This Nine Patch Crib Quilt measures 33″ x 46″ and is in excellent condition. Each Nine Patch block measures only 3″ square and the patches are just 1″.
The quilt has a total of 59 Nine Patch blocks and was created with a straight set. This crib quilt dates at c.1890.
The Mill Wheel crib quilt measures 31″ x 43 1/2″ and has a 4″ two-piece patchwork block. This crib quilt was hand stitched and hand quilted using scraps for the curved wheel patches. The border measures 2 1/2″ wide on both sides, 2″ for the top border, and 1 7/8″ for the bottom border. The backing is pieced and is brought forward to form the binding around the quilt.
Fabrics found in the Mill Wheel crib quilt include several tan prints, brown prints, pinks, and a pink and white tiny stripe with sprigs. These fabrics are often found in fabrics from the 1830s-1850s era. The border fabric is an aqua printed with blue and yellow. This print dates to the 1830s-1860s.
The Mill Wheel patchwork block is an old pattern of unknown origin. The patchwork block was identified by Carrie Hall in The Romance of The Patchwork Quilt (page 84, No. 22). Unlike this Mill Wheel patchwork, the block is typically worked in 2 alternating colors showing a positive/negative effect.
The Mill Wheel crib quilt was made in the mid-1800s in old Frederick County, Virginia by Mrs. Jett. The Jett family lived nearby and operated a large general store and post office in Cedarville, Virginia.
The rare Mosaic one patch hexagon doll quilt top measures 24″ x 34″. This Mosaic patchwork block is also known as Honeycomb and was a popular pattern in Colonial times. The pattern was described in Godey’s Lady’s Book in 1835.
The Mosaic doll quilt top was hand-stitched using hexagon-shaped paper templates. The paper templates were hand-basted onto the fabric patches so the paper was held in place. This technique uses a paper template as a guide for each cotton hexagon patch.
The Mosaic quilt design was popular in America in the early 1800s. Many times, the hexagon-shaped patchwork units were created by using paper templates. This Mosaic piece used this technique and the paper templates were constructed with recycled paper.
Looking closely, one can see the handwriting in sepia-colored fountain ink on most of the hexagon paper templates. Other paper pieces have come from a small print publication.
Each little hexagon measures only 1-inch across. The Mosaic designs were created by cutting 6 hexagon-shaped fabric motifs that were identical. Once cut, the hexagons were sewn together creating a kaleidoscopic design within each of the Mosaic patchwork units.
A number of the fabrics found in the Mosaic doll quilt top included ombre prints and multi-colored florals with stripes. Many vermiculate patterns and prints on light grounds are also numerous, as are plaids and stripes. Tans with reds, many browns, blues, and pink floral prints are also found in this Mosaic. These fabrics are from the early 1800s through the 1850s.
This Mosaic Doll Quilt was made by one of the Jett women in old Frederick County, Virginia. The Jett family lived in the area for more than a century and their home and businesses were a large part of the local community. They owned a large general store and post office in the 1800s-1900s on Zion Church Road near my home.
The Strippy Star antique scrap quilt was made in Virginia in the early 1800s and measures 92″ x 108″. The quilt has 32 patchwork star blocks measuring 9″ square. The patchwork stars were set on-point with large ‘filler’ triangles to create patchwork star strips.
The quilt was hand pieced and hand quilted. The body of this quilt is made with 5 whole-fabric strips that measure 8″ finished. There are also 4 strips of patchwork star blocks. Each star block measures 9″ square with a diagonal setting that measures 12 3/4″ finished.
The large size and style of the Strippy Star quilt is typical of quilts that were made before 1830. Many of the fabrics in this large quilt can be dated to this pre-1830 era. A number of the fabrics are glazed cotton prints. Some fabrics are multicolored prints on light grounds while other fabrics show brown ground with the bright floral prints.
This quilt contains thin cotton batting and it was quilted with straight lines to create the quilting designs. The straight-line quilting patterns forumed the geometric design elements (squares and triangles). This style of quilting was typical of pre-1830 quilts.
As seen in the above photograph, the quilted lines are all single lines, spaced 1/2″ apart. The solid-fabric strippy sections were quilted with triangular designs in flip-flop, or zigzag, fashion.
The patchwork stars were quilted in concentric squares. The outermost quilted line began in the center of each patchwork square. This outermost quilting line ended at the edge of the block when set on the diagonal. Using this symmetrical design, there were 4 concentric squares quilted for each patchwork star. The only gridded quilting in this entire quilt is at the center portion of each patchwork star, where the 4 concentric squares that were quilted all converged.
The backing of the quilt is a homespun-type cotton. The backing was pieced in 3 sections using fabric widths measuring 35″, 35″, and 21″.
The binding for this quilt was made by bringing a very small strip of the backing to the front.
Quilting is very uniform at 12 stitches per inch.
Collecting and restoring antique quilts came of interest to me in the late 1990s. Through the years, I have added to my quilt collection and have specialized in antique Virginia quilts. I hope you enjoy my photographic gallery of antique quilts.
Cake Stand, c.1870, 70″ x 82″
This quilt is composed of 32 pieced blocks and 31 plain white blocks, each measuring 8 1/2″ square. Along the top and bottom of the Cake Stand quilt, the orange border continues to the edge of the quilt in an uninterrupted fashion.
This quilt was finely quilted with 10 stitches per inch. A tulip and vine design are quilted in the border. These motifs are also found in the solid white blocks.
This quilt was purchased in Frederick County, Virginia.
Monkey Wrench, c. 1900, 60″ x 80″
This colorful quilt contains 35 Monkey Wrench blocks, each measuring 6 3/4″ square. The blocks are set with a 5 3/4″ sashing. The quilt backing is composed of a loosely woven unbleached cotton, like a homespun cotton. The binding was made by turning the quilt top over to the backing. Top and bottom bindings were hand sewn and the binding around both sides was machine stitched. The quilt was hand quilted using diagonal lines and the quilting stitches are not uniform.
The quilt was signed by the maker with cotton embroidery threads.
This functional quilt is in need of repair. More about this quilt can be read in the PAGE entitled “Repair & Restore: Giving Old Quilts New Life”.
