Quilting is the layering together of cloth which is held in place by stitches or ties. It has been around as long as people have needed to keep warm. Simple piecing, whole cloth and applique quilting existed before the Dark Ages. The elaborate patchwork patterns that we usually think of as quilting today began in the very late Middle Ages around 1600.
Often pictures were quilted into the designs that would tell a story or illustrate scenes from a person's life. Geometric and natural designs were also favored.
Sometimes a layer of poor quality wool that was not suitable for spinning was used as batting or filler between the layers of fabric for warmth. A variety of other materials including straw was also used for this purpose.
Quilted fabric was used for clothing, bed coverings, wall coverings (to keep out drafts), as padding beneath armor and in some cases as the armor itself.
Types of Quilts and quilting techniques:
Whole Cloth Quilts are simply 2 whole pieces of cloth stitched together. It may or may not have batting. In some areas this type of quilt was sewn with embroidery stitches and in others a simple running stitch or back stitch was used. Linen and cotton were the most common fabrics for the top and the backings of the quilts. It was a sign of a person's status or wealth if they could afford to have quilts made from large pieces of cloth.
Applique Quilts have other, smaller pieces of cloth, leather or cords applied to the surface of a ground fabric.
Pieces quilts involve the entire top of the quilt being sewn from small pieces of usually square or rectangular shaped fabric. Often cloth or decorations on fabrics were reused from older items that had outlived their usefulness.
Stuffed Work or Trapunto Quilts involve sewing around an area and then stuffing that area with padding.
Intarsia or Reverse Applique quilts involve cutting away sections of the top fabric to reveal the fabric beneath.
Castillo Bronco or Indo-Portugese quilts are whole cloth quilts where the quilting was done with embroidery stitches in multiple colors. Back Stitch and stem stitch were favored for the embroidery portion of these quilts. The running stitch that we use most often for quilting today was also used for quilting in the background areas of the quilt outside of the main embroidered design.
For more information:
Quilting in the Middle Ages and Before
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