The Truth About the History of Quilting Will Amaze and Even Shock you100,000 Years AgoThe very first mention of a quilt I found was a book written by Colin Wilson, “Atlantis and Kingdom of The Neanderthals”. What his book explains is that the typical picture we had of the Neanderthals being brainless brutes was really not accurate. 100,000 years ago, according to Colin, the Neanderthals dug mines to obtain ochre, used furnaces, made altars and had a variety of tools and wooden utensils. They buried their dead in sophisticated rituals “using quilts of woven flowers” 
With a little more research I then found reference from a book published by Dr. Ralph Solecki of the Smithsonian Institute titled, “Shanidar”. Dr. Solecki had excavated the Shanidar cave in Iraqi Kurdistan and discovered evidence of the ritualistic burials of the Neanderthals. I found this fascinating. Because the Neanderthals didn't have any fabric they used any method to create clothing. Imagine having to prepare your fabric by chewing it? They had to soften the hides to make them pliable to wear. Ugh! Skip Forward 100,000 YearsThe earliest surviving quilt is approximately from the 1st century BC to the 2nd century AD. It was found in a Mongolian cave and is a quilted linen carpet. It is housed in (St. Petersburg) the Russian Academy of Sciences, Archeology section.The Came the Dark AgesI found that the next time quilting was mentioned was in the Dark Ages. First I wanted to know what was the "Dark Ages". The best description I could find was a period believed to have been from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance.The Dark ages refers to the time in history of “backwardness” of limited building activity, lack of written history and a demographic decline (Black Plague). This can be why there is so little information available. There has been a recent discovery of very old fabric from Germany that indicates quilted objects may have been known during the Dark Ages. A tomb from the 5th century contained a wool twill pall (coffin cover) quilted with Egyptian cotton, obviously a luxury item. Seems like Egyptian cotton was popular even then! Between the 6th and 9th century there appears to be quilted objects that start popping up. Linen slippers with layers and quilting were discovered on the Silk Road between Asia and Europe. Medieval Wear Didn’t Consist of Just Armor or RagsMost researchers think quilting was bought to Europe from the Crusaders returning from the Middle East.
Medieval wear seems to have started about the 14th century when people used quilted doublets and armor for warmth and protection. Quilting was used decoratively as an exposed petticoat under skirts. These were found in Germany, France and England and the quilted tunics in Italy. Some researchers believe that quilting started gaining popularity around this time. The Mayflower Made It to New WorldTo read the story of the early settlers continue here...Since New Land Was Available Many Kinds of People Arrived in the New WorldOnce the migration started the Quakers followed...continuedAfter Settling the New World, Now we Had To Fight for IndependenceThe Underground Railroad and it's history followed...The Amish Wanted a Simple LifeTo Learn how their beautiful quilts came about continue...We Have Made It to The Victorian EraTo see what the Victorian Crazy quilts looked like and learn more about them continue...Quilt Making and The Great DepressionQuilting and The Great Depression might surprise click here to read more.World War II and The Creation of Rosie The RiveterCheck out the story about Rosie the Riveter, you decide if she did us a favor or not.1971 Stopped the Death of QuiltingQuilting was dying, but an exhibit in 1971 stopped its death, to continue the story...
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