| Is quilting, the art of stitching through padding between two layers of cloth, an innovation of the 19th century in America? Far from it! How about 3400 B.C. in Egypt? One of the earliest examples of quilting may be a "carved ivory figure of a Pharaoh of the Egyptian First Dynasty, wearing a supposedly quilted mantle, c. 3400 B.C."
Probably early forms of quilting were the layers of clothing needed to keep warm. Quilted bedding was probably created for the same reason. In pre-colonial days in Europe, soldiers put away their heavy armor and wore padded clothing instead for protection. Other nations of the world wore quilted clothing for warmth. "The colonists of the 1600s brought with them to America the skills and styles of their European homelands." (American Heritage Quilts Better Homes and Gardens Publishers 1991). Whole cloth coverlets and even garments were quilted with the hearts, feathers, and wreaths that we know today. In the 1700s, wealthy ladies embroidered "throws" made of irregular pieces of silk, linen, and wool, now called Crazy Quilts. A style, broderie perse, consisted of cutouts of imported chintz appliqued to whole cloth, usually with a center design surrounded by formal placement of small designs cut from the same chintz. Quilts were highly valued. Estate inventories and wills of the 1700s and early 1800s show that bedding and quilts were handed down to the next generation. American Heritage Quilts tells that George Washington's mother left him a blue and white quilt. By the mid 1800s, with the Industrial Revolution and the invention of the cotton gin, when cotton fabric began to be manufactured in the US, patchwork patterns came into vogue. More affluent quilters could buy fabric to cut into geometric pieces to sew into blocks. The first designs were simple: squares, rectangles, and triangles. Then, more fanciful designs were developed. Mariners Star as a center medallion became a favorite of more accomplished quiltmakers. The invention of the locked stitch sewing machine made it possible to speedily put together one of these quilt tops. During the Depression years of the 1930s, companies that sold products in cotton bags such as flour, sugar, and chick feed, made these bags of printed fabrics. As a promotional gimmick, this had a very practical value. Women looked for the prettiest fabric, and made clothing from the feed sacks, using the left over scraps for quilts. Last winter, I was sent two of these Depression Era quilt tops to quilt for the lucky owner. She had found the quilt tops while getting ready for an estate sale. They had been carefully stored away all these years. The oldest existing quilts today are from the early 1700s. The Smithsonion has on display in Washington D.C. two quilts from this period. A combination of two early 1800 patterns, Carolina Lily and Tree of Life The Timeline of Quilting History in America gives the development of quilting styles and patterns from the 1600s to the 1970s. Economic conditions, and technological advances can be seen as influencing factors in the development of quiltmaking. Now--did you know the Irish Chain pattern you recently admired originated in 1806 and may be the first use of a block as an overall design? |
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12/28/2007 It's been a busy few months, besides all the regular holiday running around we were able to take a trip to Las Vegas, and New York. Needless to say not much work getting done on any quilts or wood projects. 8/30/2007 I participated in my first craft show, it was a lot of fun. I did not sell anything but enjoyed the experience. I was attempting to sell 2 sided holiday table runners, I put Fall/Thanksgiving on one side and Christmas Winter on the other. Those that did not sell will be going up on ebay and I am sure there will be some photos on the photo page. 6/30/2007 Ireland was was an amazing inspiration I have tons of ideas for landscape, celtic, and stained glass quilts. 4/7/2007 I have now moved on to my first landscape quilt. This one is a gift for a friend. It has pink tulips in a vase in front of a window, with trees and shrubs in the back ground. I am terrible at documenting my projects with photos, I have 3 projects I did this past Christmas, that still have not been added. 3/14/2007 I have a couple other projects in mind, one out of my old jeans which I can't wear but, love too much to get rid of and a crazy quilt using asian themes, mostly silk like material. I am not versed enough to know the actual fabric makeup, but they are very soft and shiney. 2/1/2007 I have finished my first t-shirt memory quilt too. I used all the shirts I have collected over the years going all the way back to high school which was quite some time ago. I chose not to use any borders for the image, I just fitted them all together and it took forever. This is not a method that I recommend. I hope to have some pictures up soon. |
