A Red and White Quilt Show
An Homage to “Infinite Variety”
You would almost have to be living under the Geico rock last month to miss all the publicity about the quilt show in New York City in May 2011. Titled “Quilts of Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts”, this exhibit of 651 red and white quilts belonging to Joanna Rose attracted more than 24,000 people from around the world. You can see the video at the bottom of the page.
These are the pictures that I took of the quilt show that I curated about that time. These were vintage quilts loaned by members of the community, many of which had never before been exhibited.
Red and White Block quilts
The quilt on the right in the picture was made around 1840. It has a cross-stitched signature. That quilt and the one in the center of the pictures were made using the Album Block. Compare the basket quilt on the left above with the basket quilt in the picture below.
Here is a different view of the quilts in the first picture. The one on the left in the picture with the applique alternate blocks is a signature quilt with inked signatures from Greenville NY dated 1848.
The one on the right is “Red Cross Quilt”, dated approx 1920.
The c 1920 quilt top in the picture below was found in a box of books. The design is easy to pick out in the picture, but when you see it in person, all you see is movement.
This is a Bear Paw Variation quilt that was loaned to the show.
Red and White Fundraising Quilts
Dated Dec 25, 1922, the fundraising signature quilt pictured below survived two fires.
Red and White Coverlets
Not all early bed coverings were quilts. Before quilts were common, itinerant weavers traveled from town to town and home to home to make individual coverlets. Here is a c. 1857 woven coverlet with fringe.
Red and White Woven Marselles
Woven Marseilles bedspreads were a fad in the late 19th century. The one on the top in the picture below has a pressed design, circa 1900. The quilt on the bottom has double pink stars.
Dating Red and White Quilts
It is hard to date two-color quilts. Pre-1900 quilts are generally turkey red and white. Red becomes clearer and slightly bluer after WWI. The quilt on the right in the picture below was made approx 1920.
The lime green in this Cross and Crown quilt was probably originally dark green.
Have you made a Red and White quilt? If you would like to share a picture with me, I would be delighted to put it on this page. Just send it to quilthistories@gmail.com.
PS – Here is the Infinite Variety video: