Quilt
PeriodCirca 1870-1880
Place MadeProbably Red Bank, New Jersey, U.S.A.
MediumSilk
Dimensions74.5 × 64 in. (189.2 × 162.6 cm)
ClassificationsQuilts and Coverlets
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Nazaire Jutras, 1967
Object numberT1974.222
DescriptionA quilt using a variation of the Flying Geese pattern, with a wide range of plain woven, striped, and figured silks in pastel, light, dark, and "drab" shades, with dark triangle patches arranged directionally, along the two sides and bottom of the quilt edges. The backing is cotton, with batting likely cotton. The layers are held with simple outline quilting stitches.NotesThis quilt was made by Monmouth County resident Janetta (Jennet) Louisa Van Schoick Patterson. Janetta was born in 1817 and married farmer Stillwell Patterson (1814-1892) on December 29, 1836. The couple had eight children including Amelia (1837-1914), Charles (1840-1923), George (1843-1863), Arthur (1846-1926), William (b. 1850), Judson (b. 1850), Frank (b. 1854), and Harris (1859-1935). Somehow, Janetta found time to create her quilts. After the Civil War, with the introduction of improved industrial production of silk dress goods, silk became popular for pieced quilts. Janetta's "Flying Geese" quilt uses dozens of silks, all appropriate for gowns. Many women saved their scraps from making clothing for family members, sometimes tucking the pieces away for years. It is not uncommon to find fabrics ranging over fifty years or more in a single quilt. The "drab" colors of some of Janetta's scraps, including the dull tans, browns, and greens, may date from the 1830s and 1840s perhaps inherited from an older female relative. The Association has a quilt made by Janetta's daughter Amelia Patterson Spinning (see accession number T1974.224.
Collections
ProvenanceJanetta (Jennet) Louisa Van Schoick Patterson (1817-1889) to her daughter Amelia Patterson Spinning (1838-1914) to her daughter Blanche Adele Spinning Smock (1875-1959) to Miriam King Babos Jutras (1917-2014)
