Silk Quilt

ca. 1850

This quilt consists of thirty-six 14" pieced silk star blocks ("blazing" stars made of 32 diamond shapes) set with 4" and 8" plain green silk squares, and with plain 4x8" green silk rectangles filling in spaces along edges. These squares and rectangles are stuffed and quilted, no pattern being repeated. Green cotton lining. Cotton filling and stuffing. Stems stuffed with cotton yarn. Quilting pattern: pieced stars are outline-quilted. The 25 plain 8" squares and 20 4x8" plain rectangles are quilted and stuffed, each with a different floral or foliage spray. Backgrounds of these squares and rectangles quilted in a diagonal grid, as are the 4" plain squares. 12 stitches/inch. Bound with 1-1/4" bias strip of blue silk seamed to front, whipped to back.