A surprising Japanese presence in a traditional American craft

As American as baseball and apple pie. That is the perception many people have of the craft of quiltmaking—not without reason. In “The Little House on the Prairie”, an iconic book series depicting the life of settlers in the Midwest in the 1870s, Laura and Mary learn patchworking skills as children. American quilts from the 19th and 20th centuries often have a patriotic flair, some even adorned with portraits of presidents. Scores of handmade quilts are catalogued in the Library of Congress.