How A Household Chore Became The Art of Quilting

Ever since the days of the American colonies, quilting has been important in people's lives. From warming up families, covering the tables, and flying as banners, these beautiful antique quilts are now coveted by contemporary collectors. 

Of all the numberless quilts packed away in antique stores, museums and chests, there are quite a number of quilts that are commonplace. From 1775 to 1885, the "applique" was the most popular style, made from pieces that were stitched together into one whole single color piece. Then came the "Trapunto", which was a variation on the applique that used cotton stuffing to raise some of the quilted squares.

"Album" quilts had little sections, each contributed by someone new, and these separate sections were then patched together into one whole piece. Better known as "patchwork" quilts, these quilts were distinct in their patterns, from squares to rectangles to other shapes altogether, and were popular in every generation since their more common time of 1775 through 1875. 

Crazy quilts came onto the scene in 1870 and lasted well into 1890, although in rural Appalachia and in the southern states, they lasted long into the 1930s and 40s. These quilts were pieced together from anything and everything that the quilter deemed fit to add to their project, up to and including pieces of clothes worn by the family members. There doesn't seem to be any pattern or rhythm to the creation, other than what the quilter had in mind. For this reason among others, it is felt that the Crazy quilt came about from necessity more than design inspiration. This creates in these quilts rather a sentimental quality to them. 

Quilts followed the cotton industry in the beginning of the 1800s as innovation and evolution took over. Until sewing machines arrived on the scene, quilts were hand-stitched. For the period of years stretching from 1800 to 1840 the quality of quilt crafting, with tight, tiny stitches, showed that the quilts designed during this era were meant to last several lifetimes. By mid-century, every home had a quilter, and the stitching varied by the hand that stitched it, from the neat steady hands of experts, to the unsure and wavering hands of the amateurs.

Following the Civil War, the industrial revolution took hold, and with it mechanized tools, making the sewing machine something almost every home had and used. The finery of creative stitching by hand was gradually lost, giving way to the quicker stitch of the sewing machine. Details were lost in the shuffle, and it wouldn't be until late into the 20th century that quilting would be considered a piece of art - the reviving of the quilt continues with a passion even nowadays.  

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