Whole Cloth Quilt
Possibly made by
Molly Dewey in New York
Circa 1790-1810
88 x 80.5 inches
2005.046.0001E

While all quilts are susceptible to deterioration due to normal use, wool quilts have an additional adversary: the clothes moth.  It is a small insect that is about one fourth of an inch long and its scientific name is Tineola bisselliella.  Actually it is the moth larvae which damage woolen quilts by feeding on the protein in woolen fibers.  They are especially attracted to soiled fabrics and prefer dark, quiet areas.

All new acquisitions to the International Quilt Study Center are inspected for any signs of moth activity and vacuumed before being stored with the collection.  While vacuuming may eliminate some insects and destroy a portion of the eggs, it is not enough to eliminate them entirely.  

If live larvae are found, current recommended treatments for moth infestations include freezing the textile.  After wrapping it in muslin or acid-free tissue paper (to absorb any moisture condensation), the textile is rapidly frozen and left for at least one week to ensure that all moths, larvae, and eggs are killed.  Moth balls (volatile pesticides) are not recommended because they have proven harmful to humans.  

The production of woolen fabrics during Colonial and early American days was a time consuming task involving several steps, which took place in the homes of textile workers specializing in the various processes. Some citizens of the new republic were skilled spinners and weavers, but most had to rely on others to process the wool from their sheep.  For example, they might take their wool to one person to be carded, combed and spun into yarn.  Next, the yarn would be taken to another specialist to be woven into cloth.  Still a third specialist might be hired to dye the cloth.  In New England this was the typical state of textile production at the end of the 18th century.  The other option was to purchase fabric (largely imported) from mercantile shops. Wearing domestically produced fabric, however, was a source of pride and patriotism for new Americans.  While more money was spent on foreign-made textiles during the 18th century, within one hundred years, New England would become a major center of textile manufacture.  More than 3000 textile mills eventually developed throughout the eastern United States, producing both wool and cotton products. 

Joseph’s Coat (Mennonite)
Possibly made in Ohio
Circa 1920
86.5 x 74.25 inches
2008.040.0029

This quilt’s pattern and saturated, solid colors are typical of quilts made by Mennonite and Amish women.  Colors in Amish and Mennonite quilts usually reflect those used in their clothing because their quilts are made largely from fabric scraps left from sewing family clothing.  Their lives and dress are governed by their ordnungen, or “rules for living.”  These rules change over time and vary from one congregation to another, but generally dictate dress of dark, solid colors—blues, greens, greys, purples, blacks and browns.  Red, orange and yellow colors typically were forbidden for clothing, but allowed in quilts by some congregations.  Dressing in similar styles of clothing and using a prescribed set of dark colors was, and remains, one way the Amish and Mennonite stayed connected with each other and built strong communities. 

Although we do not know where this quilt was made, it came into the collection with a Mennonite attribution and Pennsylvania and Ohio are the two states with the greatest concentrations of Amish and Mennonite believers.  Several distinguishing features support its Mennonite attribution and further point to it being made in Ohio.  First, a dark cotton print was used to back the quilt.  Amish were not allowed to wear printed fabrics—they were deemed too showy; whereas Mennonite women were allowed subdued dark prints.  Second, the quilt’s rectangular shape and cotton fabrics point to Ohio.  Ohio Amish and Mennonite women used cotton fabrics in their quilts more often than wool and favored a rectangular format.  Woolen fabrics in a square format were favored by the Pennsylvania Amish and Mennonites. 

Ruth and Naomi Quilt
Charles Pratt (1851-1941)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Circa 1930-1940
86 x 77.5 inches
2005.020.0001

This early 20th century quilt is the victim of silk shattering, an inherent vice that is the result of irreversible chemical damage caused by the process of weighting silks.  The degree to which the fabric has deteriorated can be seen along the image’s horizon line where conservators carefully added a silk crepeline overlay to reinforce the fragile area and prevent further fabric loss.  Where silk shattering was complete, a colored underlay was added to simulate its former beauty.  The edges were rebound in navy blue bias strips and the entire quilt top was stitched to an inner muslin backing to provide stability. 

Ruth and Naomi is just one of a series of quilts Charles Pratt of Philadelphia made over a period of 56 years. He often recreated Biblical scenes, like this one—which depicts the tale of a faithful daughter-in-law. Ruth and Naomi is composed of 30,400 half-inch squares and Mr. Pratt once estimated that he spent around 2,000 hours sewing them together.

Signature Album Quilt
Made in Boston, Massachusetts
Dated 1850-1851
Multiple signatures
93 x 83 inches
1997.007.0859

The use of ink, instead of embroidery, to sign blocks for signature quilts became very popular from the 1830s to the 1890s. During this time both homemade and store bought inks were used. Unfortunately, many of the inks were highly acidic. Common 19th century ink recipes called for ferrous sulfate, nutgalls, sulfuric acid and a plant gum—all of which are acidic compounds. Cellulosic fibers such as cotton and linen are easily degraded by acids, in a process called hydrolysis. Hydrolysis causes the fibers to lose flexibility and weaken over time. Heavy use and oxygen in the air further accelerate ink degradation. 

Nothing can be done to stop the ink from destroying the fabric. Consequently, the most important task is to accurately record the information that is legible before further deterioration results in the complete loss  of an inscription. Taking clear photographs of each inscription for future reference and compiling written records of the inked signatures are two good methods for preserving the information.

Signature quilts are special because they contain inscriptions that may provide clues that researchers can use to learn more about them. The oldest known signature quilts date from the 1830s, and some continued to be made into the twentieth century. However, signature quilts were at the height of popularity between the 1840s and 1860s.

Inscriptions on signature quilts can be as simple as a set of initials, but often include names, verses, poems, locations and dates. By researching the inscriptions, it is sometimes possible to deduce who made the quilt and possibly determine when and why they made it. The inscriptions may be embroidered, inked, stamped, or stenciled. In many cases, including this quilt, more than one technique was used. Can you locate the three inscription techniques used on this quilt? 

Oak Leaf
Possibly made in New York
Dated May 2, 1841
Signed “Sally Conklin”
82 x 94.5 inches
1997.007.0876

Dyeing and printing of textiles is a complicated process.  Red calicoes were frequently achieved by dyeing the ground red using madder in a Turkey red process, then removing or discharging the red color in some areas by printing them with a bleach compound. Turkey red discharge prints could be illuminated with other colors instead of leaving the discharged areas white.  For example, blue and yellow were often added to the white areas.  If the discharge printed fabric was not properly rinsed to remove the chlorine bleaching agent, or if the bleach was too strong, it weakened the fabric, resulting in complete disintegration of the white areas over time. 

Properly caring for the textile will slow this process, but cannot entirely stop the deterioration.  Closely regulating  temperature and humidity and reducing light levels and length of light exposure will slow the chemical reactions that result in fabric degradation.

Mexican Rose
Possibly made in Kansas
Circa 1850-1870
93.5 x 75 inches
1997.007.0484

The Mexican Rose quilt, as it appeared in Robert Bishop’s 1975 publication, New Discoveries in American Quilts. Large white holes can be seen in the flower petals where the bleach discharge and mordants used in the printing process have disintegrated the fabric. 

Mordant Damage
Dyeing and printing on textiles is a complicated process.  Not all dyes will adhere to all types of fibers.  Mordants were required to fix natural dyes onto both cotton and wool fabrics. Unfortunately, iron mordants are corrosive and eventually causes the fibers to degrade.  Holes begin to form causing the fabric to weaken.  Dark colors such as brown and black are often the first affected because the iron mordant and tannic acid used to achieve these colors are especially damaging  to cellulosic fibers like cotton.

Properly caring for the textile will slow this process, but cannot entirely stop the deterioration caused by some mordants.  Closely regulating  temperature and humidity and reducing light levels and length of exposure will slow the chemical reactions that break the molecular bonds between mordant and fiber resulting in fabric degradation. 
19th Century Printing and Dyeing

The Industrial Revolution had profound effects on printing techniques.  Copper plate and engraved cylinder (also called roller) printing replaced the laborious hand block printing.  Roller printing improved as the demand for calico prints increased.  Once printers realized that they could combine mordants with the dyestuffs, then apply the thickened dyestuffs using engraved copper rollers, they quickly progressed to a system that allowed them to print multiple colors simultaneously using a separate cylinder for each color.  This new process simplified and expedited textile printing.
Prior to the last half of the 19th century, all dyes were made from vegetable or mineralcompounds.  Although Sir William Perkin discovered the first synthetic dye—mauvine—in 1856, and additional synthetic dyes followed, nevertheless natural dyes remained in widespread use until the early 20th century because they were more colorfast than the early synthetic dyes.  Natural dyes used in coordination with a mordant widened the available range of colors.  Multiple mordants (usually alum, iron, and tin salts) could be printed onto the same fabric to expedite the process.  When the mordant-printed fabric was immersed in the dyebath, the natural dyes reacted to each mordant by producing a different color.  Thus, multi-colored fabrics were more easily and inexpensively produced.  Advances like this in both dyeing and printing technology transformed the textile industry.

RESTORATION OF THE FLOWER PETALS
Around 1980, the owner of this quilt at that time, an antiques dealer, decided to cover the severely damaged flower petals with a solid red fabric. He did an excellent job, so good in fact that only after a student here at the Quilt Center researched the publication history of the quilt and found the photograph shown below did we discover that the quilt had been altered. A single solid red petal has been removed to reveal the original fabric underneath—can you find it?