♦ Celebrating 250 Years of American Quilts ♦

Quilt History
Explore our Quilting Heritage

chintz-quilt A large bed with a colorful patchwork quilt—reflecting Quilt History - Our Quilting Heritage—features diamond and floral patterns in blue, red, and tan. The cozy room has wooden furniture, a chair, and sunlight streaming through the window.

Every quilt tells a piece of history. This site is here for curious people who love old quilts, even if they do not know a turkey red from a feedsack. Whether you inherited a family quilt, found one at a flea market, or are just wondering why that old quilt matters, this site will help you look at it with fresh eyes and treat it like the treasure it may be.

Start Your Quilt Research Here

Identify or Date a Quilt

Research a Quilt’s Story

Repair, Restore or Conserve a quilt

Cleaning and Preservation

Explore Quilt Myths and Stories

Find an Appraiser

Why Trust This Site?

QuiltHistory.com gathers quilt history articles, preservation guidance, research resources, and links to museums, appraisers, study groups, and books. Our goal isn’t scholarly credentialing, it’s making sure nobody mistakes a hundred-year-old treasure for a garage rag.

FEATURED QUILT HISTORY GUIDES

Browse by era

Explore Quilt History by Era

Use these era guides to place a quilt in historical context, from early whole-cloth quilts to feedsacks, crazy quilts, kit quilts, and modern revivals.

Pre-1850 Early American Quilts Whole-cloth, broderie perse, and the first pieced traditions 1861–1865 Civil War Era Mourning quilts, fundraising quilts, and Turkey red fabrics 1870–1900 Victorian Era Crazy quilts, silk velvets, and elaborate embroidery 1930s Depression era Feedsacks, pastel prints, and the great quilt revival 1940s–50s Postwar revival Kit quilts, novelty prints, and bold graphic patterns 1970s+ Today’s Quilts The quilt revival, art quilts, and a new generation of makers

Resources

What you’ll find here

59 In-depth research articles
Browse articles
250+ Years of American quilting history
About this site
∞ Stories still to be told
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