Funky Kentucky Beauty - Pictures

My funky Kentucky beauty arrived today, and I thought I'd share a few pictures. It appears the quilt top was made in the 1860s or 70s and finished closer to the turn of the century. The red fabric used in the blocks is what I'd call a "Turkey" red, with a faded, slightly bluish appearance. The fabric in the border is a deeper, warmer red, not as faded, and looks like a later synthetic-dyed red.

It has wonderful sunburst cornerstones and a very interesting machine-quilted grid design, which is unusual in this type of quilt. The overall condition is fair. It has large stains in a few places, and a few popped stitches, but it has held together well over the years.

The binding is about 1/4" wide, turned from the back to front. The fabric is a check print, slightly finer weave than similar fabrics seen in earlier quilts. I think it's from the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The binding is also done with machine.

Although it wasn't being sold as a cutter, I consider it to be a rescue quilt because of the condition issues.  Somehow, it maintains all of its integrity despite condition. The quilt is a work of art, meant to be preserved. All at once it is visually sophisticated, folky, and a great cultural relic.