People & Stories

A Red and White Quilt Show

“A Brief History of the ‘Feedsack'” by the late Jane Clark Stapel. The founder of the Feedsack Club provides some historical background on this American phenomenon. Feedsacks fed a nation and clothed it, too. Learn how feedbags went from practical necessity to beloved quilting fabric in American history.

The Influence of 19th Century Women’s Lives on Textiles

Stitched into History

The Civil War Quilt,
Diane and Jim Lockwood embark on an adventure when they purchase an old Georgia quilt. A thrift shop crazy quilt made from Civil War uniforms leads one couple on a journey through history, battlefields, and a Georgia family’s secrets.

Secrets Hidden in your Vintage Quilt Blocks Found old quilt blocks? Learn how color, fabric, and style can reveal when and maybe even why they were made, from the 1800s through the 1940s.

A thin blue decorative flourish with symmetrical loops and swirls, often used as a divider or embellishment in documents and designs.

About the Author

Kris Driessen is a quilt designer, writer, teacher, former quilt shop owner, retired quilt appraiser and restorer, and founder of the Quilt History List. She created this site for curious people who want to know more about the quilts they have inherited, collected, rescued, or simply admired.

Her articles focus on quilt history, fabric clues, care, preservation, research resources, and the stories that help turn an old quilt into something more than “that quilt in the closet.” Her hope is that readers will see old quilts as treasures worth saving and passing along.