Description:
A dark blue, twill-woven, wholecloth wool quilt made by Ruth Winn Abbott (1796-1871) of Woburn, Massachusetts, who married Samuel Abbott (1789-1855) in 1816. It is likely that she made the quilt in anticipation of, or shortly after, the 1816 marriage. The quilt measures 88 inches in width and 98 ¼ inches long. The worsted face fabric was glazed and is still visible, imparting a dark sheen that serves to highlight the quilting stitches, which are executed in matching dark blue thread in a scalloped or clamshell pattern, averaging seven stitches per inch. The backing is pieced with five different kinds of plain wool cloth, suggesting a reuse of older, more serviceable fabric for this area that was not visible when used on a bed. The backing fabric could have been woven domestically. The wool batting between the face fabric and batting was dyed blue to blend with the face fabric in a planned accommodation for future wear and tear (matching batting was less likely to call attention to any holes that developed in the face fabric). The face of the quilt is comprised of three selvage widths of the dark pieces each 29 ½ inches wide. Examples like this reveal the simplified, geometric, and repetitive quilting patterns seen on whole cloth quilts by the early 19th century, as other forms of decorative bed coverings, including white embroidered coverlets, became more fashionable. The Abbotts were the great-grandparents of the donor. Wholecloth, wool quilts, named for their use of whole widths of fabric to construct the tops, were a common type of bedcovering made and used in New England during the 18th century. While serving a decorative purpose, imparting a similar shine to wool as is inherent with silk, glazing also helped to serve as a decorative backdrop to quilting designs, which were set in relief against the shiny surface. Finally, a glazed wool surface added a modicum of protection for the face fabric against stains or soiling.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+87.014 |
