From a very early time, needlework was considered one of the accomplishments of a woman, and excellence in the sewing arts was an important skill.

During the Medieval period, (and indeed long before), accomplished women of the upper classes and their servants created tapestries which provided both decoration and insulation from the damp and cold. These tapestries were heavily embroidered with scenes of life at that time - the hunt, warfare, court, and scenes from favorite romances and religious themes. Some of these themes and needle expertise were later transferred to quilting.

One of the most famous is the Bayeux Tapestry, which is approximately half a metre tall (20 inches) and 70 metres (about 230 feet) long. It tells the Norman side of the story of the events leading up to the Norman Invasion of England and the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066. It is not strictly speaking a tapestry, but an embroidery. It was constructed using colored wool, from eight separate pieces of bleached linen which were stitched together to form a continuous panel. At one stage it was apparently even longer - perhaps seven or eight metres are missing. It is easy to see techniques and needlework that would eventually be incorporated into quilting. See the Tristan Quilt in Early Quilted Bed Coverings, and References to Quilting and compare the figures and style with the Bayeaux Tapestry.

Many fabric historians have said that Crusaders brought quilting to Europe from the Middle East beginning in the 11th century. However, it seems to me quite possible that it was independently developed earlier in Europe's cool climes, or that the Vikings, who ranged almost everywhere in the ancient world, including the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Africa, could have brought it back with them earlier. Unfortunately, the European climate and soil is not kind to fabrics, so there is little hope of definitively proving an earlier origin, barring a chance discovery. However they got there, quilted garments (and probably other quilted artifacts) were popular early in the Middle Ages, and remained so on into the Renaissance and beyond.