| Quilting is the art of stitching through | | | | homelands in Europe. By the 1700s the more |
| padding that has been placed between 2 layers | | | | wealthy ladies were making their quilts from |
| of cloth. It was believed to have been | | | | pieces of silk, linen and wool and these |
| invented by the Americans in the 19th | | | | became known as Crazy Quilts. In fact quilts |
| Century. However this is not true. In fact, | | | | and bedding were highly prized by families |
| quilting has been around in Egypt since 3,400 | | | | during the 1700 and 1800's and would be |
| BC. Certainly one of the earliest examples | | | | passed down from generation to generation. |
| to be found of quilting was that of a carved | | | | |
| ivory figure of an Egyptian pharaoh from the | | | | By the middle of the 1800's, because of the |
| 1st Dynasty. The figure was supposedly | | | | invention of the cotton gin, this fabric |
| wearing a quilted mantle and certainly | | | | begun to be manufactured not just in Europe |
| quilting was probably used as layers in | | | | but in the US as well. It was then that |
| clothing in order to keep a person warm. | | | | patchwork quilting patterns became the vogue. |
| | | | Only the more wealthy quilters would be able |
| In fact many early forms of quilting were not | | | | to buy cotton in its various shades and then |
| used for bedding but rather as clothing in | | | | cut it up into geometric shapes which they |
| order to keep a person warm. Only later on | | | | could then sew together in blocks. |
| did people decide that it was the ideal | | | | Originally only very simple designs were used |
| solution for keeping themselves warm at night | | | | such as squares, rectangles and triangles, |
| as well. In Europe in colonial times the | | | | but as time progressed the designs being |
| soldiers of this time resisted wearing armor | | | | produced were much more daring and fanciful. |
| and instead turned to padded quilted clothing | | | | But with the invention of the locked stitch |
| instead to provide them with protection. | | | | sewing machine a woman was able to put |
| | | | together a quilt much more quickly than they |
| Then by the 1600's colonists who had moved to | | | | had been able to previously when sewing their |
| America were also bringing their quilting | | | | quilting fabric together by hand. |
| skills and styles with them from their | | | | |