Japanese and Chinese working clothes were quilted for warmth and design. In Japan, artistic motifs evolved and became more stylized as they were adapted from the brush to the needle, eventually becoming Sashiko, a traditional form of Japanese quilting that is fashioned with thick white thread on at least two layers of indigo blue cotton. It is interesting to know that, despite having obvious roots in Europe, patchwork quilting, is believed by many to be a uniquely American form of folk art, both functional and beautiful. Among the myriad of American cultures that have contributed to the development of the quilted arts, the African-American culture has stood out as a major contributor and is responsible for engendering a whole style of quilting unique unto itself. Today, quilts are sewn by men and women of all races and ethnic backgrounds using traditional African methods.
African fabrics are a highly prized commodity to the hobbyist and serious quilter.
Early American Quilting Quilting arrived on the American scene quite early, brought over from Europe mostly in the form of whole cloth quilts. In the young American colonies, however, fabric was very scarce as England forbade development of a continental textile industry, requiring instead that all fabric be imported. Colonists devised the patchwork quilt as a means of efficient utilization and recycling of what little fabric was available to them. American pioneers created quilts out of necessity by sewing together scraps of precious textiles, and reusing and recycling the remains of old clothing. Pioneer women made use of the boredom and loneliness of frontier life by refining their quilting methods and using intricate designs in the creation of their quilts.