Unfolding - Part 2 | Mingei International Museum
By

Olivia Joseph

Published

Jul 29, 2024

Topics

Previously we learned about Child/Doll, Charm, Early, and Feed Sack quilts within the collection. In this short essay, I explore the remaining quilting categories at Mingei that we have yet to unfold: the Log Cabin, Signature, String, and Unique quilts. My Quilt Research Fellow position is made possible through support from the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Log Cabin Quilts

Log Cabin quilts initially gained popularity around the time of the civil war and have remained popular to this day. Each individual quilt block starts with a center square and is bordered by a variety of fabric strips, sometimes arranged in a manner that creates a secondary pattern – apparent when looking at the quilt in its entirety. While the overall design of this quilt is in the Barn Raising style, the alternating light and dark colored secondary pattern in the Log Cabin quilt pictured below is a variation known as Sunshine and Shadows.

Unidentified Artist, ​“Log Cabin Quilt — Barn Raising,” c. 1870s. Wool, cotton on Centennial (Backing). Gift of Pat L. Nickols; Digitization made possible through the Quilter’s Guild of Dallas, Quilt Accessibility Project: Photo by Tim Siegert, 2012−35−130.
Unidentified Artist, ​“Log Cabin Quilt — Barn Raising,” c. 1870s. Wool, cotton on Centennial (Backing). Gift of Pat L. Nickols; Digitization made possible through the Quilter’s Guild of Dallas, Quilt Accessibility Project: Photo by Tim Siegert, 2012−35−130.

The individual quilt block itself is meant to resemble the ceiling of a log cabin and, in quilts, the color of the center block is often associated with particular meanings. Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center notes that red symbolizes the hearth of the home, yellow, the light from a cabin’s windows, and black, potentially a safe house – this association tends to be linked to Underground Railroad quilts and the quilt codes which existed in said quilts.

Signature Quilts

Signature quilts, also known as inscribed quilts, are textiles that have been signed by their makers or contain signatures by multiple individuals. These signings can be done in ink, cross stitching, and/or embroidery and have been helpful for researching the genealogy of individuals named in these quilts. Access to genealogical information – tracing family history and lineage – helps to pinpoint the origin or earliest known history of objects; information valuable in institutions such as the Museum, as it helps give voice to forgotten histories and allows audiences to gain broader understanding of specified topics. An excellent example of this quilt type is the following Baltimore Album quilt, an elaborate work, featuring several green and red appliqued designs. Applique is a quilting technique in which fabrics are applied to other textile surfaces by way of sewing.

Various inscribed quilts are known to have been given as gifts or in acts of philanthropy. They are textiles which can be made both with community or alone; while not always apparent, there are cases in which blocks, made by different individuals, are pieced together to make these elaborate quilts. The Baltimore quilt above is assumed to have been gifted as a wedding gift to a bride, however other examples of this quilt type include those that were sent off to soldiers – to provide warmth – in the civil war era.

Unidentified Artist, ​“Signature Quilt — Baltimore Album Quilt,” 1847. Cotton. Gift of Pat L. Nickols; Digitization made possible through the Quilter’s Guild of Dallas, Quilt Accessibility Project: Photo by Tim Siegert, 2012−35−165.

String Quilts

Emerging in the early 20th century – around the time of the great depression – String quilts are made with a variety of fabric strips and scraps. The fabric used in the construction of these quilts usually comes from the fabric scraps quiltmakers amassed from other quilting and sewing projects – making this quilt type ideal for those with big scrap collections.

Unidentified Artist, ​“String Quilt Top — String Squares,” c. 1880s. Cotton. Gift of Pat L. Nickols; Digitization made possible through the Quilter’s Guild of Dallas, Quilt Accessibility Project: Photo by Tim Siegert, 2012−35−213.
Unidentified Artist, ​“String Quilt — String Half Squares”. Cotton on Black Sateen (Backing). Gift of Pat L. Nickols; Digitization made possible through the Quilter’s Guild of Dallas, Quilt Accessibility Project: Photo by Tim Siegert, 2012−35−210.
Unidentified Artist, ​“String Quilt — Rocky Road to Kansas Variation,” 20th Century. Cotton on Flannel back (Backing). Gift of Pat L. Nickols; Digitization made possible through the Quilter’s Guild of Dallas, Quilt Accessibility Project: Photo by Tim Siegert, 2012−35−199.
Unidentified Artist, ​“String Quilt Top — Framed String Hexagon,” c. 1890s. Velvet, Silk, rayon. Gift of Pat L. Nickols; Digitization made possible through the Quilter’s Guild of Dallas, Quilt Accessibility Project: Photo by Tim Siegert, 2012−35−219.

In our last overview, we touched on a quilt type referred to as the Feedsack quilt. String quilts could very well be made with feedsack fabrics, especially considering the availability of fabrics at the time. That said, it should be noted that quilts can fall into multiple categories. In the collection, these textiles seem to be sorted according to the most obvious visual characteristics present – which can prove helpful for observing things such as time periods and trends of the time. In the case of string quilts, they are categorized this way because of their carefully planned pieced strips rather than by the fabric types utilized in them.

Unique Quilts

One of a kind in their design, Unique quilts may possess multiple traits associated with other quilting categories. Aspects such as block patterns, overall design, and textile type are all examples of elements which may contribute to the uniqueness of a quilt.

Unidentified Artist, ​“Unique Quilt — Sampler Variation (Quilter’s Stew),” c. 1890. Cotton on Thick (Batting) — Print (Backing). Gift of Pat L. Nickols; Digitization made possible through the Quilter’s Guild of Dallas, Quilt Accessibility Project: Photo by Tim Siegert, 2012−35−258.

Above is a unique sampler quilt – quilts made to be put on display, at times showcasing various pattern blocks examples. This sampler is interesting because of the wide variety of block pattern sizes used throughout the quilt. Small blocks are combined with bigger ones; and when observed closely, you can see various fabric strips utilized to fill the gaps between pattern blocks. Below, I have included other examples of unique quilts which may be of interest to quilt lovers and art lovers alike!

Unidentified Artist, ​“Unique Quilt Top — Split 9‑Patch Medallion”. Cotton, linen. Gift of Pat L. Nickols; Digitization made possible through the Quilter’s Guild of Dallas, Quilt Accessibility Project: Photo by Tim Siegert, 2012−35−256.
Unidentified Artist, ​“Unique Quilt Top — Unique Block,” c. 1860s. Cotton. Gift of Pat L. Nickols; Digitization made possible through the Quilter’s Guild of Dallas, Quilt Accessibility Project: Photo by Tim Siegert, 2012−35−278.

Explore More Quilts

Hand- and machine-stitched quilts display the great skill, ingenuity, and creativity of their makers. Examples include pre-Civil War, Amish, African American, Log Cabin, Red and White, Charm, and Album quilts, as well as a linsey-woolsey quilt from around 1800.

American Quilts
American Quilts
Log Cabin Quilt, Civil War Barn Raising, c. 1865, U.S.A., pieced and quilted wool. Collection Mingei International Museum, Gift of Pat L. Nickols; digitization made possible through the Quilter’s Guild of Dallas, Quilt Accessibility Project: Photo by Tim Siegert.