Pieced

Pieced or patchwork quilts using simple shapes were among the earliest American designs, derived from the English patchwork tradition. As fabrics became more affordable with mechanized textile production, more complex quilt designs proliferated. Simple squares, triangles, diamonds, and hexagons still formed the basis for most of the designs. Some patterns were especially prevalent in this region; others exhibited here are simply regional examples of patterns seen throughout the United States.

Popular designs represented in this exhibit are Framed Medallion, Eight-Pointed Star, Hexagon, Colored Strips Alternating with White, and Block.

Made by Temperance Ann Money Benson (1816-1885)

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Quiltmaker Unknown

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Made by Elizabeth Willis Kennard (1808-1871)

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Quiltmaker Unknown

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Made by Rebecca Ellen Davenport Blackwell (1790-1831)

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Made by Ludwell Harrison Goosley (1754-1813) and her daughters

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Made by Mary Tayloe Lloyd Key
(Mrs. Francis Scott Key) (1784-1859)

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Probably made by Frances Boltz Woodward (1800-1834) or Cynthia Sheppard Snyder (1806-1887)

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Made by Amelia Heiskell Lauck (1760-1842)
and/or Eliza Jane Sowers Lauck (1812-72)

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Made by Martha Elizabeth Harris Harris (1814-1892)

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Made by Mary Maccubbin Waters Waters (1817-1864)

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Made by Octavia Jerusha Mannakee Williams (1834-1897)

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Video: Pieced Quilts

What you see are a number of very handsome furnishing chintzes, that is, fabrics that were intended for home furnishings, and then alternating with these beautiful and exquisitely stuffed areas where you have grapes, and carnations, and other flowers.
-- Alden O'Brien, DAR Curator of Textiles and Costumes