A Brief History of Quilting in America

When the colonists first came to America, they had little time to make quilts. When they did began to quilt, the first ones were made of whole cloth, similar to the ones they'd had in Europe, and not pieced or appliqued. Most surviving examples are made after 1760, and even these are extremely rare. Most wore out long ago. These whole cloth quilts were made by using the same material to make the top, and they were often quilted together with intricate patterns of stitching. A few whole cloth quilts were made from silk, but most were made from linsey-woolsey, a blend of linen or cotton and wool. Prints also became widely used for whole cloth quilt tops. Oriental prints became especially popular when they were brought over by the East India Company. Quilters then began cutting some of the patterns from the print cloth, and stitching them to the whole cloth. These commonly became known as chintzes.

White work was another type of early whole cloth quilts. Solid white quilts were made with elaborate quilting. Originating from Italy, some were corded to make a raised design known as trapunto. The earliest surviving ones of these date back to the early 1800's.

Appliqued quilt on whole cloth

As these whole cloth quilts began to wear out, women patched them for a few more years of wear. These probably resulted in the first crazy quilts. An unknown woman in New England is believed to have pieced together scraps left over from making clothing to make the first pieced patchwork quilt, considered to be an American

Monkey Wrench pieced quilt

invention. This is the kind of quilt most people picture when they think of a quilt today. Patchwork patterns grew in number and names, and they were traded between women much like recipes.

Appliqued quilts were made from cutting a

Morning Glory block applique

design from fabrics and sewing them onto a whole top or blocks to be sewn into a top. These were often fancier and more expensive to make. Seen as "best quilts" they were often given better care, and many survived. Some appliqued quilts in the Baltimore Album pattern made around 1850 have sold for more than 30,000 dollars, but most are valued for much less.

The album and autographed quilts became popular in the mid-1800's. They served as memories for brides, ministers, teachers, and special friends, especially ones that might be moving away. Each block was made and signed by a different person. Then they were put together, quilted, and given to the intended person. 

Finally, in the Victorian era and beyond came fad quilts. These were a different take on quilting, like the Crazy quilt, usually with impressive embroidery stitches over the seams; the Cathedral Window, a folded and stitched quilt; or Seminole piecing allowing for tiny pieces. 

Today's quilter has an array of styles and techniques to choose from. The art quilt, one designed to be viewed and not used, has also become an important and beautiful quilt form. The variety in quilt making is almost endless.

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