Which hand quilted patterns were stitched in American quilts created in the 19th and 20th century? Nine common patterns seen by this quilt historian are described here.
1. Clamshell is one of the earliest patterns. They were on a whole cloth and stitched patchwork quilts allover the top or if the background between other quilting patterns.
2. Feathers were most common on pre war fancy and extensive quilts that were used on special occasions, or given as a gift. The ferry was not shaped like a bird's long-pointed feathers; they were short as a petal and rounded at the end. Feathered designs were stitched in a variety of motifs such as a garland, wreath, pineapple and heart. Feathered designs were often used on red and green front quilts created in the Middle years of the 19th century and Colonial Revival style front quilts created in the 20th century before the second world war.
3. Hanging diamonds squares were on point, often used in combination with feathered patterns. They can be great or small in size. They were stitched around to keep the store on front pieces and place in the area of the background of the duvet. Diamond the size of the transfer increased after the civil war and became the only quilting pattern on some patchwork quilts. Larger size diamonds are found on vintage quilts.
4. Another common choice for an all over pattern patchwork and utilitarian quilts is
a square grid. If the allover pattern were the squares large to larger in size. If the pattern of the background, they were less dependent on the patchwork or front pattern. Here again, a special quilt gotten smaller grids that the blank areas to keep hitting each other and layers properly filled.
5 & 6. Cables and chevrons were stitched in borders and sashing strips. Cables were connected curved "S" shapes vertically run on an edge or list. Chevron forms straight lines were "V 's" fill the width of the border in the form of a zigzag. One, two and three lines dwindling in size formed the cables and the chevrons. The two century quilt makers used these two patterns.
7. single and double parallel lines were usually quilted duvet on the diagonally across the whole or just in the borders. Pre War duvets could triple stitched close to each other in parallel lines, the background areas around appliques and borders. In the late nineteenth century women quilted also rules on front pieces. Single and double lines, line spacing, were further apart than previously quilts, stitched in vintage era duvets.
8. Fan quilting is also called elbow quilting thread because the quilter the range of her elbow to her fingers used to arc or fan shape. Methodist and Baptist been popular names for the Fan Fan Fan too, because it was quick and simple pattern for a group of women of the Church cross around a large quilting frame. In England is called the fan waves. The pattern was common later in the last quarter of the 19th and first half of the 20th century quilts, and is especially popular in the southern and southern Midwestern States. The fan was usually used on daily duvets.
9. the a quarter inch within the seam stitching was sometimes referred to as "quilting by the piece" or "in the piece" as a result of exactly how it turned out. This pattern was used occasionally from the nineteenth century, is never a common pattern to the late 20th century.
Kimberly Wulfert is a quilt historian, speaker and teacher, specializing in antique quilts and textiles dating. She has two easy quick charts for dating quilts made between 1775 and 1950 developed and they are portable to put in your wallet to shop. http://www.antiquequiltdatingguides.com
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