Double nine-patch pattern, c. 1929. Surprising placement of one light blue diamond amid the dark blue ones.
Top: Plain-weave, twill-weave and crepe wool and rayon. Ninepatch blocks are multicolored and alternate blocks are turquoise. Large open blocks at center are red. Inner border's diamonds are blue with purple bordering triangles and red corner squares. Outer border is Navy blue with red corners. Binding is green. Wool batting.
Back: Blue & white printed plain-weave cotton, machine-joined in 3 widths. Blue motifs are circles and scrolls. This is likely one of the largest scale prints used on Lancaster Amish quilts.
Quilting: Black cotton thread used, with some quilting at outer border done in carpet thread. Pieced blocks have crosshatching, turquoise open blocks have pumpkin seed flowers. Large red open blocks have 6-point stars and echo-quilted toward the center w/ 3 lines. Inner border has pumpkin seeds in diamonds and chevrons in triangles. Red corners have 2" hearts. Outer border & corners have scrolling feathers with scallops on inner edge.
Initialed "D. B." in satin stitch in back corner. America Hurrah states maker was Dorothy Beiler and family history says it was made c. 1929.
Provenance
Purchased by Esprit in January of 1982 from America Hurrah, NY for $8,000
Hung in the Production area of Esprit. Exhibited in 1990 at DeYoung Museum.
Linnea Davis states: "quilt apparently was used extensively. Likewise, it was dry cleaned and steam pressed. It has old stains and repairs. The backing shows evidence that the quilting was extensively re-done. The batting now is slightly bearding through the entire quilt surface." Davis removed Velcro strips and made tiny repairs, including overlay of tiny fractured 9-patch square in green silk/rayon with green silk crepeline. Dyes transferred from front to back via stitching. Separation at seam of two joined square patches
