Quaker Quilts and History: A New Quilt from an Old Friend

A Mid-Atlantic Quaker Quilt, 2012, detail.

Made by Lynda Salter Chenoweth. Collection of Mary Holton Robare.

Welcome to the blog, Quaker Quilts and History. Over time, I will be adding some of the information you might have seen on a previous blog (now defunct), "Quaker Quilt History," that I co-hosted with Lynda Salter Chenoweth. It feels somewhat indelicate to write so publicly about her recent passing, but I proceed because Lynda herself was forthright, open and always passionate about sharing research. While technical difficulties will not allow me to continue posts to our former blog, I decided to start this in honor of Lynda.

Although she was not a Quaker, Lynda was deeply immersed in the history of Quaker quilts and especially, the people who made them. So, it seems fitting for this first post to share the quilt she made for me, based on some of the historical Quaker quilts we studied.

Some of you will recognize the block I like to refer to as the "Apple Pie Ridge Star" at the top of this page. As much material has been researched and published about that quilt block pattern and its name, there is more coming soon! You can watch this blog for updates.

A Mid-Atlantic Quaker Quilt, full view.

Detail of Lynda's quilt showing, "Hidden Vase of Tulips"

Ever the historian, when Lynda recreated the "Hidden Vase of Tulips" pattern (seen above) she chose to make an accurate, non-symmetrical version based on a pattern drawn by Janney Lupton. Janney sketched the pattern around 1997 exactly as it was revealed after a block of circles on the Quaker Hollingsworth Family Quilt, 1858, was photographed from behind.

Hollingsworth Family Quilt, 1858, detail. Collection of the Winchester-Frederick

County Historical Society. Photograph by Barbara Tricarico.

We have yet to know why a block of circles was stitched over a perfectly good "Vase of Tulips" but speculation is that it had something to do with a mid-nineteenth-century Quaker disownment. We can explore that topic in future posts but for now, thank you for visiting this blog. I look forward to continuing exchanges with those of you who share an interest in historical Quaker quilts.

Notes:

Thank you to everyone who asked for a continuation of a Quaker Quilt blog.

Barbara Tricarico kindly granted me permission for unlimited use of photos she sent me of Quaker quilts, many of which were taken for the wonderful book, Quilts of Virginia 1607-1899: The Birth of America Through the Eye of a Needle (Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2006).

Many thanks to Cissy Shull and Sherry Jenkins of the Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society for access to the Hollingsworth Family Quilt, 1858, for so many years, lectures and research adventures.

All text and photographs on this site are by Mary Holton Robare unless otherwise noted.