Quilt, Pieced Mennonite Center Diamond with Sawtooth Edge

Date1920

MediumCottons

DimensionsOverall: 82"× 82" (208.3 × 208.3cm)

Credit LineGift of Roberta and Ken Solar

Object number1983.609.1

DescriptionQuilt, almost square, pieced from bold red and green in a pattern of a large center diamond with sawtooth edges, set within a square, also having sawtooth edges. In the center of the quilt are satin-stitched initials reading "FLB" and the date "1920". Quilted with 7 to 8 running stitches per inch in a pattern of multiline cables, undulating feathered vines, hearts, grids, and following the outlines of the piecing.
Label TextMennonite Sawtooth Diamond Quilt; made by mother of Frances L. Bieler; cotton; Ephrata, Pennsylvania; 1920; 81 ½" X 80 ½"; 1983.609.1.

The sawtooth variation of the Center Diamond pattern boldly showcases two contrasting solid colors of cotton, yet the finely executed quilting designs, including hearts, undulating feathers, and cables, add subtle decorative appeal. According to the oral history told to the donors, the quilt was a wedding gift from her mother to Frances L. Bieler, whose satin-stitched initials and the date 1920 are worked at the center of the diamond. The quilt was said to have been made about 1900 and given to Frances at the time of her wedding twenty years later. The quilting must have been completed after the embroidery was done, as the quilting is carefully worked around the initials.

Two-color quilts with elaborate initials embroidered at the center of a Sawtooth Diamond have been attributed to Mennonites in northern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, especially in Elizabeth and Warwick Townships. Ephrata, the presumed home of this quilt maker, shares a border with Warwick Township. Although Amish quilt makers in Lancaster County occasionally pieced in this design, they typically used wool and omitted the signatures.
MarkingsEmbroidered in bright green cotton thread in satin stitch in script letters in the center is "F L B/1920."
ProvenanceRoberta and Ken Solar