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Fabric

The Art of Quilting

Quilted fabrics are as old as ancient Egypt, with whole cloth quilts used as trade goods as far back as the 15^th century.  Whole cloth quilts are made from one large top fabric with a thicker inner layer and a backing cloth.  Stitching in various designs and intricacy was used to decorate the surface.

It has long been believed that the history of quilting in America started with the arrival of the Mayflower.  Although it’s a romantic idea, it is very unlikely that any pieced, quilted items arrived with those early settlers.  Fabric was handspun and handwoven and therefore used for necessities such as clothing.  There was very little waste or leftover fabric and whatever might have been left was used for patch/repair. 

Only royalty and the very rich could afford to have woven items made to be used as bed coverings.  Quilting was very much a status item because it indicated that you could afford to use woven goods for more than clothing.  The wealthiest and most class conscious of the colonists were those in Virginia, and they would have been the first to have quilted items.  Those early quilts were made of imported chintz by the whole cloth method or appliquéd into large-piece designs.

Quilting in America was not common until the late 18^th century and the early years of the 19^th century.  Most women were busy spinning, weaving and sewing clothing for their families, and commercial blankets were economical enough that most anyone could afford them.  Only the wealthy had the time and funds to do quilting.  And these items were most often made as decorative rather than functional items.   At this time trapunto was used to create more distinct designs and styles.  This is a decorative quilted design in high relief worked through at least two layers of cloth by outlining the design in running stitch and padding it from the underside.

Appliquéd designs came into real popularity during the Industrial Revolution and the advent of mass produced fabrics.  This innovation gave the quilt designer many more avenues of pattern and color.  Medallion quilts, which have a design that surrounds a center shape or patterned fabric swatch, also became popular. A huge variety of cotton prints were available by this time and made it easier for less wealthy persons to attempt quilting. 

A major shift occurred in the area of quilt making and styles around 1840.  That was the start of block style quilts where individual blocks of various colors were sewn and then joined together.  This style, made in a large variety of patterns, is still popular today.

The introduction of the sewing machine streamlined the hand quilting process and brought the art of quilting into a new popularity. (In 1834, Walter Hunt built America’s first successful sewing machine, but the first patent was issued to Elias Howe in 1846.)  The time and energy saved by joining the smaller pieces together with a sewing machine meant the hand work of the actual quilting process could be enjoyed.  One of the more recent techniques involves joining of strips, and then diagonal cutting and re-sewing the strips together.  This speeds up the strip-joining process and makes some of the most colorful and interesting quilts of the day.

From a historical point of view, quilted bed coverings have played important roles in support of our soldiers during war.  Women from both sides during the Civil War created quilts that were used to earn money to help support their fighting men.  In the South, they were often referred to as “gun boat quilts,” since purchase of those ships was the purpose of any funds raised from quilt sales.  Needless to say, the quilts for fighting troops were made from simple whole cloth methods for utilitarian purposes. Unfortunately, few of these quilts survive today.

We are fortunate to have so many fabrics, patterns and guidelines from which to choose in our quilt making.  From simple to elaborate, age-old pattern to modern abstract styles, quilting has something for everyone. 

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 17 No. 8 — June 2007