“Quilt” is derived from the Latin word culcita, which means “stuffed sack.” The earliest depiction of quilting was discovered in Egypt; it was an ivory figurine of a pharaoh wearing quilted clothing, ca. 3400 BC. One of the earliest existing decorative works is the Tristan Quilt, made around 1360 in Sicily. It is one of the earliest surviving quilts in the world and at least two sections survive, located at the V&A Museum (London) and in Bargello palace (Florence).
A quilt is made of three layers: a quilt top, batting, and a bottom layer. The top and bottom layers are made of fabrics stitched together. Batting (usually made of cotton or something similar) is insulation that makes the quilt warm. There are three basic types of quilts: plain, or whole cloth quilts; appliqué quilts; and patchwork quilts.