1866 - 1900 "One Patch" Pieced Quilt Top

The maker of this quilt top, who is unknown, used samples of many late nineteenth-century-fabrics. The quilt top was part of a donation to the Smithsonian by G. Ruth McHenry in 1961. It may have been in the family of Jane Winter Price, who made a “Carpenter’s Wheel” quilt that is also in the Collection.

The quilt top, pieced in the one-patch “Tumbler” or “Flower Pot” pattern, is made of many printed cottons, over 500 different patterns. Nineteenth-century geometric, floral, and polka-dot roller printed cottons are well represented. Both printed and woven striped, checked, and plaid fabrics also contribute to the design. Novelty roller-prints such as dogs’ heads, scallop shells, horseshoes, and ribbons-and-bows can be found on the quilt top. The variety in fabrics makes the quilt top a useful object for study.

Currently not on view