Quilts are handmade functional objects sewn together from layers of fabric remnants and used as blankets, rugs or wall decoration. Its origins are not (yet) certain. As a communal activity, mostly performed by the women of a village, the Amish adopted quilting around the middle of the 19th century. The quilts of the Amish—a religious splinter group of Protestantism settled primarily in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania—are characterized by simple geometric patterns borrowed from natural forms such as the linear grids of fields. Apart from their cultural and historical importance, Amish Quilts were an important source of inspiration for 20th century American art.