The history of quilts can be traced back to at least to medieval times. The V&A Museum in London has a collection of quilts that includes pieces from Europe, India and the Far East.

For much of its history, quilting was primarily a practical technique to provide physical protection and insulation. However, decorative elements were often also present and many quilts are now primarily art pieces.

The history of quilting in Black American culture began as early as the 17th Century, when enslaved women threaded, sewing and quilting together patchwork blankets made with scraps of fabric from slave owners’ households - purely for the purposes of keeping themselves and their families warm throughout the night.

The origins of Indian quilting can be traced back to ancient times. Artifacts dating back to the Indus Valley Civilization, around 2500 BCE, reveal the presence of quilts made from cotton and silk fabrics. These early quilts showcased intricate patterns, hand-stitched with precision.

In more recent times, the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt tells the stories of many of those lost in the early days of the HIV AIDS epidemic in the 80’s and 90’s. It is an irreplaceable piece of social history.