An Upcountry Legacy: The Black Family Quilts
Laurel Horton, Seneca, SC
History:
Mary's "Save All" is an example of a family
of patterns today called "Rob
Peter to Pay Paul." These patterns became popular during the late-nineteenth
century and were published under many names during the twentieth. The
common element is the basic design unit of a square from which a quarter
circle appears to have been removed and replaced with a contrasting fabric.
The particular pattern name, "Save All," and the phrase "no waste in material"
support one of the traditional values associated with quiltmaking: thrift.
The pattern name and the label suggest that thrift is the predominant value expressed by this quilt, but the construction and materials tell another story. The visual appearance of the pattern is deceiving: the convex piece cut from one fabric square looks like it might be used in another block, but this is not the case. The quilt maker must add quarter-inch seam allowances on all sides when cutting templates for a pattern. The addition of seam allowances to both the concave and convex parts of the quilt pattern results in two curved edges that no longer match. The maker could still place the templates relatively close together when cutting the fabric, but the claim of "no waste in material" is not entirely accurate.
Making a quilt can express thrift in a number of ways, but it is rarely the only factor. The cotton fabrics in Mary's quilt are all of good quality, with the weight and scale of the printed patterns typical of late-nineteenth-century fabrics manufactured in New England's textile mills and shipped to southern dry-goods stores. Spartanburg County did not develop into a major textile-production center until the end of the century; this quilt contains no local materials.
The pattern name and the label suggest that thrift is the predominant value expressed by this quilt, but the construction and materials tell another story. The visual appearance of the pattern is deceiving: the convex piece cut from one fabric square looks like it might be used in another block, but this is not the case. The quilt maker must add quarter-inch seam allowances on all sides when cutting templates for a pattern. The addition of seam allowances to both the concave and convex parts of the quilt pattern results in two curved edges that no longer match. The maker could still place the templates relatively close together when cutting the fabric, but the claim of "no waste in material" is not entirely accurate.
Making a quilt can express thrift in a number of ways, but it is rarely the only factor. The cotton fabrics in Mary's quilt are all of good quality, with the weight and scale of the printed patterns typical of late-nineteenth-century fabrics manufactured in New England's textile mills and shipped to southern dry-goods stores. Spartanburg County did not develop into a major textile-production center until the end of the century; this quilt contains no local materials.
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