The Cottage Orné Quilt

The Cottage Orné Quilt
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Tuesday 28 January 2014

Two Folk Quilts

Browsing through Pinterest this morning I found this image -



There was no information attached to the pin, but then I found it again on a group I follow on Facebook this time with details.  It is to be in an exhibition on 14th April entitled "Common Threads: Selections from the Textile Collections of the Goschenhoppen Historians, the Mennonite Heritage Center, and the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center." Both the Mennonites and the Schwenkfelder will be holding concurrent exhibits featuring quilts, needlework, clothing, personal accessories and household textiles dating from the late 18th to the early 20th centuries -- all Pennsylvania German in origin. The Schwenkfelder is located in Pennsburg PA www.schwenkfelder.com and the Mennonite Heritage Center in Harleysville, PA www.mhep.org. 

I would love an opportunity to view this coverlet, it is unquilted so not a quilt.  As soon as I saw it I thought of the Darowen coverlet which I blogged about a while ago, which I think is one of the most amazing pieces of textile folk art.



At first glance they both seem to have a rather wild format but on closer inspection you can see that this isn't so and that some thought has been given to the placement of the pieces.

The first coverlet is thought to have been made in south eastern Pennsylvania and is owned by the Goschenhoppen Historians in Green Lane, Montgomery County, PA.  I wonder who made it and if, like the Darowen coverlet, it was made by more than one person, three sisters, the daughters of the Vicar of Darowen?

This type of textile is quite rare, but when one comes up I find them uttering intriguing.  They look as if everything has been thrown into the mix and they are interesting to study on many levels.  I have had the pleasure of examining the Welsh one closely and it had quite a profound affect on me.  I delved into it's history and visited the place where it was made.  I would love to see the Pennsylvanian one up close but have to be content with just this image!




4 comments:

Jan said...

I, too, noticed this quilt on Pinterest this morning. Thanks for the information re: the upcoming show. I live about 6 hours' drive away but my parents live nearby. Perhaps April would be a good time for a visit!

audrey said...

Ooh, these are fabulous! Wouldn't it be a wonderful project? Love these!

Unknown said...

Thank you for such interesting & informative blog posts and for documenting so many different quilts. I dip into your blog from time to time and then gorge on back posts. (I've tried to add a comment but have always been thrown out as being a robot - I have a daughter to hand this time.) Sorry to hear about the unhelpful response from the museum curator but I know from experience that academics often don't value blogs. I would love it if you would have a look at my blog http://www.addisonembroideryatthevicarage.co.uk

Lynne said...

Yes, I have 'captured' these quilt images too - they really are wonderful and look quite contemporary, don't they? Thanks for posting this with all the information,