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Quilts Collection
(Selections)
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McKissick Museum houses over 75 quilts from the southeastern region
of the United States. Forty-seven of the quilts can be positively
dated.
Two were made prior to 1820; Twenty-nine were made between 1821 and
1900;
thirteen fall between 1901 and 1940; and two were made from 1941 to the
present. Piecework, appliqué, embroidery, and strip quilt
techniques
are all represented in the Museum's collections.
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Crazy Quilt,
1886
Sarah Elizabeth
Jones King; Griffin,
Georgia
Fabric (Silk,
Cotton, Satin)
Donated by Mr.
and Mrs. Marshall Shearouse
1995.04.61.01
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This
Victorian era crazy
quilt was pieced by
Sarah Elizabeth Jones King of Georgia and presented to her grandson, Emmet C.
King, on his twenty-first birthday. The quilt is made from
individual blocks of fabric pieces such as satins, silks and
velvets basted together.
Several
different sets of initials and female names are embroidered on
the quilt indicating that some of King's female friends also
contributed to the project. Embroidered in the center blue
square are the initials "ECK" and the dates 1865 and 1886
documenting the years of his birth and twenty-first birthday.
Crazy
quilts were very popular during the late nineteenth century,
especially with ladies from well-to-do families. Remnants from
silk ties and other fine fabrics were eagerly sought by women
to create their own quilt master-pieces.
Women's
magazines featured articles on crazy quilts with suggested
stitching patterns and design ideas. Because of these magazine
articles, many of the same symbols and motifs are found on
quilts from all over the country. Crazy quilts were seldom
meant to be used but were made primarily for decoration and to
show off a woman's handiwork and creativity. |
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Quilt, c. 1840-1850
Maker Unknown;
Lexington County, South
Carolina
Applique and
chintz, star pattern
Donated by Mrs.
Frances Gilliland
6.2104
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This quilt is composed of brilliant red and green pieced
calico stars that have been bordered by glazed chintz strips
of two different floral patterns. The precise star patterns
are composed of seventy-two individual pieces of fabric,
perfectly matched from star to star.
One of the
clues to the quilt's near perfect condition is the evidence of
the heavy gloss of the chintz glaze which still remains and
clearly indicated its unwashed status. The chintz patterns
often assists researchers in dating quilts, like this one, by
the pattern and method of printing. This quilt shows that
these fabrics were probably block printed, a practice used
until about 1840, because of the small, randomly-placed
registrations dots found throughout the fabric. |
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Quilt, 1945
Carrie Grate
Coachman; Georgetown,
South Carolina
Log Cabin
pattern, "Courthouse Steps"
Donated by Mrs.
Carrie Grate Coachman
1989.12.13.34
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For more information on McKissick Museum's quilt collection or other
parts of our permanent
collections, write McKissick Museum Collections
Manager Jill Koverman or call
(803)
777-7251.
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