How much your heart thrills to The Blood Quilt will probably depend on your tolerance for a well-trod dramatic form: the big-boned, trauma-haunted family-inheritance play. It struck me while ...

Patchwork patterns, which evoke the cosy nostalgia of childhood, are no longer just the stuff of old quilts or tablecloths at grandma’s house, but a recurring staple on fashion’s biggest runways.