Women have been making quilts ever since we first noticed the cold and had the means to do something about it. We know quilts existed at least as long ago as 5,000 years, because we can still see them in Egyptian wall paintings. That's the only way we know, because quilts don't last. We have only a few scraps more than a couple of centuries old. Quilting is a utilitarian, ephemeral art.
Warmth comes first, beauty second, and endurance a poor third.
We can get an idea from the richness of the quilts we have. The earliest intact examples date from the 18th century. So we have almost 300 years' worth of women's work, and judging from that, one can not begin to imagine the wonders that are gone. Introduction continued Send this page to a friend.