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| Flower pot block from the upper left corner of the quilt |
Liz, one of my Blogger friends from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, suggested I blog about the quilt blocks from the Album with Lyre Medallion, so today I'm starting with four exquisite flower pot blocks seen in each of the four corners of the quilt. These blocks are facing sideways when the quilt is hanging upright, so I've turned them upright for easier viewing.
Mary Couchman Small (1800-1863) of Martinsburg, Berkeley County, West Virginia made this quilt around 1850. It was a mother-daughter project. Mary's daughter, Harriet, who was about 14 at the time, made
a second quilt using the same fabrics, many of the same block designs, and same technique. In October, I
blogged about both of these quilts and their connection.
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| Flower pot block from the upper right corner of the quilt |
The family lived on a farm, approximately 100 miles west of Baltimore. I was surprised to learn that they lived on a farm. The quilts seem to speak more to a life of affluence and refinement than to my idea of life on a farm. It's not a scrappy, utility quilt. The fabrics were most likely purchased new, and the handwork is extremely fine. I was less surprised to learn about the family's proximity to Baltimore. The quilts are clearly related to the tradition of Baltimore Album quilts. They've been called "country cousins" - but I think that's selling them a little short.
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| Flower pot block from the lower left corner of the quilt |
The four flower pot blocks include a variety of flowers and fruits - lilies, roses, bluebells, apples, cherries, lemons, strawberries, and even a pineapple! While the surrounding white background fabric is densely quilted with a free-form style of echo quilting, most of the applique is not quilted, which creates an effect almost like trapunto. Fabrics include a fairly common over-dyed green floral print, cheddar orange, an "oxblood" maroon or burgundy, and a lavender floral print.
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| Flower pot block from the lower right corner of the quilt |
One of my favorite details about these four exquisite flower pot blocks is the delicate chain stitch embroidered stems, so finely done you almost need a magnifying glass to examine them, and the stitched detail at the undersides of the apples. The tiny applique stitches are also pretty amazing. Thank goodness for macro photography!
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| Macro view of cherries and apple with embroidered embellishments |
So, Liz - thank you for the suggestion. I always love spending time with this quilt, and I hope you enjoyed the four flower pot blocks. This quilt is never boring for me, and I'm glad other people are as intrigued with it as I am. Will post more soon!
Gorgeous blocks...thanks for sharing. Do you know what type of farming the family did or how large the farm was? There were many wealthy farmers in the Maryland/Pennsylvania area which would have make it possible for the families to afford fabrics like these.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what type of farming they did, but it would make sense that they had crops because the farm was located on a rare piece of flat, riverbed land amidst the mostly rocky terrain in that area of West Virginia. According to the West Virginia Quilts book by Fawn Valentine, "The Small property in Berkeley County lay on the Warm Springs Road, about three miles north of Martinsburg, the site of a modern General Motors plant." I corresponded with Fawn about it, and she's the one who told me it was rare to find such a nice piece of flat, rich land in that area. If they grew crops, it would make sense that they made trips to Baltimore to sell produce, and that might explain how the family would've been exposed to Baltimore Album quilts.
ReplyDeleteI'm thrilled about this quilt! There are so many comments I would like to make, starting with the unbelievable workmanship. The applique stitches are invisible which is remarkable for a quilt that has been so densely quilted. You would think that all that quilting would pull on the applique to reveal its stitching. The quilting is so dense and so tiny. Do you know what kind of needles were available at the time? The colours and condition of the fabric look as fresh as fabric on our shelves today. Finally, have you seen these patterns used in other quilts. Were they commercially available or did the ladies design them themselves. I truly admire so much about this quilt. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Liz! Thank you for the inspiration. I've meant to take better detail shots of each block for a while, and you've given me a good reason to do that. Wish I could tell you what type of needles were used, but I don't know the first thing about needles. I tell my friends that if I start fooling with sewing needles, I'd probably end up losing a lot of blood from my poor fingers. I've seen similar patterns, but it would be difficult to say if the patterns were published. Other than the Godey's Lady's Books of the Civil War era, I'm not aware of other published sources - and I haven't really looked at the Godey's books yet. In the West Virginia Quilts book, there are references to similarities with other quilts. Generally, the heart with berries, lyre, Christmas cactus and other motifs are seen in Baltimore Album quilts, but the way these elements are depicted in these two West Virginia quilts is a little bit of a departure.
ReplyDeleteBill,
ReplyDeleteThis is truly an inspiring quilt for me. I have been designing applique quilts for some time. I mostly get inspired by antique quilts and love to draw. Combination of those two really works for me. I am going to have to share some of my applique designs with you.
The workmanship is this quilt is exquisite. The amount of quilting around the applique is what makes it shimmer.. Oh.. you have inspired me so much!Thanks!
Someday I will make it to one of your exhibits.
Hi Bill, she's a beauty alright. I imagine with such dense quilting, the quilt must be quite heavy? You are fortunate indeed to own such a treasure.K
ReplyDeleteThanks you for these pictures!! It is really marvelous to study these blocks more closely. I look forward to more pictures of blocks from this quilt. No country cousin in my opinion - its a fabulous quilt on so many levels.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the detailed info - these blocks are so beautiful. It's great to have some background on a vintage quilt.
ReplyDeleteSujata - glad this quilt inspires you, and I'd love to see your applique designs. Kate - it's not really heavy. The quilt is very thin with thin cotton batting. I haven't weighed it, but also haven't noticed it being any heavier than other quilts. Everyone else - I'll take some more pictures and do another blog tomorrow. Seems like a subject people enjoy, and that makes me happy. :)
ReplyDeleteLooking at the whole quilt is awesome but seeing a close up of the blocks is really fantastic!! What an amazing quilt!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Lori. Even though I've lived with this quilt for the last four years, I'm still amazed by it. In my way of thinking, that's what makes it a great work of art. I plan to bring it along to the Quilter's Affair in Sisters next summer, where I'm doing an evening lecture. Will try to pull out all the stops for that event. Sharing the bill with the Gee's Bend quilters is a very big deal for me. Hope you'll be there!
ReplyDeleteWell, I nearly burned the house down! I had the kettle on, while I perused the quilts in your blog, then I got sucked into the details of the hand quilting ... and I forgot about the kettle! We are so easily distracted by the beautiful. Thanks, Bill.
ReplyDeleteOh no! I hope everything is OK. I was thinking about you because draft 2 of the book is done, ordered, and as soon as I get it I'll send you a copy.
ReplyDeletefolkalicious fun - and the quilting is to die for. Thanks for the close ups.
ReplyDeleteThe applique, the quilting, the colors, the pattern are all awesome.
ReplyDeleteI could not find an e-mail address for you, so I will link you via my comment. I have used a block design from your quilt and did a post on my blog today showing it.
ReplyDeletehttp://karen-logcabinquilter.blogspot.com/2016/09/wonky-world-antique-quilt-and-book.html
Thank you for the inspiration.