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Quilt 1979.609.2
Quilt, Amish or Mennonite Pieced Star
Quilt 1979.609.2

Quilt, Amish or Mennonite Pieced Star

Date1920-1960
OriginAmerica, Ohio or Pennsylvania
MediumCotton
Dimensions88" X 89" (223.5 cm X 226 cm)
Credit LineAcquisition funded by The Antique Collectors' Guild
Object number1979.609.2
DescriptionSquare quilt pieced in a "lone star" pattern from solid plain-woven cottons with green predominating, with additional piecing in yellows, reds, blues, pinks and greens. The piecing was done by machine. The hand quilting is worked with 8 to 9 running stitches per inch using dark brownish-black thread to form patterns that include undulating "feathers," hearts, curving leaves, circular feathered medallions, and tulips.The backing consists of five pieces of dark green cloth stitched together. Narrow binding.
Label TextNumerous variations of this dramatic central-star pattern exist. Usually called Lone Star, Star of Bethlehem, or Starburst, the designs originated in non-German-speaking communities but were later adapted by Mennonite and Amish quilt makers and executed in dramatic, solid colors.

A star pattern this large requires great precision to cut and piece, especially since the diamond-shaped pieces inevitably have stretchy bias sides. If the piecing is not done evenly, the star points will be irregular or the pieced section will not lie flat. It is even more challenging to piece a star quilt with a sewing machine, which was the case with this example. Amish and Mennonite women did not hesitate to acquire and use treadle sewing machines when the labor-saving devices became available in the nineteenth century. Although many women pieced by machine, they inevitably quilted by hand.

Block initials HL are quilted into two corners, but the identity of the quilt maker (or the recipient) is not known. Certain features of the quilt suggest a Pennsylvania Mennonite or possibly Midwest Amish origin. The bedcover is all cotton, not the fine wools used by most Pennsylvania Amish quilt makers; Pennsylvania Mennonites and Midwest Amish more often selected cotton for their quilts. The undulating feather quilting pattern in the bedcover is related to that used on Pennsylvania Amish quilts, but the hearts, large curving leaves, fanlike flowers, and bulbous tulips suggest a non-Amish, possibly Mennonite, origin. Finally, the narrow binding is more typical of a Pennsylvania Mennonite or Midwest Amish quilt; Pennsylvania Amish bindings tend to be wider.
MarkingsQuilted into both lower corners are the initials "H. L."
ProvenancePottinger-Walters Antiques