About Whole-Cloth Quilts
Quilt History
Heart to Heart
Celebration Quilts
European Roots

It is thought that the oldest surviving specimens of quilting are 3 Sicilian
whole-cloth quilts believed to be from the late 14th century.  In the region of
France known as Provence,  whole-cloth quilts were introduced in the 17th
century and the French took this quilt-making technique to new heights of
beauty and embellishment.  The French used cottons from Egypt, China or
India, as well as wool and fine silk.  

In the region of Marseilles, the technique of boutis or trapunto was
practiced.  (This technique is also called matelassage in some texts.)  This
is a technique that results in a relief look with some images standing out
and the backgrounds receding.  For trapunto, the backing was very simple
and usually a loosely woven coarse fabric.  Cotton batting or silk batting
was placed on top of that.  The top layer was frequently a very fine fabric
(silk, embroidered linen or cotton).  The quilt pattern was then drawn on the
top and all layers were sewn in the drawn pattern using a hand quilting
stitch (sometimes a back stitch, sometimes a running stitch).  The motifs or
patterns that the artist wanted to stand out were then stuffed with additional
batting or cording (this is the trapunto).  The skilled needle workers in
Marseilles would work the cording and batting in through the loosely woven
backing of the quilt with a needle.  

The boutis technique produced quilts that were reversible.  Rather than a
coarse backing, cotton or silk was utilized for the back and the top.  A
special boxwood needle was used to stuff the piece, which resulted in a
more delicate, elegant quilt.

In the 18th century, most of these whole-cloth quilts were still white, but
some were starting to appear in vibrant colors of golden yellow, crimson
and royal blue.  These boutis were used for petticoats and other clothing,
as well as layette and bed cloths.  They were typically reserved for special
occasions, not everyday use.  A bride's trousseau almost always had
several boutis pieces in it.

The motifs in both trapunto and boutis quilts are very symbolic and
frequently there is not a square inch of the piece that is not covered in
prolific quilting designs.  These artists worked in animals, cornucopia,
fruits, hearts, leaves, religious symbols, fertility symbols, symbols of
agrarian life and personal symbols.  These quilts were much sought after
by the wealthy in England, Spain, Italy, German and Holland.  There was
such a demand for them that eventually the French weavers developed a
way to make these quilts on a loom.  These loomed pieces were the
predecessors of our matelasse' bed linens we see today.

Although with onset of the Industrial Age much of this artisan skill died out,
more recently the Provencal women have revived the interest in boutis and
have made it into a recognized  fashionable art form.

Comes to America

This type of quilt was one of the first styles brought to America by
immigrants.  The popularity of whole cloth trapunto migrated from Italy to
France to England to the United States (actually colonies at the time).   The
English often utilized florals, feathers, wreaths and geometric patterns.  As
needle workers in the US put their influence on these quilts, we start to see
ships, people and animals portrayed in the designs.

Obviously, these intricate works require highly refined needling skills.  
Generally, it was the wealthy who had more leisure time to develop the
skills necessary to generate these luxurious whole cloth quilts.  In the
States, most early examples of whole cloth pieces are made from vibrantly
colored wool and fine white cotton, with silk being used less often.

Petticoats were often made in this trapunto style and were so beautiful that
dresses were designed with an open panel so that the petticoat would
show.

The most recent revival of interest in whole cloth quilting came in the US
during the Arts and Crafts era.  After the extravagance of the Victorian Age,
the Arts and Crafts Movement brought a trend toward simpler decorating
styles, inspiring quilters to return to the whole cloth technique.  This was
also about the time that the sewing machine was introduced, which added
to the ease with which a quilt could be made.
See two trapunto
whole-cloth quilts
made by Claudia
at Gallery,

Lake Tahoe
Wedding


Paix en la Vallee.
References:

www.raspberrylane.com/quilt_it/history.html, The History of Quilting

www.womenfolk.com/quilting_history/wholecloth.html, America's Quilting
History

www.historyofquilts.com/french_quilt_history.html, Quilting In France: The
French Traditions

Quilts of Provence, the art and craft of French quiltmaking, a book by
Kathryn Berenson
For pictures of antique whole cloth quilts check out
the websites listed below:
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