Twelve Quilts of Christmas – #9

The museum writes on its website:

“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?

Some other facts about this quilt:

Condition: Good/moderate

Construction: Hand pieced 

Sashing: 2.5” wide

Borders: No border

Back: Cream, plain/solid, hand sewn, 2 pieces (54.75 in; 26.5 in) (note comments above)

Batting: Medium loft polyester batting (note comments above)

Quilting:  Hand quilted, 6-7 inches per inch, Pumpkin seed quilting in the background, cables and single parallel lines (note comments above) 

Binding:  Applied binding, less than ½” wide