Re: Quilts and Applique

["Rowanwald Central" <rownwald@gte.net>]

Poster: "Rowanwald Central" <rownwald@gte.net>

> My liege lady has recently taken a class in modern quilting.  Not only
has
> she very much enjoyed it, she has done quite a good job.  She asked me to
> scout around for references of any sign of quilting in period.  I have
> seen: quilted armor, monochromatic patterns done in quilting stitches on
> late period (1450+) coverlets and table rugs, some applique in Ital. Renn
> and Elizabethan times, and some Elizabethan embroidery that is done on a
> stuffed and stitched surface in a very narrative style.  Am I warm? 
Anyone
> else have suggestions, experience?   amazon.com had approx 400 books on
> quilting, but I saw not one on history prior to the American colonies. 
So
> these Scotch Irish landed on the shores of the Carolinas and just started
> quilting, or what?  (that was humor)  Any assistance would be greatly
> appreciated. 


   The difficulty comes from terminology. "Quilting" - the sewing together
of two or more layers of fabric, with or without decorative motifs, is
found throughout history on clothing, armor (right Mistress Thjora?),
bedcovers, and other household items. Any fabric surface is subject (sooner
or later) to embroidery - the temptation is far too great for a
needleworker to resist. Appliqued bedcovers can be found in our timeperiod
(I have a photo of one such, dated to Sicily in the early 1400s - contact
me for the article if you wish).
   Now - the modern perception of quilting refers to what is more properly
called "piecework" - the sewing together of pieces of fabric to form a
design as a coverlet, which is then quilted to a filler and backing.
Nowhere have I been able to find documentation for piecework before the
colonization of America. The Smithsonian, in it's quilting display (years
ago) billed it as "one of the true original American Art forms". So there
we have what I know. Many of us would seriously consider trading in one of
our children for European piecework within our period of study.

Rosine of Rowanwald
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