The block-style layout, in which quilt blocks of the same size are arranged in a grid, is considered to be an iconically American quilt design but it is only relatively recently that this layout became prevalent in the United States. How did this layout develop and what other traditions influenced it? This series of three articles will explore early European patchwork traditions, colonial and early-Euro-American patchwork designs, and the period of transition from European influenced layouts and patterns to the block-style layout in the United States. This first article explores early British and Dutch patchwork, identifying shared characteristics that will later be found in colonial and early-American quilts.
