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Wholecloth; Whitework

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quilt

QUILT INDEX RECORD

16-12-325

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

DAR Museum

Who documented this quilt?

DAR Museum, Permanent Collection

DAR Number:

2580

This is a:

Finished quilt

Quilt's title:

Wholecloth

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Whitework

How wide is the quilt?

82 inches

How long is the quilt?

95 1/2 inches

Shape of edge:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

White

Overall color scheme:

One color/monochromatic

Quilt's condition:

Good/moderate use

Type of inscription:

Date; Initials

What is inscribed on the quilt?

MS 1818

What is the date inscribed on the quilt?

1818

Method used to make the inscription:

Embroidery

Location of inscription:

on back

Time period:

1800-1849

When was the quilt finished?

ca. 1818

Describe the quilt's layout:

Wholecloth

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

None

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

White

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

3

Width of pieces on the back:

9 1/2, 36, 36

Describe the back:

Same fabric used throughout

How is the binding made?

Front turned to back

What is the width of the binding (measure on the top only)?

less than a half inch

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Cotton

How thick is the quilt?

Thin (Less than 3/16?)

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Thread type used for the quilting:

cotton

Color of thread used in the quilting:

white

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

10

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

11

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Clamshell

Quilting designs used, decorative motifs:

Floral; Vines

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Parallel lines

Quilt top made by:

Speer, Mary

Where the quilt was made, city:

Mercersberg

Where the quilt was made, state:

Pennsylvania (PA)

Where the quilt was made, country:

USA

Describe anything about the history of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:

Donor history states this counterpane was made by Mary Speer in 1818, the year she married Thomas Brown Reynolds. Mary Speer was doubly related to James Buchanan, fifteenth President of the United States. His mother was her aunt and they were also related on the paternal side.

Why was the quilt made?

Wedding

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public-Other

Quilt owner's name:

DAR Museum

Quilt owner's city:

Washington, DC

Quilt owner's state:

Washington D.C.

Quilt owner's country:

USA

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Speer

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

DAR Museum

Details

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Cite this Quilt

Speer, Mar. Wholecloth. ca. 1818. From DAR Museum, DAR Museum, Permanent Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=16-12-325. Accessed: 03/29/24