Baskets pattern quilt made by Amish woman Sarah Stoltzfus (b. 6/17/1923), circa 1939 when she would have been about 16 years old. This pattern is very unusual among the Lancaster Amish.
Pieced wool top blocks on point. Pink baskets of crepe rayon(?) on a field of green alternate with turquoise-blue blocks. Wide border of green and a binding of turquoise blue, turned front to back. Back is a blue cotton print with white dots. Cotton batting.
Hand quilted in black running stitch. Border has vining flowers, tied with a bow in corners. Turquoise blocks have an unusual circle fringed with triangle points and a triple-line cross within dividing it into quadrants. Basket blocks have cable, shell and parallel lines as well as a basket "handle."
Made by Sarah Stoltzfus for herself to go to housekeeping. Her mother chose the pattern from her sister and neighbor Katie Smoker Glick (wife of "Red John" Glick) and also purchased the fabric in stores in Intercourse and New Holland. Sarah's parents were John P. Stoltzfus and Amanda L. Smoker Stoltzfus. Sarah did all the piecing and most of the quilting w/ perhaps some help from her sister.
Note: This quilt is very similar to two other quilts (owned by Trish Herr and Jay & Susan Leary).
RD#1 Millwood Rd., Gap, PA 17527, Salisbury Twp.
Provenance
Sold by maker in 1988 to Tom Wentzel of Lititz, a dealer, who sold to M. Finkel & Daughter, dealers on Pine St. in Phila. (all transactions occurred in the same year). See 2004 fieldwork notes of Rachel Pellman.
Lancaster Amish quilt, Diamond in the Square pattern. Design of quilt is less complex than most (no outer corner blocks), suggesting a later date. Large size also supports a later date. The quilting is not dense.
Top: Plain-and crepe-weave wool. Red diamond with turquoise narrow border within a square of green triangular blocks having a turquoise narrow border and gray corner blocks (unusual light color choice for Lancaster Co. Amish). Outside border of green. Blue binding.
Back: Blue plain-weave polished cotton.
Quilting: Hand quilted in black thread, without the normal dense patterns. Unusual floral wreath in center diamond; pumpkin seed flowers in both narrow borders including gray corner blocks; 3-branching rose motif in triangles of square; good conventional feather scrolling in outer borders.
Provenance
Esprit purchased on 6-12-1986 from the Holsteins for $9,000.
Numerous holes/tears mended on binding at one corner and one within outside border. Multiple light stains or soil. Reverse has faded/bleached strip with accretion and a circular liquid stain.
Lancaster Amish quilt, Diamond in the Square pattern, initialed "VK", c. 1930. Large, square quilt, machine assembled. Pleasing combination of six colors with fine hand quilting.
Top: plain-and twill-weave wools. Center diamond of red has a narrow border of turquoise with olive-green corners. Dark purple twill of the center square also has a narrow inner border that repeats the same turquoise & green of the first inner border. Outer border of blue has pink corners. Hand-finished purple binding, one inch wide, machine sewn to front and turned and whip-stitched to back..
Back: Light pink, plain-weave cotton, sewn from four panels. Initialed "VK" in red cross-stitched cotton, back corner, similar to the previous quilt.
Quilting: Done in black cotton thread. Red center diamond has 3-ring feather wreath with double-outlined 8-point star centered within; tiny single feather wreath in corners. Both inner borders have the same meandering 5-petal flower & stem motif (instead of more common grapevine motif). Deep purple triangles of inner center square has waffle motif. Outer border has densely scrolled feather motif that extends through corner blocks.
See existing Esprit condition report. Pink corner squares quite faded. Very noticeable dark brown liquid spots/drips scattered over quilt. Backing has several dark yellowish-brown spots and a liquid stain in one corner.
Lancaster Amish quilt, Diamond in the Square pattern, initialed "LK", c. 1935. Herr notes the more open quilting patterns compared to the previous one suggests a later date.
Top: plain-and twill-weave wool. Unusually wide binding of 2"
Back: multicolor twill-weave cotton. Initialed "LK" in red cotton outline stitch along back corner edge of quilt, along binding.
Quilting patterns: Stitched with brown thread instead of the usual black. Center diamond has a large, beefy, multi-line, 8-point star, encircled by a wreath, with pumpkin seed florets filling the corners. Inner border has grape motif. Center square has the three branching flower with a rose at center and tulips at sides. Scalloping along outside of inner border. Outer border has scrolling feather throughout.
Provenance
Provenance: Esprit purchased from Kiracofe and Kile in San Francisco for $6,000 on Nov. 11, 1983.
See condition report of 7/17/13 by volunteer Emily Jones. Various light stains across quilt with several small holes at several places along perimeter. Also some fraying and fading.
Lancaster Amish quilt, Diamond in the Square pattern w/ Sunshine and Shadow variation, c. 1935. Unusual features.
Top: plain- and twill-weave wool. Multi-color S&S blocks including black. Unusual use of small blocks set on point, not on square; this renders visual patterns of large squares instead diamonds. Red triangles within square, teal inner border, forest green outer border. No corner blocks. Binding of teal?
Back: Black-and-white woven-pattern cotton; this fabric commonly used as backing on Lancaster Amish quilt backs.
Quilting: Crosshatching in centerfield; 3-branch roses in red corner triangles, loosely meandering grapevine in inner border (leaving lots of empty space); unusual rose wreath pattern in outer border.
Provenance
Esprit purchased from America Hurrah in Jan. of 1983 for $8,500.
Lancaster Amish quilt, Diamond in the Square pattern w/ Sunshine and Shadow variation, c. 1935.
Top: Plain- and twill-weave wool and cotton. Multi-color center diamond with S & S pattern has its own border with corner blocks. Quilt colors are green, pink, blue, red, grape and gray. Triangles are pale blue with scalloping along edge of center diamond; inner border of red with green corner blocks. Outer borders are grape color with gray corner blocks. Binding is red
Back: Handsome blue and red plain-weave printed cotton: small red motifs on blue ground
Quilting: Crosshatch S & S area; braided or cable pattern in green border with stars in corner blocks; 3-branch rose and tulip motif in triangles; flowers and vines in inner border with flower in corner blocks; outer border and corner blocks are filled with handsome baskets overflowing with fruit. Handles and rims are braided, repeating the same braiding of the green inner border.
Condition report done 7/13 by student intern E. Miller shows fading, streaks, stains scattered over the inner large triangles. One mended hole. Batting emerging through fabric throughout outer border. Significant fading in green fabric. Two places of seam separation within S & S blocks. See also Esprit condition reports.
Amish quilt with Diamond in the Square, Sunshine & Shadow Variation pattern. Classic colors and well-balanced arrangement of jewel-toned fabrics epitomized the look of Amish quilts desired by most connoiseurs. In addition to the multicolored center, the maker used 7 colors and added every possible border and corner block.
Top: Plain- and twill-weave wool. Multi-color S & S area has deep purple, blue, red and green with light rows in shades of pink (no black). Emerald green triangles. Inner border of red with emerald green corners. Binding of emerald green, machine sewn to top, turned and carefully whip-stitched to back with tiny stitches in black thread.
Back: purple sateen twill-weave cotton with stripes similar to damask. Machine joined in many pieces
Quilting: Elaborately quilted with black thread in tiny stitches. Crosshatch S & S area, large green triangles have particularly fluid branching tulips that fill the space well, with scalloped edge along center diamond; red inner border has grape vine done with veins, serrations and tiny tendrils, scalloped along outside edge and a flower in corner blocks. Undulating floral vines in outer border and corner blocks fill the space well.
Northern Lancaster County
Provenance
Esprit purchased from Jonathan Holstein 6/12/86 for $9,000. Quilt was reportedly purchased from an Amish family living in northern Lancaster County near the Lebanon Co. line.
One of six Esprit quilts chosen as a National Treasure by the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2007. This was part of their "Picturing America" project whose aim was to tell the story of America through its art.
Small white spot in corner block of inner border. Back has dark spots and streaking, with significant color loss and fading. Small 1 cm. snag on backing with nearby circular area of about 8 my. having tiny white specks. At opposite side is 2 mm. hole.
Condition report done 7/18/13 by student intern E. Miller and one by Linnea Davis in 1990.
Quilt, Diamond in the Square, Philadelphia Pavement variation pattern, c. 1935, made by Fanny Petersheim in her later years. Rayon fabrics were not commonly used by the Lancaster Co. Amish until the later 1930s. The large size of the quilt also suggests a later date. No corner blocks in quilt. Phila. Pavement design has an unusual arrangement of blocks, creating a visually exciting quilt. It is a combination of innovating block arrangement and an older traditional pattern.
Top: Plain- and twill-weave and crepe wool and rayon. Pavement pattern squares vary from 1.5 to 1.75 inches; often pieced imperfectly. Triangles of inner square are blue rayon crepe; inner border of red; outer border of green. One-inch binding is of the same red as inner border.
Back: Dark green pieced plain- and sateen-weave cotton and a light green wool.
Quilting: Crosshatch center; triangles quilted with a branching rose pattern (fabric and rose pattern suggest the late date of c. 1935). Also, scallop quilting at outer edges and a heart at both acute-angle corners. Inner border, 5 inches wide, has pumpkin seed flowers alternating with a zigzag pattern (unusual variation of the earlier traditional diamond and flower used in the inner border). Outer 12-inch border of green has feather scrolls.
Provenance
From maker Fanny Petersheim to unknown to dealer Stella Rubin of Potomac, MD, to Esprit. Purchased from Rubin in Aug. 1983 for $5,200.
Lancaster Amish quilt, Diamond in the Square-Sunshine and Shadow variation, circa 1935.
Top: plain- and twill-weaves, crepe wool and rayon. Innovative use of a large six-inch-wide olive green diamond surrounded by bright blocks inside and out. Two-inch blocks inside, set on square, have a color scheme that repeats outside with the blocks on point. Blue outer border is 12 1'2" wide. Olive green binding is 1 1/4" wide.
Back: black-and-white woven-cotton diamond-patterned material. Classic fabric used by Lancaster Amish quilters.
Quilting: hand-quilted waffle pattern throughout small blocks. Large green diamond border has robust curving grapevine. Outer border has fat scrolling feather motifs. An additional fill-in motif at the center of each side is a large round feather flower.
Provenance
Esprit purchased from America Hurrah Antiques on10-21-1983 for $6,500.
Lancaster Amish quilt, Sunshine and Shadow pattern, c. 1930. Large square quilt, machine assembled with hand quilting done in black thread now faded to brown. Classic S & S pattern but lighter palette than most.
Top: plain- and twill-weave and crepe wools, and silk. Inner small squares of many fabrics and colors, wools and silk, from black to white. Inner border is pink and outer border is blue-green. Binding is black, 1 1/4" wide.
Back: black-and-white woven-pattern cotton.
Quilting: Waffle quilting throughout center; inner border has "pumpkin seed" flowers within a diamond pattern; outer border uses S-scroll feathers with four C-scrolls filling in at corners.
Provenance
Esprit purchased from MSQ (?) for $1,200 in July of 1977, making it one of Tompkins' earliest quilt acquisitions.
See Linnea Davis condition report for detailed info. Esprit condition report also in file noting extensive stains, some holes. Additional prominent deterioration: shredding of all light-colored silk squares and some seam tearing at other fragile fabric squares.
Additional 8-1-13 condition report by Miller & Zercher.
