QUILTS & FABRIC: PAST & PRESENT


Wednesday, September 19, 2018

The Problem with Plaids #2


Quilt #1
By Sarah Lucille Jones, Haughton, Louisiana
Louisiana Project & the Quilt Index

Yesterday I posted these quilts and swatches in a discussion of plaids. Looking at information about the maker and her home gives us insight into regionalism and sources for woven cotton plaids. 

Quilt #2
Augusta Mathilda Hoffman Schimmel, Princeton, Wisconsin

Quilt # 3
From eBay dealer in Southmont, North Carolina, 
Davidson County, not too far from Alamance County, well known for its plaid factory.

Quilt #4
By Elizabeth Salter Smith, Georgia,
Collection of the National Museum of African American Culture & History

Quilt #5
An Acadian cotonade quilt from Louisiana.

Can the style tell us where the quilt was made or where the
fabric was woven?

"Muslin Duck" woven in the Amoskeag Mills in Manchester, New Hampshire
Fabric A


Japanese indigo plaids
Fabric B

Fabric identified as Alamance County, North Carolina.
The bottom plaid is supposedly from the Holt Mill there in 1853. 
Fabric C

Fabric D
Sample book in the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
from Manchester England, 18th century.

It would seem that a woven plaid in isolation, whether of fine yarns or coarse, could have been woven anywhere, anytime. The quilts may offer us more clues to regionalism by subtle characteristics of style.

Online auction, probably early 20th century when plaids and checks were hot.
Don't know a thing about it, except it's cool.

1 comment:

  1. Elderly neighbor has pickle dish quilt that is 90%
    Plaids, we live near Ga/Alabama line, I sent pictures to an appraiser I used last year for an Amish quilt, she seemed to think fabrics were late 1880-90 with backing from WW1 because of a print on the cloth(Ace of Aces). The family has had the quilt in a chest for years, colors are very vibrant, thought you might like the pictures Togo along with your plaid blog, will be glad to email them, thank you,
    Marie Roberts
    Meggin85Polly89@gmail.com
    Lindale,Ga

    ReplyDelete