The largest, most comprehensive history of American quilts ever published, The Quilt explores the evolution of quilting in America. It shows, in vivid colors and patterns, how African American, Amish, Hawaiian, Hmong, and Native American quilts celebrate cultural identity, and how quilts connect us to one another through quilting bees and other community groups. Moving from the historical nature of quilts to current efforts at quilt preservation, the book features an encyclopedia of favorite quilt styles, detailing the stories behind applique quilts, crazy quilts, art quilts, scrap quilts, sampler quilts, and whole-cloth quilts, as well as traditional patchwork patterns.