International Quilt Books
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Quilts are not just an American story. These books explore quilting traditions from other countries, organized by country. For American regional books, see Quilt Books by State, and for the full reading list, visit the Bibliography.
Australia
Quiltmakers of Australia: Celebrating the Traditions
Australian quiltmakers and their work, from historic pieces to the quilts of the 1990s. A friendly introduction to how quilting took root and grew in Australia.
Canada
Ontario's Heritage Quilts
Quilts made in Ontario from pioneer days into the twentieth century, along with the stories of their makers. Helpful for spotting the influence of the many settler groups who brought their own traditions to the province.
Quiltworks Across Canada
Canadian quiltmakers from coast to coast and the quilts they make. A good snapshot of quilting across Canada at the end of the twentieth century.
Old Nova Scotian Quilts
Quilts from the Nova Scotia Museum and other collections, with careful notes on fabrics, patterns, and makers. An excellent regional study for anyone with a quilt from the Maritimes.
Quilts and Other Bed Coverings in the Canadian Tradition
A survey of Canadian quilts, coverlets, and other bedcovers. It shows what makes Canadian quilts distinct and is helpful if your quilt may have come from across the border.
Keep Me Warm One Night: Early Handweaving in Eastern Canada
The classic study of handwoven coverlets, blankets, and other bedcoverings from eastern Canada. If your bedcover was woven rather than quilted, this will help you understand how it was made.
France
Quilts of Provence: The Art and Craft of French Quiltmaking
The quilted petticoats, bedcovers, and corded whitework of southern France, along with the printed cottons that inspired them. Beautiful, and very helpful for recognizing French quilting.
Great Britain
Quilt Treasures of Great Britain: The Heritage Search of the Quilters' Guild
The results of a nationwide search for historic quilts in Britain. It is a great reference for British quilts and for comparing them with American ones.
The Quilts of the British Isles
A survey of quilts from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, with attention to regional styles. Very useful for identifying British quilts and understanding their roots.
Traditional British Quilts
A detailed study of British quilting traditions, regions, and quilting designs. Osler's research is the place to start for North Country and Welsh quilts.
Traditional Quilting: Its Story and Its Practice
FitzRandolph recorded the quilting traditions of northern England and Wales while the old quilters were still working. It is a key source for British wholecloth quilting.
Patchwork Quilts
A British look at patchwork from one of England's leading textile historians. It is helpful for spotting English techniques, such as paper piecing, and for comparing English and American quilts.
Quilting
Colby's companion volume to Patchwork, focusing on the quilting stitches and designs themselves. It is especially good on British wholecloth quilts and traditional quilting patterns.
The Art of Needle-Work from the Earliest Ages
A Victorian history of needlework, written long before quilt history was a field of its own. It shows how needlework was viewed in the 1800s and is a fun read for the curious.
Sweden
Old Swedish Quilts
Swedish quilts from the 1700s and 1800s, many made of wool and silk. A fascinating look at a tradition quite different from American cotton patchwork.
Around the World
Hands All Around: Quilts from Many Nations
A look at quilts from around the world, from historic pieces to work made for an international exhibition in the 1980s. It shows how quilting traditions travel and change from country to country.
Textile Designs: Two Hundred Years of European and American Patterns
More than a thousand fabric designs arranged by motif, style, and period. It is wonderful for matching a print in your quilt to its era.
