Quilt, Pieced and Appliquéd ABC

Date1851

Maker Sarah Keplar

OriginAmerica, Pennsylvania (probably)

MediumPlain and printed cottons with cotton embroidery threads

Dimensions84" x 70" (213 x 178 cm)

Credit LinePartially funded by The Quilt Conservancy

Object number2007.609.2

DescriptionThis is a rectangular pieced and appliquéd quilt. The centerfield consists of 48 pieced eight-pointed stars in red, green, and yellow, arranged in crossing lines and surrounded by an inner border of mirrored alphabets and the signature line "SARA KEPLAR 1851." The outer border features appliqued birds, flowers, and trees. The birds are enhanced with supplementary cotton chain stitch embroidery in their eyes, wings, feet, and tail feathers. The quilting in white areas is worked in 8 running stitches per inch in floral, undulating feather designs, and triple parallel lines. The quilt is backed in plain white cotton. The scalloped edges of the quilt are covered in a strip of green cotton.
Label TextThe artist's naïve interpretation of motifs favored by Pennsylvania coverlet weavers sets this quilt apart from other appliquéd quilts. The outer border consists of birds and flowering tree motifs that are evocative of the popular distlefinks (thistle finches) and homs seen on many Pennsylvania figured and fancy woven coverlets. The birds are enhanced with supplementary cotton chain stitch embroidery in their eyes, wings, feet, and tail feathers. The centerfield of forty-eight stars is surrounded by an inner border of mirrored alphabets and the signature line "SARA KEPLAR 1851." Original pencil lines for the quilting pattern are still intact, the quilt having rarely if ever been washed.
ProvenanceThe previous owners of the quilt were told that it came from Pennsylvania.