Historic
American QuiltsHistoric
American Quilts
Log Cabins, Crazy Quilts and Utility Quilts Quilt Tip: Log Cabin Quilts started to be made after the Civil War. In those days, silk and cotton were often the material used. Around 1880, women started on the Crazy Quilt craze to show off their embroidery and embellishment skills. After 1900, many Crazy Quilts were made from wool and became utility items to keep folks warm. Included here are other utility quilts made with wool and even upholstery materal . Few of these were actually quilted because of the weight of the material.
636 "God's Eye" String Quilt, ca 1900, 70x79. Sort of a log cabin because it is pieced onto a foundation (machine and hand pieced). The black, solids and plaids are challis, henrietta, and poplins and other wool combinations, as is the backing. The quilt is unusually lightweight for a woolen quilt of this era. The maker had a wonderful sense of color and contrast, and the whole is very graphic. The binding is a separate piece of black. Excellent, excellent condition....a significant quilt! $950
542 Log Cabin Straight Furrows, ca 1900, 70x76, Gerke Westerhuis family, Wisconsin. There is a gold and brown double border with paisly binding. The centers are the color mauve instead of the usual red. The back is mauve paisley---a very fashionable color of the day.There are some lightened spots on the border as in the third photo. It is hand-pieced and quilted in parallel lines at 6st/in. This is an unusual quilt with some very interesting vintage prints and would look great at the bottom of a bed or tossed on a chair. There is no fabric damage. $550
601 Log Cabin Light and Dark, dated 1914 and 1917, 71x81. The mostly wool fabrics have very nice colors -- log green, purple, black, cadet blue, cocoa, orange velvet, and several perky plaids and some figurals. Turkey track embroidery covers every seam, and this gives the appearance and feel of quilting. There is a striped flannel backing, and another piece of flannel acts as the foundation. The binding is rather frayed. I haven't a clue as to the symbol in the green up there by the dates. One navy patch has worn through to the foundation, otherwise the fabrics are all good. $250
525 Log Cabin, Courthouse Steps, 68x76, late 19th century, Pennsylvania. Attention log cabin quilt lovers and collectors! This is an unusual log cabin in that the centers are large and the strips are quite small. This arrangement gives the adjacent strips a lozenge-like appearance.There is a wonderful variety of fabrics in brown, red, yellow, lights, greens, blues and grays. Both large and small scale prints were chosen for the centers, as well as red. The backing is a red and white weave, and all four sides of the top and bottom have 6-inch borders. The quilt is also unusual in that it is quilted at 5-6st/in along all the strips. The fabrics in this are still firm and there are no obvious stains. $650
396 Double Log Cabin, Barn Raising and Straight Furrows, 1870-1920, 71x81. This is a lovely graphic quilt with dark pieces blending into each of the two patterns. The center of austere colors is bordered by multicolored vibrant reds, blues, and yellows. All are wool and in excellent condition. The backing and binding (wraps around) are a decorator's print with olive and yellow flowers on a coral background.The piece is quilted at about 6 st/in. in squares. It is in excellent condition and would be very dramatic as a wall hanging or on a bed. $850
468 Log Cabin, Courthouse Steps, ca 1885, 66x86, Arkansas. This is a somewhat free-wheeling log cabin quilt, with a broad range of fabric eras. There are plaid weaves, Garibaldi prints, a few madder prints and many figural prints. Notice the idiosyncratic placement of the red strips in the close-up above. This is quilted with thick thread at about 7st/in through rather thick batting. The backing and binding are white. Having repaired a few seams, I can attest to the fact that this is a marvelously cozy quilt and just the right size for snuggling into while in a chair near the fire. Very good condition. $875
374 Spider Web Quilt, 1880-1910, 79x85, Wisconsin. Nine webs, 26 inches in diameter, shout at you in graphic splendor. Each is composed of wool twills, jacquards and woven plaids in multi-colors surrounded by turkey track embroidery. The surrounding fabric is an interesting tan and red coarse satin weave. The backing is a beautiful red satin weave. Quilting is 7-8 st/in in red thread in diagonals and contours on the webs. The pencil marks are still visible. Excellent condition (one fabric has wear, but there are no stains), and there is a hanging strip. This is an unusual and very eye-catching quilt, perfect for hanging. It is not a crazy quilt nor a log cabin, but has the feel of those two types of quilt. $700
578 Mennonite Nine Patch in Octagons, ca 1910, 81x81. This is an attractively arranged utility quilt with lots of red accenting the darker colors and includes stripes and plaids. The border is a lightly quilted faded brown. There are loose running stitches to keep the three layers of the body together, including the backing of plaid flannel. Pink turkey track embroidery outlines the outer octagons, and yellow outlines the inner. This is very well designed and executed. It has a few minor moth holes. $450
593 Mennonite Square in a Square with Triangle Border, ca 1900, 60x80. This is a lot of fun.Wonderful bright colors of wool and rayons. Because of the rayon, this is lighter than most utility quilts, however it still does have several moth holes. There are many different embroidery embellishments in gold, tan and pink yarn, plus the ties that hold it all together. The coral (may have been red) backing is flannel. The kids would love to take this with them to the park. $350
600 Four Patch with Sashing, 20th Century, 68x80. You will need a car or a cart to carry this one off. It's made of rather rough-textured upholstery fabrics and is very heavy. The backing is flannel. What is nice about it is the teal green and salmon color scheme throughout. Another person used their ingenuity and artistic sense here. The fabrics are all very solid. This would be able to withstand a Civil War reenactment, including a major battle, over it. (Yes, I know it's not the correct period, but who wants to put a Civil War era quilt on the ground?). $125
All White Quilts and Coverlets