Identification

• Patchwork is a textile art form where blocks or shapes of fabric are assembled to create cloth items such as quilts, wall hangings or clothing. In a quilt, one side of the blanket is a mosaic of fabric shapes sewn together. It is then paired with a single piece of fabric with quilting batting sandwiched in the middle. All three pieces are of the same size, and are quilted together to form a blanket.
  
  

History

• Patchwork originated in prehistoric time, when early man pieced together animal skins to make blankets or clothing. It developed naturally from necessity, providing a way for people to recycle expensive fabric. During the American Colonial times the colonists pieced together scraps of linen and fabric, reusing the cloth to make blankets. Assembling the quilts became a social event. Social gatherings, called quilting bees, brought together women to make the quilts while visiting with their neighbors.
  
  

Benefits

• Patchwork quilts may have played a significant role in America's abolition movement during the years of slavery. Stories tell of quilts being used to signal safe houses along the underground railroad. There is a controversy among historians over the notion of "quilt codes" that enabled the runaway slaves to navigate to freedom. Jacqueline Tobin and Raymond Dobard's 1998 book, "Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad," discusses this theory.
  
  

Types

• Patchwork can be done by making equal shaped blocks. The blocks are then sewn together to create a pattern, that serves as the front of the quilt or project. A crazy quilt is made by sewing together random shapes, of all sizes, to make a panel. Some patchwork involves piecing together fabric to create a picture or scene. Patchwork can be sewn together by hand or machine. Embroidery or embellishments can be added to the patchwork.
  
  

Features

• There are standard patchwork block patterns that have been used for generations. One technique is to make enough identical blocks to create an entire side of the quilt. Each block is made up of triangles, rectangles or squares. The identical blocks can be arranged to make a variety of different patterns. Patterns, such as the log cabin or fields of flowers, have been used for generations.