Description:
Wholecloth, plain weave wool (tammy) quilt in brown (now faded to gold) quilted in a matching linen or worsted thread with a border of undulating feathers with six-pointed stars inside curves, a repeating scalloped feather pattern in the center, and evenly-spaced, diagonal parallel lines throughout the quilt; a coarser-woven natural-colored wool or wool and linen backing; and undyed wool batting. In the 18th century, a plain weave wool with glaze was referred to as a tammy; a twill weave wool with glaze, a shalloon; a 4:1 broken twill weave (aka the shortest float satin weave), a calamanco; and a plain weave wool with no glaze was referred to as a camblet. These terms are found in Norwich, England, sample books. The wool face was probably originally glazed given the evidence of "lines" or concertina-like folding of the wool fabric into the press where it was subjected to extreme pressure and heat through the press boards. Cleaning eliminates the glaze, but the press folds remain. Linda Eaton, Director of Collections and Senior Curator of Textiles at the Winterthur Museum (May 14, 2011), notes that wool glazing was probably not done in this country in the 18th century given current knowledge and that most evidence of glazed wool comes from England. Winterthur Museum has tested some glazed worsted fabrics, and the presence of an additonal substance such as gum has been detected in some samples suggesting that glazing may have occasionally required more than just heat and pressure of the press. While serving a decorative purpose, glazing might also have added some degree of protection for the face fabric against stains or soiling. Often, when the quilting thread was the same color as the face, the quilting could have been done from the reverse side to better see the stitches. This can be determined sometimes if the quilting stiches are slightly shorter on one side than on the other. Either linen or worsted thread was often used for quilting. Linen prefers a more aklaline environment, and when used with wool, tends to degrade; worsted thread with quilted wool textiles tends to last in good shape. 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. Quilts such as this example not only provided warmth, but also displayed the skill of the woman or women who stitched the pattern. Derived from England, New England wholecloth quilting patterns developed their own unique designs by the middle of the century, and appear much more frequently than imported versions. Although out of fashion by the end of the 18th century, these kinds of quilts were made and used well into the 19th century. This quilt is currently on the quilt frame (HD 2004.45) in the Williams House.
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+F.020 |
