Although they are commonplace in American homes, quilts are much more than simple patchwork bed coverings and wall adornments. While many of these beautiful and intricate works of art are rich in history and tradition, others reflect the cutting-edge talent and avant-garde mastery of contemporary quiltmakers. Kentucky Quilts and Quiltmakers: Three Centuries of Creativity, Community, and Commerce is the first comprehensive study to approach quilts as objects of material culture that have adorned homes throughout the history of the commonwealth and the country. Linda Elisabeth LaPinta highlights such topics as quiltmaking in women's history, the influence of early Black quiltmakers, popular Kentucky quilt patterns, types, and colors, and the continuing importance of preserving the commonwealth's quilt history and traditions. The author provides a panoramic view of Kentucky quiltmaking from colonial America through the American Revolution, the Civil War to the 1900s, to the new millennium and the dynamic quilting industry of today. LaPinta reveals Kentucky's pivotal role in shaping significant aspects of American quilt culture―Kentuckians founded the first statewide quilt documentation project, created important exhibits and major quilt organizations, and established the National Quilt Museum. Rounding out this all-encompassing volume is a collection of fascinating and intimate artistic commentaries by notable quiltmakers, as well as discussion of the key players who have conserved, celebrated, and showcased the commonwealth's extraordinary quilt culture. "Linda Elisabeth LaPinta has deftly pieced and stitched a radiantly researched and illustrated social history of one of Kentucky's most storied traditions. Artistry, utility, and sometimes even exploitation thread through this tale of three centuries of Kentucky women (and a few men). Brightly patched with quilters and quilt artists' own accounts, it will inspire quilt lovers today and for many years to come."―Emily Bingham, author of My Old Kentucky Home: The Astonishing Life and Reckoning of an Iconic American Song "Linda LaPinta's phenomenal research explores everything you ever wanted to know about Kentucky quilts and quiltmakers and their historical impact on Kentucky. Additionally, she accomplishes her vital goal of elevating the status of quiltmakers as the truly remarkable artists they are!"―Marsha Weinstein, former director of the Kentucky Commission on Women, past president of the National Collaborative for Women's History Sites, and vice president of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Trust "In Kentucky Quilts and Quiltmakers, Linda LaPinta vividly explores the centuries-long history of quilting in Kentucky, its cultural and artistic impact, and its economic role. Most important, LaPinta brings much-deserved attention to generations of quiltmakers―like my grandmother―whose vision and achievements built a continuing artistic legacy in the commonwealth. Kentucky Quilts and Quiltmakers is an invaluable resource for anyone hoping to learn more about quilting or our state's rich cultural heritage."―Matt Collinsworth, CEO of the National Quilt Museum, and former Director of the Kentucky Folk Art Center "LaPinta has done exhaustive, astonishing research to provide this remarkable look at quilts and quilters in the commonwealth. This lovingly written and beautifully illustrated book, like the quilts to which it pays tribute, is a treasure."―Silas House, author of Clay's Quilt "This valuable and accessible volume, encyclopedic in scope, documents the important contributions of Kentuckians, past and present, within the context of American quilt culture. Kentucky Quilts and Quiltmakers is an expansive overview of the range and diversity of quilt-related experiences, events, influence, styles, and purposes, illustrated and enhanced by the inclusion of transcribed interviews with quiltmakers, collectors, and movers and shakers."―Laurel M. Horton, quilt researcher, author of Whitework: Women Stitching Identity "Like a cedar chest overflowing with treasured heirloom quilts, LaPinta's exhaustive study of Kentucky quilts and quiltmakers is stuffed full of fascinating stories, touching on everything from social and cultural change to technological advancements to myths and scandal. More than just an account of techniques, materials, and makers, this book captures the fine details of everyday life and reminds us that meaning exists in the mundane."―Melanie Beals Goan, author of A Simple Justice: Kentucky Women Fight for the Vote "In 1981, Kentucky launched America's first statewide quilt documentation project, which generated a number of books and exhibitions. A few years later I acquired my first antique quilt, a masterpiece from Kentucky. It piqued my interest and I wanted to learn more. This book, Kentucky Quilts and Quiltmakers, Three Centuries of Creativity, Community, and Commerce by Linda LaPinta is the book I always wanted to read. It's a de