Sue Slick, Collection Information Specialist
Quilt(n.)
c. 1300, “Sack stuffed with wool, down, etc. used as a mattress,” from Anglo-French quilte, Old French cuilte, coute, quilte “quilt, mattress” (12c.), from Latin culcita “mattress, bolster,” a word of unknown etymology. The sense of “thick outer bed covering, cover or coverlet made by stitching together two thicknesses of fabric with some soft substance between them” is recorded by 1590s.
Making quilted objects has been a human activity for millennia, whether in the form of clothing, furnishings, floor materials, or bedding. Forms of quilts and quilting have been in America since before the founding of our nation, both brought from afar and created in the new homeland. This is documented in ships’ logs, estate inventories, early writings on colonial life and preserved lists of household goods.
There are so many different ways to look at and talk about American quilts and the making of quilts. Favorite topics are quilt patterns, sewing techniques, the traditions of quilting within different communities, and the array of materials used. Factoring into the study of American quilts are worldwide economic and social trends and historic events impacting the everyday lives of Americans.
Most of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art quilt collection consists of Amish quilts acquired in 1992 from the iconic David Pottinger collection. Mr. Pottinger spent decades collecting and studying quilts in the Honeyville area of LaGrange County, Indiana while also befriending many members of that community. Our quilts from the Pottinger collection represent an outstanding look at the skilled artistry of the Amish women of that region from the late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century. Since acquiring these stunningly beautiful quilts we have slowly broadened our collection of American quilts by acquiring quilts of other eras, styles and traditions. Our collection now spans roughly 1850 to 1960.
Quilting in American history is a topic one could spend years exploring and understanding while separating folklore from fact.
A popular but unrealistic image of early quilting in America is often a romanticized scene of colonial women participating in festive quilting bees. In preindustrial 18th century homesteader communities, the average woman, not possessing wealth or able to hire help, had far too much exhausting work carving home and farm out of the wilderness to also produce fancy needlework. Her quilts were more likely made of strips of whole cloth stitched together in long bands and stuffed with wool, backed by simple homespun material – sturdy, warm, and more quickly produced than decoratively stitched pieced covers. It would take building the country, the economy, and advances in technology before patchwork quilting could become the all the rage.
After the American Revolution as the new country settled in and trade with Europe and Britain stabilized, there was more room for women to revisit the needlework traditions they had brought with them to the New World. At the same time, ships bearing chintzes, calicoes and other fancy cloth in a wide range of colors and materials were arriving in American seaports. It wasn’t until the beginning of the 19th century that quilts began to become common in American households. Increasing wealth and the availability of hired help and enslaved labor were probably factors in this change that enabled the long hours required to stitch blocks of fabrics together for fancy bedding. The block style quilt made of piecework patches sewn into patterns evolved as the 19th century unfolded, soon becoming the most popular bedcover sewing method of the day.
Some of the major 19th century impacts on American life, including on-point quilt making, were improved rail transportation and expanded trade, making more and varied goods, including fabrics, widely available. Also impactful were the proliferation of cotton gins across the South and the boom in American cotton production. The vast leaps of technology in the spinning, weaving, dyeing and printing of textiles resulted in an astronomical drop in the prices of fabrics and an explosion in the variety of fabrics to be had by the average consumer. The flourishing of textile mills from New England and spreading into the South and Midwest also provided vast supplies of cloth. What was also especially transformational was the manufacturing of affordable clothing, freeing the American woman from untold hours sewing clothing for her family. Patchwork quilting really took off across the country when the sewing machine was invented, and arguably, even more impactful was the implementation of the Singer Company’s installment plan that made purchasing a machine for the average home achievable. This perfect storm of materials and methods may be why the later years of the 19th century are described as the most visually inventive age in American quilt-making.
As more quilts were made, the demand for quilts also rose as volatile changes took place across the country. Pioneers packed their wagons with precious household goods and necessary supplies like warm clothing and bedding bound for the west and its cold prairie winters and snowy mountains. Upwards of 500,000 traveled the westward routes between 1840 and 1870. The Civil War, 1861 – 1865, likewise created a need for all manner of supplies for the men heading off to war. Historians estimate that more than 20,000 soldiers’ aid societies were formed during this era. Quilt-making was a major focus of war relief groups. Quilts went to war and were also used to raise funds for war relief. Post-war deprivation made even more necessary the salvaging and repairing of household textiles especially in the South where embargoes kept new goods from shipping into Southern ports and wartime destitution affected most households.
When the war ended and the nation looked forward to its first centenary, quilting continued to be a hugely popular pastime and creative outlet for American women.
To learn more about the story of American quilts, stay tuned for the upcoming exhibit, It Was a Time to Sew: A Sampler of Quilts from the Collection, November 22, 2025 – January 10, 2026.
References
https://www.etymonline.com/word/quilt
Born Again Quilts; Born Again : The Art of Quilt Restoration, PowerPoint presentation.
Granick, Eve Wheatcroft; The Amish Quilt, Good Books, 1989.
Ferrero, Pat; Hedges, Elaine; Silber, Julie; Hearts and Hands : The Influence of Women & Quilts on American Society, The Quilt Digest Press, 1987.
Kiracofe, Roderick; The American Quilt, Clarkson Potter, 1993.
Pottinger, David; Quilts from the Indiana Amish : A Regional Collection, E. P. Dutton, Inc., 1983.
Webster, Marie D.; Quilts: Their Story and How to Make Them, Practical Patchwork, 1990.
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