Doll Quilt
PeriodCirca 1870-1890
Place MadeNew Jersey, U.S.A.
MediumCotton
Dimensions15.5 × 11 in. (39.4 × 27.9 cm)
ClassificationsDolls
Credit LineGift of Kimberly Lawson Gibson, 2004
Object number2004.9.2
DescriptionA doll's quilt of various printed cotton calicos in a variety of dark and light prints, assembled in a 9 by 13 arrangement of 1 1/4" squares, all hand sewn. Backing is of plain white cotton with a very thin batting. a straight grain strip of printed cotton forms a very narrow binding around all four edges. Hand quilting, in large and irregular stitching, is a simple diagonal pattern.Curatorial RemarksThere are numerous hints that this small doll's quilt was made by a young girl, most likely using fabrics from an older female relative's scrap bag. Out of 117 blocks, there seems to be virtually no repeat of a pattern, although some of the brown, sepia, and orange prints may have been judiciously cut to use different parts of a pattern to appear unique. Stripes, small geometric repeats, small and medium florals, and spotted motifs in tones of soft brown, sepia, orange, ochre, pale blue, medium blue, soft pink, dull red, and tan, with a few plain white cotton blocks scattered among the prints. In general, the fabrics could possibly range from as early as the 1860s to the very late 19th century. Stripes and small florals are sometimes challenging to date, as these types of cotton prints were popular for decades. The blocks are hand sewn, as is the somewhat unevenly applied binding. On the back, the stitches of the diagonal quilting lines are uneven, seeming to indicate a young seamstress practicing her needle skills for a doll's quilt.NotesAccording to the donor, this doll's quilt and its accompanying crudely made doll's bed were both purchased at a Rumson garage sale.
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