DECEMBER 23, 2015
Tree of Life, made by Mary Jane Jackson Mason, Cedar Creek, Texas, l880. From Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin, Texas Sesquicentennial Quilt Association, Texas Quilt Search. Published in The Quilt Index.
From the curatorial notes: “Quilt reflects superb needlework. Florals are appliqued with a perfectly even small buttonhole stitch. This “Tree of Life” design may be an original one. It mixes cherries, a pear, perhaps, or grapes, and contains both leaves and a root ball. Fine embroidery connects the fruit, leaves, and tree root ball to the tree trunk. Karey Bresenhan speculates that the quiltmaker may have had Czech roots, which are common in parts of Texas.”
This quilt has a striking colour combination and is a lovely variation on the red and green quilts of the period. The brown in this quilt was originally brown and not a fugitive green faded to brown. What a unique, bold example of American folk art. Bravo for originality!
DECEMBER 22, 2015
Pine Tree (aka Tree of Paradise), maker unknown, West Virginia, c. 1880, cotton, 79″ x 90″. Collection Stella Rubin.
A carefully thought out and meticulously executed example of the Pine Tree pattern, this quilt is truly a masterpiece. I love how she has taken the “leaves” of the trees and used them in the cornerstones of the sashing. If you look closely, each of the cornerstones carefully mirrors it’s opposing mate in the design, with the centre one being unique and holding that bit of red right in the middle. Exquisite! The bold, dynamic border is, as Stella says, the “ultimate frame.”
And it can be yours. Find all the details on Stella’s website here.
DECEMBER 21, 2015
The Willow Tree Quilt (Tree of Life), maker unknown, c. late 18th, early 19th century, cotton, 84″ x 86″. Collection of Bill Volckening.
Bill Volckening describes this quilt “as a monumental example of early American Whitework. … It is all white, stuffed work, and includes a centre medallion with a large weeping willow tree. The tree is framed with laurel, surrounded by flowers and grapes, with a border that resembles the architectural detail of a cornice. ” Bill wrote a wonderfully detailed article about the symbolic significance of the willow tree on the Why Quilts Matter blog. And less than a year after purchasing this quilt, he found it’s twin. You can read more about it on his blog.
What I love about this quilt is the loose composition of the outer border and the whimsical nature of the flowers in it. The denser design at the bottom weights the quilt visually and balances the slightly heavier area of grapes and leaves in the upper left area above the tree. The design and execution of the tree and placement of branches truly gives it visual depth and a lifelike quality. As Bill said, a monumental example! And those dots in the outer border … sigh! (It is true. I have a fondness for dots!)
DECEMBER 20, 2015
Tree of Life, Made by mother of Miss Sally Bohannon, Greenville, Tennessee, c. 1850-1875, cotton, 90 ½” x 76”. From Tennessee State Library and Archives, Quilts of Tennessee. Published in The Quilt Index.
The sashing and borders on this quilt are so lively. Double rows of Wild Goose Chase form the inner sashing and two shorter borders. The two longer borders are triple rows of Wild Goose Chase where the colour choices and placement produce a shaded effect. This gives an entirely different look to these two borders and generates a remarkable feeling of calm for this otherwise busy design. A very effective treatment.
All of the blocks have the same arrangement of elements and gesturing of branches and leaves , with the exception of the upper right block. This block is definitely part of the quilt’s charm, but also makes me wonder what the story is behind it!
DECEMBER 19, 2015
Where do I begin? Those tulips steal my heart!
This a masterful composition with bold trunk and branches balanced by delicate leaves and berries. It remains a striking quilt, despite the fading of what was likely a fugitive green fabric.
Embroidered stems attach the berries to the branches. Square grid pattern on point for the quilting was used, which changes to simple diagonal quilting through the trunk and branches. And an eight line quilted cable anchors the design at the bottom. Oh and did I mention those tulips?
Sigh! I think she had fun making it!
Oh man those … tulips!!!
