Definitions

• A patchwork quilt is created by cutting pieces of fabric into regular shapes and seaming these pieces into larger blocks, then further into large pieces of fabric. Patchwork is most commonly used for blankets. The quilt top is then sandwiched with batting and backing and quilted by hand, or for modern quilters, by machine. Binding is applied around all four edges. Some patchwork quilts may also be tied or tacked instead of quilted for speed.
  
  

The Early Development of Quilting

• Quilting dates to ancient Egypt and China. A top fabric, batting and backing fabric were sandwiched together and stitched to form padded garments of all sorts, particularly undergarments. Quilted garments served to pad armor and provide warmth. Whole cloth quilts were certainly used in Europe by the 16th century, and quite possibly substantially earlier.
  
  

Colonial Quilting

• The earliest quilts in Colonial America were, like those in Europe, whole-cloth quilts rather than patchwork. Whole-cloth quilts were costly and time-consuming. These were not the rustic creations many of us think of as American quilts. Among the lower classes, textiles were in short supply. Clothing was remade as long as possible, then the scraps were assembled into roughly pieced, irregular quilts to provide warmth.
  
  

Quilting in the 19th Century

• The traditional patchwork quilt many of us associate with American quilting developed in the 19th century. Cottons were now widely available and quite affordable for the average family. Old clothing and scraps from family sewing found their way into intricate quilts, while other women produced quilts as a leisure project. Quilts provided warmth for families with few resources and some of the most famous quilt patterns of this period grew out of slavery, as women dyed their own rough cloth and produced beautiful quilts reminiscent of their heritage and culture.
  
  

The Quilting Bee

• From the middle of the 19th century through the early 20th century, the quilting bee provided women with an opportunity for socialization and a chance to share skills and patterns. Quilting a large quilt is quite an undertaking, but many hands can make quick work of this project. Quilting bees were often planned as a preliminary wedding festivity. Relatives and neighbors quilted the bride's quilts, particularly her thirteenth, in preparation for her wedding.
  
  

The Sewing Machine

• The sewing machine made patchwork quilting faster and easier than ever before. Blocks could be pieced by machine and then the quilt quilted by machine. While hand-quilted quilts remained a treasured item, the busy homemaker of the early 20th century had a new labor saving device at hand.