Description:
Wholecloth blue, glazed plain weave wool (tammy) quilt made from four vertical panels (each panel 23-24" wide) with an overall, quilting design consisting of stylized, scrolling flowers and leaves with a half-feather border stitched in blue and olive worsted thread, approximately 7 stitches per inch (spi); two knife edges and two front-to back finished edges; a golden orcher, plain weave wool backing that may also be imported, or woven domestically; 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. Wholecloth quilts were a common type of bedcovering made and used in New England in the 18th century. In addition to providing warmth, these objects displayed the skill of the woman or women who stitched them. Although derived from England, New England wholecloth quilts developed their own styles of quilting patterns, and appear much more frequently than imported versions. Although out of fashion by about 1800, these kinds of quilts were made and used well into the 19th century. Linda Eaton, Director of collections and Senior Curator of textiles at the Winterthur Museum (May 14, 2011), notes 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. Quilt scholar Lynne Z. Bassett has pointed out that a yellow color was actually specified by household advise expert Lydia Maria Child in her book "The American Frugal Housewife" (Boston, 1829) for "linings of bed-quilts, conforters, &c." Yellow dye was inexpensive and easly obtained, and the ocher color presumably hid dirt and bedroom stains better, and faded less than other colors."
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+F.575 |
