The tradition of quilting has been around for a very long time. Some have dated it to as far back as ancient Egypt, and others believe its history goes back even further. History tells us quilting was done for practical and fashionable purposes. In the middle ages, knights wore quilted fabric beneath their armor. Europeans and Americans wore decorative quilted petticoats in the 17th century. Bed quilts have been found all over the world. The earliest surviving quilt comes from 14th century Sicily. Although quilts are obviously made first and foremost out of a necessity to stay warm, the art of quilting surpasses any basic needs. Despite the advent of machine-made blankets and quilts, the tradition of quilting by hand still lives on today. The quilting bee tradition brought women together in the Victorian Age and allowed them to socialize while creating quilts for their families. Ladies would bring quilt tops that they had already pieced together and add them to a quilt the quilting bee was working on. The women and girls would sit in a circle and sew on the quilts by hand while sharing stories. Today, quilting is done both by hand and by a quilting machine. It is easy for quilt makers to develop their own styles since masters of the past have left us with endless patterns and themes for inspiration. You can follow traditional patterns to create your take on certain types of quilts. Some examples include crazy quilts, Amish quilts, patchwork quilts, star quilts, memory quilts and country quilts. | 
