Borntohandquilt

The history of quilting is (as far as I know and read) older than 5000 years. The origin is not exactly known but it seemed to be very common in the Far and Near East at that times. It is most likely that the Crusaders brought it to Europe in the 11th and 12th century and it was used in many countries.
I read several books especially about the British Quilt history and what I found most interesting is the fact that quilting - better to say patchwork or piecing - was not only used for reasons of economy and poverty. Quilts made of silk and other very expensive materials were a priviledge and reserved for the rich and wealthy people. According to D. Osler's "Traditional British Quilts" quilts found their way into cottages and cabins of the poorer people in the middle of the 18th century first!
The history of quilting in it's entirety is very complex and multilayered. Fortunately there are still several books written by quilt historians with different focuses and although many of them are already out of print you can find them in second hand book stores or through the internet. For me as an European wholecloth and hand quilter the British history is very interesting because Britain was and is one of the main countries where wholecloths were and are still made.

My own country Germany never had a widespread quilting tradition but for some reasons I feel very connected to the British tradition. I love to use the traditional methods of quiltmaking like hand quilting, hand sewing, needlemarking, making my own templates of cardboard etc.