Confusion: Word that Best Describes the Study of Medieval Quilting Practices

Just as one cannot put a black and white definition on modern quilting, one cannot put a black and white definition on medieval quilting practices.  Just as there are now, the term "quilting" can encompass finished items from clothing to household goods, and techniques ranging from applique, embroidery, piecework and a slew of wholecloth techniques from trapunto, to backstitch, to running stitch.  In period as in the modern world there are finished products that are better defined as "quilted" - a triple layer sandwich of cloth and batting to "flimsies" and coverlets that omit the batting layer and may or may not have quilting stitches to hold those layers together.  Just as a modern quilter I'm interested in creating various products with a variety of these techniques I am interested in their historical forefathers.

I started this research, when a well meaning SCAdian, promptly told me at my first event that they didn't have "quilting" in period.  I've come to decide that what they meant was "quilting in the manner of modern American patchwork", but even still since then many medieval era pieces have come to light that do in fact show that those crazy folks in the medieval period, did piecework in both their clothing and their household decorations.

One has to start somewhere but instead of starting in a linear fashion, this researcher has tackled the history by studying the different techniques instead.  I've divided my research into the following categories:  wholecloth, piecework, and applique.  Inside of these categories I've further divided into clothing vs. household items.  Yes, there are extant items that will fit in multiple of these categories, and I will likely cross-reference them as I go along. As does this oldest piece of "quilting", a linen carpet from a Siberian tomb  that dates back to before the 1st Century CE, where one can see embroidery, applique and quilting.

With all of that said, I will begin posting research and links here on the blog about one of my favorite passions, medieval quilting!