No one knows when quilting became an art form.
Historians say the earliest quilted garment was part of a statue representing an Egyptian pharaoh who was doing what pharaoh’s do around 3400 B.C.
The Crusaders brought the quilting art form to Europe in the 11th century. The knights wore quilted garments the way folks wear Under Armour today.
The earliest known surviving quilt is Sicilian. That quilt is a 14th-century deteriorating masterpiece.
New world settlers brought the art of quilting with them, but the only surviving quilt from that era is the 1704 Saltonstall quilt. (The age of this quilt was determined by the template cut from a Harvard College newspaper dated 1701.)
During the 19th century quilting spread across America. There are quilts in museums across the country, but most quilt-makers don’t quilt for professional recognition.
They quilt because they love the art and take pride in the quilt blocks they create.
Beginners always want to know how they can create a Nine-Patch, Shoo Fly, Churn Dash or Prairie Queen quilt block pattern like seasoned quilters.
And the answer is pretty simple.
The right quilting tools and supplies, a little research, and the conviction to create a quilt that expresses the innate beauty of quilting is what any beginning quilter needs to get started.
Starting with the right supplies, and knowing what each tool does, is one of the first steps to quilting success.