A comprehensive and invaluable survey of these universally appealing textiles for anyone interested in art, craft, decorative objects, and interior design.

Native American Seminole clothing, Dutch quilted petticoats, Swedish wedding cushions, African-American narrative quilts, Italian appliquéd furnishings, Eastern European braided waistcoats, nineteenth-century American block patterns, traditional English quilts, Korean pojagi, Turkish strip patchwork prayer rugs, Pacific tivaivai quilts, Indian appliqué, Thai baby-carrying cloths, Ghanaian flags, French trapunto, Japanese sashiko, and Spanish inlay appliqué saddle trappings...the traditional crafts of quilting, patchwork, and appliqué are universal and their uses astonishing.

This book is the first worldwide survey of these wonderfully decorative techniques: quilting, in which layers of fabric are stitched together; patchwork, in which old or new fabric pieces are cut and re-stitched to produce a new textile; and appliqué, in which old or new fabric pieces adorn another fabric. It is organized into three main sections:

•Materials: from wool, flax, linen, cotton, and silk to the manufacture of synthetics.

•Uses: from household items and clothing through the ages to ritual and ceremonial objects such as wedding quilts and banners.

•Construction: detailed explanations of the many techniques found around the world.

The book also includes advice on how to care for your objects, a guide to collections around the world, a detailed glossary, and a bibliography. 520 photographs and illustrations, 504 in color.