DECEMBER 20, 2016
Sunflower Quilt, Caroline M. Carpenter, late 19th century, 78″ x 85″, cotton, Shelburne Museum.
There are some quilts that are so familiar to me that I forget that not everyone knows about them. Maybe you know this quilt or maybe this is the first time you are learning about it. For me, it is a pleasure to look at this quilt every time I see it! Bold and graphic it is also imbued with a soothing visual flow.
It is posited that Carrie, as she was known to her family, was likely influenced by the English Arts and Crafts Movement. She was so careful in her consideration of elements and their placement when she made this quilt, faithfully maintaining the rhythm of pattern without being a slave to it. Each flower is just a bit different from the others and this is what gives the quilt visual interest and movement. She carefully designed the quilt with the actual four poster bed in mind, planning where the stems and flowers would fall. The two long, external stems would have fallen right on the top edge of the mattress. Can’t you just envision it on the bed? The main stems are stuffed to a chunky fullness imitating the strong stems of these hearty plants. Finely quilted in a chevron pattern, she also quilted small flowers into the crooks of smaller flower stems and she quilted veins on the leaves. Sigh!
A work to be proud of for sure. And she was. She inscribed her name on the back.
Thank you Carrie.
DECEMBER 19, 2016
Shenandoah Valley Botanical Album Quilt, Esther B. Matthews, 1858, 96.5″ x 96.5″, cotton, Virginia Quilt Museum
Made in 1858 by Esther B. Matthews, when she was 82 years of age, her quilt is a beautiful interpretation of the flowers that grew near her home in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. It is also filled with many of her sentiments about the coming conflict of the Civil War. She made the quilt for her grandson Addison Blair Martz. Addison, who served as a Confederate soldier, unfortunately died in 1863 from wounds suffered in battle. Never used, it is in excellent condition and was donated to the museum in 2006. How fortunate we are that so much is know about the maker and that the family valued the quilt, preserving it and it’s story and eventually donating it to the museum. You can find out more about the quilt and it’s history here.
I am in awe of the details in each of the individual blocks and am torn between the lily, mountain laurel and star in the east as to which one is my favourite. Esther clearly had an artistic eye. It is not just the pleasing composition and layout of the quilt, but the details in each of the floral compositions and her ability to interpret depth in her work through layering. It is a wonderful light contrast to day four’s album quilt.
The museum has issued a pattern for this quilt and some quilters have been participating in a quilt-along (you can see their progress here on their blog). Are you tempted to join them? If you were going to make just one block which one would you choose?
DECEMBER 18, 2016
While technically not a quilt (it is lacking a layer of batting and only the border is lined), this fabulous example of borderie perse just had to make it into the line up of quilts this year. Borderie perse was a technique popular at the end of the 18th century and into the early part of the 19th century. Different floral motifs were cut from roller printed chintz, carefully arranged to create new designs and either appliquéd with a needleturn technique or with a fine buttonhole stitch around the motifs to a ground fabric. And there are many examples where borderie perse has been used as part of or as the whole design on quilts.
Both yesterday’s quilt, and today’s, are very large works, and this one was likely worked on one large piece of ground fabric, so you can imagine the effort it took to handle the piece as she was working. Ashcan Goodwin was the daughter of a wealthy Baltimore merchant. The museum has wonderful provenance on this quilt including notes on Achsah written by her daughter:
“My mother [Achsah] was a very superior woman, possessing strong sense, sound judgment, great dignity, remarkably self-possessed . . . . She suffered from cutaneous disease . . . most frequently [she] beguiled her weary hours of sickness by designing and laying out fancy spreads in which she displayed beautiful taste.”
A wonderful large flower motif is created through the placement of elements to form floral garlands that in turn surround a central motif. The overall design is a testament to her exquisite taste and sense of aesthetic. The delicate little bouquets that are set at the inner intersection of each of the “petals” add just the necessary touch to elevate the sophistication of her design. Take them away and you miss them. That’s the sign that they are needed!
DECEMBER 17, 2016
If yesterday’s quilt was an example of visual simplicity, today’s is an example of visual abundance, and is considered a true Baltimore album quilt. Fine and skilled needlewomen worked on this quilt. The appliqué is done with white thread that is barely visible! Many of the fabrics were extremely expensive at the time, and most examples of Baltimore Album Quilts show little sign of wear or use, leading historians to posit that the were intended as extravagant gifts or showpieces.
I am blown away by the amount of reverse appliqué. In the vine border the small leaves have small slits of red peaking through. Second row down and second block in, the basket/vase is composed of unbelievably thin strips. So many layers, so much to look at. I have fallen into a state of wonder looking at it. The undulating vine border resolves so beautifully and consistently around the corners and the stepped red triangles balance beautifully to the squares in the sashing (aren’t the “arrow squares” at the edges of the borders a neat element?!) and the whole composition. Bound with a thin green binding, this quilt invites a cup of tea and a long study. You will find plenty of close up pictures on the Museum’s website to inspire more awe!
If you could possibly pick a favourite block, which one would it be?
DECEMBER 16, 2016
To know me is to know I have a particular fondness for tulips (there is a chance that there might be another tulip example later on!).
The quilter of this masterpiece deftly worked balance and scale with complexity and simplicity, as they integrated the tulip motifs into this design. The sweet buds work to add counterweight to the outer border (which is divine by the way). Her perfect resolution of the corners of all the borders is a testament to her patience and skill. Those squares on point sitting beside the inner border between the tulips add an elegant addition to the composition. And oh … the colour combination with that hint of cheddar, sigh … one more quilt for the “quilts I would love to make” list.
What elements about this quilt make your heart sing?
