American Quilts

  Who doesn't love a quilt. A cold, winter night, snuggled by the fire, wrapped tight in the quilt great grandma made many years ago.

   When you look at a quilt, even two with the same design will be different, each carrying a bit of the person who made it, along with som signs of the time it was made, like types of fabric, prints, etc.

   There are many different types and styles of quilts, so how do you know what you are looking at, tell age, or, for that matter, if it is even old? Nothing is fool proof, but here are  some things to look for.

       1. Signed/Dated- Up until about 1830, inks had iron salts, so the inks may be faded and fabric around very worn. From the 1840's-70's, stamps/stencils were used with indelible inks. Later, embroidery would again be used.

       2. Fabrics- Older quilts would have been made from homespun. A little later, worsteds, linens and linsey woolseys were used. If the fabric has prints, you might identify by the style of the print. Also, the prints would have been made by woodblock (characteristic: overlapping colours) until the early 1800's. After which, came roller printing.

      3.  Stitches- A characteristic of the American quilt is the running stitch. The backstitch was used in Europe. The tinier the stitch, the better. By the mid 1800's, the sewing machine was used by some, so just because a piece looks machine made, that does not mean it isn't old. Like anything, the more you search, the more you learn.

    There are also a number of designs for quilts. A few of the more recognizable are:

           Liberty Quilt-1776-1830- Central eagle, often surrounded by stars. If the number of stars happen to match the number of states in the Union at a given time, this can further assist in dating.

          Log Cabin Quilt_1850-80- Popular. First made of mohair and worsted, then cotton and challis and later, probably during Victorian times, came silks, satin and brocades.

          Silhouette Quilt_1860-80- usually had rows of designs. Might include profiles, flags, schoolhouses, etc.

          Centennial-1876-1900- Patriotic in designs, dating is no problem, as they will be in a prominent place.

     When we see quilts displayed today, in many cases that's how they function as well, as a display. They may hang on a wall, be draped over a quilt rack (a modern piece of equipment), or neatly folded in an old cupboard. Our ancestors would look at this as foolishness, as a quilt was made to be used and used well. Some might have

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