05 March, 2014

Bar Quilt

I found this Bar quilt in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania several years ago.

Such quilts are not uncommon, however, this one is a bit unusual as it has bars on both sides.
The bars on each side do not line up exactly.
 It appears to have been quilted from the pink and blue side.
The bars were sewn together by machine and then hand quilted.
One side for spring and summer, the other for fall and winter?  :-)
 The pink and blue bars on the front of the quilt are colors often used for quilts made by the Pennsylvania Dutch, especially those in and around the Lancaster County.  The quilting designs in the bars include arches, diamond grids and chevrons stitched to fit within the pink and blue bars on the front of the quilt.  The bars on the back, in two shades of brown, do not line up with the bars on the front.  Browns and blacks are also common prints found on the back of Pennsylvania Dutch quilts and it is not uncommon for the back of their quilts to be strips of fabric aka bars.

The quilt measures 82" x 82".

The bars, front and back, were machine sewn.  The quilt is entirely hand quilted.
The quilting is done by hand; overall there are approximately 8-9 stitches per inch.  The quilt appears to have wool batting - the loft that shows off the stitches being the main clue since there are no tears in the quilt to actually see the batting.  Holding the quilt up to the light reveals that the batting has thick and thin areas similar to what I have seen in my own hand combed wool batting.

The binding was done by wrapping the back to the front and hand stitching.  It is a narrow binding of approximately 1/4" inch.

Overall, the quilt is in very good condition.  The fabrics would indicate it was probably made in the last half of the 19th century. 
This is just one of the quilts from my collection that will be going up for sale over the next several weeks.

This is just one of the quilts from my collection that will be going up for sale soon.
It is amazing how long it takes me to get good photos and write up descriptions for these things.
More items and information will be posted soon!

Happy Quilt Collecting,
Greta

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