Where have I seen that quilt before? (1)

The French expression "deja vu" translates to "already seen" and is meant to express the uncanny feeling of recollection. Sometimes people look at the quilts in my collection and think, "Deja vu!" Chances are, they have already seen the quilts...but where? 

This mid-19th century floral applique quilt was one of the most memorable discoveries of the Kentucky Quilt Project, America's first statewide quilt documentation project conducted in the early 1980s. 

The quilt, made by Mrs. M.E. Poyner of Paducah, Kentucky appeared in several exhibitions and publications since it was unearthed. It was part of "Kentucky Quilts, 1800-1900"-- the first book published by a state quilt documentation project. It also appeared in "Passionate About Quilts" by Shelly Zegart.

The quilt traveled extensively with the "Kentucky Quilts" exhibition when it belonged to Hardin Pettit, an avid collector of Kentucky folk art and Americana. It later belonged to Shelly Zegart, and was on tour with the "Homefront & Battlefield: Quilts & Context in the Civil War" exhibition when I acquired it from Shelly. It was also in the catalogue. 

The quilt's latest appearance is in the new book, "Inspired Free-Motion Quilting: 90 Antique Designs Reinterpreted for Today's Quilter" (2018, C&T Stash), co-authored with Mandy Leins.

The best part about having a quilt collection is sharing the quilts, even if it seems like oversharing. People worry about oversharing in 2018. It's a thing. I never worry about it with old quilts. I want everyone to see them, even if some folks saw them before. The quilts may be old, but it never gets old looking at them.