Patchwork and Quilting Fact File 

Quilting is a craft whereby a filling material is stitched into place between two outer layers of material, to make a bedcover or other article, consisting of several warm layers.  Although it is possible to stitch the materials together with very simple stitches, it soon became popular to cover the top of the material with intricate designs in stitches.

Quilts made with a single top layer (not patchwork) are called wholecloth quilts and this type of quilt has been made in Britain and the rest of Europe for many centuries, with references to quilting being found in documents from the 13th century onwards. 

In Asia there was also a tradition of quilting and when America became settled by Europeans the tradition of quilting went with them. In fact America took this craft to its heart and has a very strong tradition of quilting, producing vast quantities of wonderful quilts over the years.

Nowadays hand-stitched quilts are made all over the world, mainly as a hobby. The larger pieces are used as bedcovers, wall-hangings and table covers, but many smaller items such as bags and cushions are also produced.

Quilting and Patchwork has been worked commercially, but the majority of these quilts have been made by the people who would subsequently use their own creations. Often it would be worked by young women (with the help and instruction of their elders) in preparation for their future marriage. They would make a collection of quilts for their future home.

In Britain, particularly fine examples of wholecloth quilts were made in the Durham area, the West Country (Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset) and Wales. The material used was linen, silk ( in wealthier households) and later cotton. The illustration above shows a nice example of Durham quilting.

The fillings varied from area to area. In Wales and the West Country there were many sheep and consequently wool (often scraps collected from local hedges) was used. In the North the industrial production of material meant that there were often scraps of cotton available to be used as a filling. Otherwise old clothes were sometimes cut into rags to fill the quilts, or old blankets were used as the middle layer.

By the 18th century patchwork quilts had become popular. Some quilts just had small pieces of material applied to the surface of the quilt for decoration (called applied quilts).

Others (like this one) were made of hundreds of tiny pieces of material. These were called pieced quilts. There were many patterns for these quilts, often with wonderful names like  'Grandmother's Flower Garden' and 'Tumbling Blocks'.

In addition to the formal patterns the Victorians in particular loved making Crazy Quilts with all sorts of materials (often silk and velvet) sewn together in a jumble of different shaped pieces.

There are also examples in existence of patchwork quilts made from old army uniforms or men's suit or shirt materials.  These are heavier in appearance but very interesting to look at.

Another popular fashion was the Autograph quilt. Guests at a celebration would all sign a quilt and then their signature would later be embroidered over in thread to provide a permanent reminder of the day.

Also, it is interesting to look out for Wedding quilts. These often have hearts or lovebirds in the design, to indicate the occasion they were celebrating. Old quilts or pieces of patchwork and quilting can still be found in markets and antiques fairs today.