All cotton quilt, on point blocks have pieced 8-point star blocks that alternate with blocks of a woven pattern blue with a grid of white lines. Stars are small scale floral print of pink with tiny white flowers. White ground is a very loose weave composed of multiple pieced panels. White outside border is 11" wide on one end and 7.5" wide on the other three.
Hand-quilted with white thread in a small scale grid aligned with blocks.
Back is a loose weave arranged with wide strips of white alternating with strips of a large, bold red print of branches and large flowers. Six white strips are 8.5 - 9" wide; 5 printed strips and 7.5" wide. Back is brought forward to front to created binding. Thin battiing.
Inscription: On front quilt corner is "HM6? handwritten in ink.
Overall fading and deterioration, especially in pink floral print which is consistently riddled with small holes where white flowers have deteriorated. Some small holes in blue fabric, 1/8"-1/4" big with fraying. General soil, scattered stains and acid burn, especially at fold lines and borders, as well as sections of back..
Friendship quilt of white cotton, both top and back, with names of church members handwritten on it. Nine-patch variation blocks on point are made of dark red and white and alternate with white blocks. Dark red fabric has a small-scale print of flowering vine in black. Outside border is 7.5" wide on all four sides. Little or no batting; narrow binding is back brought forward. Quilt patterns includes triple cable in border with variety of motifs within each white block.
161 S. Main St., Shrewsbury, York County, Pennsylvania
Names handwritten by one person in ink. Four names within each 9-patch block and the remainder within the half-blocks at perimeter.
Quilt was made by the Reformed Church congregation in Shrewsbury, York Co., for their pastor, Rev. Hiram J. Hillegass. Hillegass was raised in Coopersburg, PA and was graduated from the Lancaster Theological Seminary. Presented to Rev. Hillegass reportedly as a farewill gift, probably c. 1907, by his Shrewsbury church congregation as he was taking a new pastorate at the Mechanicsburg (now Leola) church, Salem U.C.C. of Hellers, Lancaster County. Hillegas served 1895-1907 in York Co. and the congregation wanted to be remembered by this quilt signed with all 363 names of the members (handwritten list by Jean Hillegass, in file).
Provenance
Passed from Hiram J. Hillegass to son Russell to grandson Harold (donor). Harold and Jean are selling their home and retiring to Masonic Village, so wanted to find a good home for quilt.
Two small (3 1/4 x 4 1/4) portrait photos of both Rev. Hiram J. Hillegass & Mrs. Hiram (Euphemia Kern) Hillegass in file. Taken perhaps around their time of marriage. Also in file is clipped signature of H.J. Hillegass.
Lancaster Amish quilt is a Center Square pattern, c. 1920. Notable because of added corner blocks. Although Center Square pattern is considered early, the usd of turquoise, the added corner blocks and the simpler and less fluid quilting patterns suggest a later date.
Top: Plain- and twill-weave wool. Turquoise inner border makes a striking tonal statement, making the quilt much brighter than the previous three.
Back: Black-and-white plain-weave cotton chambray (a pain-weave cotton having warp and weft threads of different colors, in this case, black and white). Chambray is frequently used as backing for Amish quilts.
Quilting: Center if filled with waffle pattern. Inner border has cable with a 7-petal flower at each corner, a later and less common inner border pattern. Outer border has basket quilting (usually associated with the 1920s and 30s). These baskets appear to be fruit-filled with coiled handles, creating a more interesting pattern than mere basket outlines. Corners have fine wreath quilting.
Near Peach Bottom, southern end of Lancaster County
Provenance
Esprit purchased from the Holsteins for $10,000 on 6-12-80. Robert Bishop writes that the quilt came from a farm near Peach Bottom in southern Lancaster County (Amish: The Art of the Quilt).
Lancaster Amish quilt is a Diamond in the Square pattern, c. 1900. The classic quilting patterns and subdued colors all suggest an early date. Consistency of elegant quilting (done in black) suggests a small number of very skilled quilters.
Top: Plain- and twill-weave wool. Turquoise diamond with purple triangles. Inner border is red and outer border is gray-tan. Purple binding; some pieced, is machine-sewn to front and whip-stitched to back.
Back: Blue-and-white plain-weave cotton chambray. Machine joined in 4 widths
Quilting: Black thread. Center Diamond has an 8-pointed star, double-lined, within two feather circles/wreaths. Cross-hatching fills corners and a scallop row is at outside edge. Triangles have cross-hatching. Inner border has pumpkin seed flowers within diamond geometric pattern. Outer border is filled with tightly scrolling feathers.
Provenance
Esprit purchased from the Holsteins for $9,000 on 6-12-86
Lancaster Amish quilt, Diamond in the Square pattern, circa 1925.
Top: plain- and twill-weave wools. Maroon center diamond and turquoise triangles. Inner border of the same maroon. Outer border of gray-blue. Red binding is 1 1/2" wide. (The turquoise wool dates from the 1920s or later.)
Back: plain-weave cotton with a gray-and-white twill-print. Two different fabrics joined; a narrow strip of darker print was used along one edge. This type of fabric is commonly used on backs.
Quilting: Diamond has a large feather wreath with large 8-point star centered within with 8 additional small stars surrounding star. Outside corners have a grape-and-leaf design and outer edges are lined with a row of scallops. Turquoise triangles of square have a rose and tulip branch pattern (normally seen on later quilts). Inner border has "pumpkin seed" flowers within a diamond pattern. Outer border has scrolling feather motif with a pair of 8-point stars centered at two sides only. A row of scallops lines inner edge.
Provenance
Esprit purchased from Phyllis Haders for $9,000 in May of 1984.
See file for Esprit condition report for details: small moth holes and worn areas. Additional holes/worn areas noted. Also light stains scattered over surface. Back has some large areas of light brown stain.
Lancaster Amish quilt, Diamond in the Square pattern, circa 1925.
Top: all twill-weave wools. Red diamond is on a square of dark blue. Both diamond and square have a narrow border (3 3/4" wide) of the same purple. Dark blue binding is 1 1/4" wide.
Back: Black sateen-weave cotton, four pieced panels.
Batting: Many sections of wool batt laid side by side, causing visual and textural changes to the front fabrics.
Quilting: Diamond has large feather wreath with an 8-pointed star centered within and double-stitched foliate motif in outside corners. Triangles of center square have branching tulip-and-rose design. Both inner borders have the same triple-stitched cable motif and 10-petal flowers in corners. Outer border has curving feather design with additional feather strips filling in where possible. A row of scallops are on inner edge, next to inner border.
Provenance
Esprit purchased from Bettie Mintz of Bethesda, MD in Feb. 1984 for $9,500.
Issued as U.S. postage stamp, August 9, 2001. (Samples in Esprit file). Featured on cover of Esprit book "Amish: The Art of the Quilt."
See file for Esprit condition report for details: small moth holes and worn areas. Additional holes/worn areas noted. Also light stains scattered over surface. Back has some large areas of light brown stain.
Lancaster Amish quilt, Diamond in the Square pattern, c. 1925. This classic wool quilt is pieced from a pleasing selection of intense colors that might have been used earlier in the century, but the rose motif quilting suggests a date of mid-1920s or later.
Top: Plain-and twill-weave wool. Diamond of light red (24" square) has narrow purple border and outside the turquoise center square is another purple border. Wide outer border of deep red. Binding of gray-blue is 1 1/4" wide. It has machine stitching with white thread on front.
Back: Printed plain-weave cotton is maroon with tiny white motifs.
Quilting: Within a large feather wreath is a large center 8-pointed star surrounded by 8 smaller stars. Corners outside wreath have floral quilting. Triangles of square have a branching tulip and rose motif. Both inner borders have a grapevine pattern not common until the late 1920s and 1930s. Outer border has usual feather quilting that is less dense than usual, so additional floral device helps to fill in space: two small 9-petal flowers are stitched between feather ends at the center of each side of outer border.
Provenance
Esprit purchased from Edward Brown of San Francisco for $5,200 on April 7, 1981.
See file for Esprit condition report. A 1/2-inch patched hole on wide red border is near center area. Many small, scattered stains and soil are especially visible in turquoise triangle and red outer border. Scattered small holes on front and back of binding. Prominent dark liquid stain on backing.
Lancaster Amish quilt, Diamond in the Square pattern, c. 1925
Top: plain-weave wools. Center diamond of purple is on a square of red triangles. The inner border repeats the same purple with corners of the same red. The outer border is a muted medium blue with corners of the same red. The binding is very dark green.
Back: blue-and-white plain-weave cotton chambray.
Quilting: Diamond has a large feather wreath encircling a multiple-line 6-point star within and unusual 3-branching flower with 6-petal blooms outside in each corner. Triangles of center square have branching rose and tulip motif. Inner border has "pumpkin seed" flowers within a diamond pattern. Corners have a ring of four tulip-like flowers. The four sides of the outer border each have four S-scrolled feathers with a C-scroll at each end. Corners have a well-executed compote of fruit.
Former label: "Wool absorbs dyes in an especially concentrated way, providing Lancaster Amish women with their particular lush palette. They characteristically balanced large, starkly geometric designs with elaborate, curvilinear quilting designs. While all of the quilting designs on this fine Diamond are from the standard repertoire, they have been selected from the fanciest end of the spectrum. Notice, especially, the floral urns in the large red squares."
Provenance
Esprit purchased from Kiracofe and Kile of San Francisco for $6,000 on June 9, 1981.
See existing Esprit condition report for numerous clusters of small moth holes and some soil. Most significant moth holes are in blue outer border, many of them about 1/8 inch dia. In addition are two 1" to 1.5" smears of light liquid soil near center of diamond.
Lancaster Amish quilt, Diamond in the Square pattern, c. 1925.
Top: plain-weave wools except for twill wool binding. Center diamond is dark blue henrietta cloth, once used in the maker's dress.** Center square is gray; inner corner is salmon with light red corner blocks; outer border is purple(?) with blue corners. The 1-1/4-inch binding is heavy blue twill.
Back: green twill-weave cotton flannel.
Quilting: Large feather wreath in diamond with waffle interior and unusual double-stitched floral motif in corners. The triangles of the inner square have a branching rose-and-tulip motif with double-stitched stems; also included are two small poorly spaced stars filling in a few corners, flanking two opposing points of the center diamond (4 total). Inner border has pumpkin seed flowers surrounded by a diamond pattern. Corner blocks have a 5-petal flower. Outer border has scrolling feather pattern with a small flower added in each corner.
String tag, now removed, states quilt was frozen 05/12/92.
**Esprit book (Amish: Art of the Quilt) quilt caption claims that the maker's daughter recalled the fabric of the center diamond as "the dark blue from my mother's dress." (No maker's name, however) The label continues: "The Lancaster Amish use the term "henrietta" to describe a variety of fabrics, but it usually refers to the fine wools they favor for their quilts. Lancaster quilts are most often square and symmetrically arranged, almost always ranging from 72 to 88 inches square."
Provenance
Esprit purchased from the Holsteins for $8,500 on June 12, 1986.
Existing Esprit condition report details various stains, fading, very fragile fraying in center blue, etc. Highly significant, visible problems such as (1)shredded, fraying areas of blue center (2) orange stains of large corner block and (3) large area of fading within outer border, lighter stains in dark areas.
Lancaster Amish quilt, Diamond in the Square pattern, circa 1925, embroidered initials "IL." Lively combination of the typical Amish palette.
Top: plain- and twill-weave wool. Blue-green diamond with dark red inner border has purple corner blocks. Triangles of square are nearly olive green. Inner border, 4" wide, is wine red with purple corner blocks. Outer border is blue-green with wine red corners. Binding is dark purple, 1 1/2" wide.
Back: blue plain-weave cotton. Initialed "IL" in pink cotton cross stitch in corner, similar to the following quilt.
Quilting: Diamond has a large feather wreath filled with a large, multilined 8-point star. Outside corners have "pumpkin seed" designs. Border of diamond has undulating grape and leaf motif. Triangles of center square have the branching rose and tulip motif and the inner border repeats the grape and leaf motif of the previous inner border. Outer border is filled with scrolling feather design extending through corner blocks.
Provenance
Esprit purchased from Edward Brown of San Francisco on July 9, 1881 for $5,300.
See existing Esprit condition report for one 1/4" tear near binding and stains/soil. Additional dark brown stains noted near above hole in outer border, as well as tiny hole alongside above hole. Long tide lines of light brown liquid stains throughout one side of back indicate liquid.
