Caroline, it is great that you had the opportunity to visit the exhibition in the V&A. They have one of the biggest collection of quilts in Europe. One of the "Tristan Quilts" is preserved in the V&A and it's one of my biggest wishes to see it one day. The quilt is probably made around 1392 and is one of the oldest "living" quilts preserved from the past.
The quilting history in Europe is very, very interesting and I have read several books about this topic. Fortunately you can find lots of information in the internet, too.