Her Vine Quilt has been called her “undisputed masterpiece” and stunningly beautiful. It is her most famous quilt.
How it came to be in the public view, goes back to the 1970’s. The upcoming bicentennial sparked an interest in history and traditional crafts, including quilting. Around this increased interest, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City held a seminal quilt exhibition in 1971 that changed how the world viewed and what they thought about quilts, by taking them off beds and hanging them on the walls of a world renown art museum. I wrote about one of the quilts in that exhibition here. And I covered that exhibition here, on my post about Why Quilts Matter.
As a result of this renewed interest in quilts, groups began organizing quilt documentation days in various states. Many others followed later. With requests for ordinary people to look in their attics and cupboards and bring in their quilts to be photographed and documented, people looked at their family quilts in a different light … they were important pieces of history.
It is during this time that the quilts of an ordinary Indiana farmwife, Susan Noakes McCord, who had “an extraordinary genius for designing and making quilts”, came to light. In 1972 Ruth Canaday, brought ten of her grandmother’s quilts to The Henry Ford. They were extraordinary. Between 1972 and 1973 the museum bought them. The Vine Quilt was among that group.
McCord’s quilts were on exhibition at The Henry Ford during the 1970’s. McCord rightly became “known for her innovative designs and exquisite craftsmanship.” The Vine Quilt continued to be exhibited after the 1970’s. In 1981 it was featured near the entrance to the exhibition American Quilts, A Handmade Legacy at the Oakland Museum of California and described as the “Sistine Chapel of quilts”. It was displayed again in 1983 World of Quilts exhibition at Oakland University, Michigan, which included the best 100 examples of quilts from public and private collectors. The Henry Ford included it in two exhibitions. The 1988 exhibition Susan McCord’s Quilts: A Farmwife’s Legacy and the 2004 exhibition Quilting Genius. The Vine Quilt’s image graced the pages of magazines and numerous books highlighting antique quilts. Gratefully it is in the hands of the museum being carefully preserved for future generations to enjoy.
When I was studying the quilt highlighted yesterday, McCord’s Feathered Star, I asked myself if maybe I liked that one more. Some have said it is their favourite. It didn’t join the collection at The Henry Ford until 1992, so the Vine Quilt had a bit of a head start on garnering attention and accolades. I decided however, that I remain steadfast to The Vine Quilt as my all-time favourite. You cannot see what the full glory of the Feathered Star quilt was nor McCord’s original design goals … fading has seen to that. That is not the case with The Vine Quilt … the colours of this masterpiece are clear, it’s condition relative to age is good, and most importantly there is limited damage, fading or age marks. This means that Susan Noakes McCord’s intent and her creative vision is still clearly visible for all to see. And what a vision she had!
That vision rests on the trailing, undulating vine design which is unique to Susan McCord. She used this vine and leaves design on many of her other quilts, as you have seen, but in this quilt, the vine design has become perfection and is a work of genius. It demonstrates in every stitch, the freedom that I was referring to when writing about quilt #7 and how she might have found the time to create such incredible works of art. The Vine Quilt is the ultimate example of what I call “Quilting with Abandon” … quilting with such joy and spirit flowing that it is visible to all.
I had the immense privilege of being able to study many of the McCord quilts in 2012. What I saw in her Vine Quilt when I was looking at it was her tenacity. She had a vision of what she wanted to create and she was going to see it through despite what might have been barriers to others; barriers enough to make them never even start.
McCord’s Vine Quilt is created with 13 panels of muslin separated by pink sashing. On each of those panels she appliqued her undulating vines. Each of those 13 vines has over 300 appliqued leaves. Many of those over 300 leaves are string pieced, with most leaves having between 2 and 6 pieces per leaf. She used 4 different colours of thread to applique those string pieced leaves down. She did not create large sheets of strata to cut her leaves from. Each leaf is industriously hand pieced. To have cut them out of larger strata she would be cutting through her hand stitching rendering the task of appliqueing them down a monstrous affair, as the stitching would start to unravel from being cut.
She used printed cottons and calicos, floral, plaids, strips and solids for her leaves. She used a palette of blue, cheddar, maroon, pink (including double pink), purple, red and white. It was noted in some curatorial document that “sizing from mills still apparent on the muslin indicates maybe never washed.” The curatorial notes also indicated that in examining the stitching on the quilt there may have been two people involved in the execution of the applique. It was Susan McCord’s vision though.
And after this wonderful deep dive into the quilts of Susan Noakes McCord, what I know for sure is that The Vine Quilt has been and will remain, hands down, my favourite quilt.
Here are the final Some Other Facts About This Quilt:
Quilting: hand quilted, white cotton thread, 9-10 stitches per inch in outline around leaves and with diamond/grid in sashing
Binding: Edges turned in/no separate binding; hand sewn
I am so glad that you joined me this year. I have enjoyed having a really good look at all of Susan McCord’s quilts and being able to share what I discovered about them with you.
As we head off into a new year soon, I would like to ask a favour of you. Would you please do me the honour of leaving me a comment on this post and telling me what you have liked about the Twelve Quilts of Christmas. Do you have a favourite theme? Is there a theme you would like me to cover? What have you taken away from looking at these quilts? Has what you have learned changed how you approach your own quilting practice? Your feedback will help guide me as I go forward. And your comments will be exceptionally helpful to me in sharing them with guilds or groups that might want to hire me in the future to speak about all that we can learn from antique quilts.
I would truly love to hear from you! And I thank you most sincerely in advance for taking the time.
I wish you and yours the merriest of holidays and the send my very best wishes for a happy, healthy and peaceful year to come.
“Prince’s Feather, often called Princess Feather, was a popular mid-19th century appliqued quilt design. McCord’s graceful version of this feathery pinwheel pattern features her distinctive striped leaves, expertly pieced from tiny colorful scraps of fabric.”
McCord’s mastery! Her ability to create a bold graphic that at the same time feels weightless and ethereal. It is a delight! Her ability to reimagine a traditional design in such a unique fashion. Simply exquisite.
And by now you well know how I feel about Susan McCord’s string leaves. And she has worked her magic with them once again.
I’m taking a pause to catch my breath. You can too. Is your heart beating just a bit faster looking at this quilt?
She has used a very tight colour palette for this quilt. The poison green stands out as it creates the spine of each feather and the tips of some leaves where they join the spine. For the string pieced leaves McCord used various shades of red, pink, purple and chambray blue. The long skinny leaves that for the most part rhythmically punctuate the design between string pieced leaves, and they are one piece of fabric, not string pieced, and they are predominantly red or pink.
Where the feathers look a little sparser, like leaves are missing, McCord did not leave those leaves off, they are indeed there. They are visually missing because the fabric was dyed with an unstable synthetic dye that has faded out over time to the palest of cream which is blending into the background. At the beginning of the production of synthetic dyes, many colours were unstable, such as purple, green, reds and some blues, and they all faded to various shades of tan through cream. You can see some purple prints in the quilt that are fading to tan. My guess is that those faded leaves were also red or pink. The “four point star” in the middle of each feather star has also faded to the same pale cream and was perhaps red or pink. These leaves and stars I think were solid colour fabrics as no remnants of print pattern is discernible from looking at the photograph.
I have to wonder if the border has done the same thing and faded due to fugitive dyes. I am pondering this while only looking at a photograph not the quilt itself, so it’s a curiosity question, but it does seem to be a similar shade to the centre stars. What would you think if the quilt had a pink or red border? Would you like it as much? Can you imagine it with red or pink stars in the middle of each feather block?
Will you dream of this quilt tonight?
Some other facts about this quilt:
Condition: Fair/worn
Construction: Hand pieced, hand appliqued
Borders: Top and bottom borders 1 inch. Side borders 1.25 inches.
Quilting: hand quilted, white thread, 11 stitches per inch; appliqued leaves and buds are single outline quilted against a background of diamond crosshatch
“In the late 19th century, decorative “crazy” quilts—made from silk, velvet, and wool scraps stitched together “crazily” and embellished with embroidery—were all the rage. Susan McCord made three crazy quilts—this is only one she completed. McCord pieced the top, embroidered nearly every block, added filler and backing, and then tufted the three layers together with wool yarn.”
I have to say, now that I am on quilt number 3 of her crazy quilts I am quite enjoying the whole concept of this genre … at least in her skilled hands. Thank you Susan McCord!
I really like the asymmetrical layout she chose, placing the circular bits to the right side. And those two almost unpieced blocks in the middle of all that wow? Well just wow! I love all the different types of fabrics she used: Wool in solid colours, woven plaids, strips and floral, cotton fabrics and wool and silk combination fabrics.
One of the things that appeals to me about this quilt is the red “binding” that frames the whole composition and is a quiet retainer of all the energy going on in the quilt top. To me it is the perfect finish. Other options would be drab. I don’t mind that on some sides the binding is thicker/wider than others as it adds to the interest of the quilt.
In this McCord crazy quilt, she has again included white moments of brightness with a few individual pieces in the blocks, and with the embroidery she has added throughtout the top. The spike heads of wheat in the quarter circle on the right are incredibly detailed. And other blocks are sprinkled whimsically with other flower and leaf elements.
The quilt is tufted/tied with wool yarn. A wise choice given the thick fabrics and the thickness of the batt she used compared to her other quilts. The tufting adds to the texture of the quilt, creating its own secondary design overlaying, so to speak, all of her piecework and embroidery. I do not see tufting/tying at all like a cheat of a way to “quilt” this work. It adds so much to the whole composition. However, it wouldn’t be allowed into many shows today because of it.
Do you think tufted or tied quilts should be allowed in quilt shows?
What are your thoughts on crazy quilts?
Some other facts about this quilt:
Condition: Very good/almost new
Construction: Hand foundation pieced, hand embroidered with silk and wool thread and “other embroidery”
Borders: Top border 3 inches. Bottom border 3.75 inches. Proper left border 2.5 inches. No border on proper right side.
“Susan McCord pieced this Pine Tree pattern quilt top, but never finished it. Her descendants later had it quilted so that this bedcovering could be used. It is one of McCord’s later quilts, and includes many turn-of-the-twentieth century fabric scraps. A close look reveals some fabrics seen in other McCord quilts. Purple calico sashing sets off the scrappy pine trees nicely.”
One of the first clues that this is a timespan quilt and not finished in Susan McCord’s time, is the width of the backing fabric. Small details matter in quilt study! This fact has been confirmed by the family’s history about the quilt, when it was donated. The quilting design choices were in keeping with McCord’s own quilting designs she used in her quilts. The choice of batting is the only significant difference. Polyester batting was so appealing when it came on the market as a choice for batting. It is much easier to “needle” … to draw the needle through all the layers. Cotton is harder on the hands. I am a purest. Since my first four quilts, I haven’t used polyester battings … but I digress.
This is such a happy quilt! Her colour choices are responsible for most of that. You know I am going to mention the cheddar … she uses it in every block but two! It’s such a lively colour and really pops. This palette of colours is what I think of when I think of a Susan McCord quilt … indigo, poison green, red, pink, “shirtings”, browns, blues, purples, cheddar, blacks.
Those two blocks that don’t include cheddar, I wonder what their story is? Test blocks and then she decided to change direction and to spice the colour up a bit. She dug deep into her stash because I think each of the trunks on those two blocks are pieces of fabric that are older than the rest of the trunks. Or is it the other way around with those blocks and they weren’t test blocks but maybe blocks that were made with the dregs from her scrap bag (a point perhaps hard for us to imagine with the abundant availability of fabric today)? I’m just so glad she put them in the quilt anyway. They don’t detract at all and that is a huge lesson it in itself for us!
The purple sashing from a distance might make you think 1930’s, but a closer look shows it to be a print and colour that was common for the period McCord pieced the top.
A quick trip through Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Quilt Patterns shows a block example that could be a match for McCords (although she made a bit of a variation) and it dates around 1894, with most of the pattern variations happening much later. (I know I am geeking out!) McCord was also consistent in her orientation of the trees within the block. In the layout, the trees in one row seem to zoom past an “approaching” tree in the next row, and gives the overall quilt design lots of visual movement and energy!
So many things she considered either consciously or unconsciously. And like I said, such a happy quilt!
There’s something else about those blocks? Do you see it?
“Indiana farmwife Susan McCord, like other frugal housewives of the era, sewed her quilts from fabric she had on hand, mostly clothing scraps. McCord expertly pieced this top from small 1-1/4 inch hexagons arranged in concentric rings. A close look at the small-scale prints reveals an encyclopedia of inexpensive clothing fabrics popular during the late 19th century.”
McCord certainly loved small pieces and detailed work. And her skill at both does not disappoint with this Hexagon Mosaic Quilt, a pattern also known by the name Honeycomb Quilt.
An interesting point to note is that by the 1870’s there were thousands of woolen mills in the United States and hundreds of cotton mills. This meant that fabric was much more readily available. At the same time the United States was celebrating it’s centennial. Sue Reich records in her book, The Quilts of Yesteryear: 1000 Pieces And Counting, that there was an informal, nationwide competition to see who could make a quilt with the most pieces and the piecing feats were well recorded in the papers of the day with mentions of quilts made of 6,000 pieces, 8,000 pieces and more! This “competition” continued right up to the 1900. It is safe to say that frugality was a factor in McCord making her small pieced quilts, but I wonder if she was also caught up in this small piecing fever. I have not counted how many hexagons in this quilt. Anyone want to venture a guess?
This quilt seems like such a simple design, but in her hands, she creates a quilt with delightful visual movement and depth.
The only place “cheddar” orange that appears in the quilt is in the centre. That colour draws you past everything and draws you right in like a beacon. Her use of value in multiple rounds, to create larger “rings” of hexagons, helps create texture and interest.
In some of rounds of hexagons she clearly had to make substitutions of fabric or colour, but she did so in a way that doesn’t disrupts but instead lends support to the overall design of the quilt, reinforcing the rhythm.
Some of the fabrics used have a prominent print, like in the 10th round from the centre (the white moons on pink) and in the 13th round where there is clearly some type of large scale blue print on white. These printed fabric details add to the quilt’s interest, as do the plaids and solids that she used.
Look at all the substitutions she made throughout round 26. She was using what she had on hand and using it as masterfully as possible to contribute to composition as a whole. This is a master at work.
These hexagons are a bit tempting? What do you think?
Some other facts about this quilt:
Condition: very good, almost new
Fabrics: Plain cottons, novelty prints, florals
Construction: Hand pieced
Borders: Inner border (double pink fabric) 1.75 inches. Outer border (on sides only) 2 inches. Also notice how on both the left and right sides she added a strip of hexagons as a type of border, breaking the pattern before adding the borders.
Thin Batting, hand quilted with white cotton thread at 10 stitches per inch using
Quilting: hand quilted, white thread, 5-7 stitches per inch, single parallel lines following overall hexagon design.
Binding: Top and bottom edges are turned in; on sides front fabric is turned to the back, binding is less than ½” on sides where it is turned to the back.
May I Ask A Favour:
The curation of this collection of antique quilts each year is my gift to you all. Please feel free to share this gift and send this post to your quilting friends far and wide. The more people joining us, the merrier. And please join in the conversation in the comments. I would love to hear from you!
A quiltmaker, fabric designer, teacher, and speaker, Mary Elizabeth is also co-author of two best-selling books, “Small Blocks, Stunning Quilts” and “Small Pieces, Spectacular Quilts“. She has been a featured guest on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims. And her work has been shown at international quilt shows and featured in many international quilting publications.
Mary Elizabeth believes in “Quilting With Abandon”, stretching traditional boundaries and creating quilts with a subtle salute to the past. She is enthusiastic about our quilting heritage and the lessons to be learned from the antique quilts she studies and collects. Her recent work examines the interpretation of traditional quilt designs through “gestured appliquéd lines” and the quilting stitch.
