A square patchwork quilt with 25 appliquéd patches featuring flowers, birds, cornucopias, and a ship on a quilted white background. All around the quilt is a zigzagging green leaf and red flower border.

Decorating with Quilts and Patchwork

Patchwork is an art form born out of economic necessity. People of many cultures reused fabric scraps to save money and scarce resources. Patched clothing and patchwork quilts provided both warmth and beauty. Nowadays, decorating with quilts and patchwork is more often a style choice than an economic need. Antique and vintage quilts are highly […]

A well-dressed woman with carefully curled hair and a lace collar over her yellow dress, focuses on the making of lace. She handles several wooden bobbins of thread over a lace pillow that rests on a wooden stand.

Decorating with Lace and Macrame

Lace, a textile used mainly to decorate clothing or home furnishings, was traditionally created by hand by highly skilled girls and women. Technically an openwork fabric, lace was invented around the 15th century in Europe. Though usually considered a clothing adornment, especially for wedding dresses and lingerie, lace often appeared in curtains, on pillows, and […]