilts as political or personal statements. Pictorial quilts, abstract quilts, and watercolor quilts have reached a level of sophistication never seen before. Many quilters also combine different fabrics, or dye their own fabrics to create truly original works of art.


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