CRADLE or BABY QUILTS

CRADLE or BABY QUILTS:

1. Estate inventory of Colonel William Tailer of Dorchester, Massachusetts dated 29 August 1732: (in the children's chamber) 2 quilts....

2. References in the Deerfield Probate Inventories 1743-44 (Deerfield, MA): an old quilt, and a bedquilt and other things associated with bedding, including furniture. In this list approx 1725 "old quilts" begin to appear with frequency in estate listings.  It should be noted that an "old quilt" was valued at approximately 10 percent of the price of a cow.

3. Inventory of Joseph Warren of Roxbury, MA on 24 May 1756 notes 1 silk quilt.

4. Within a list of items belonging to Governor Hutchinson, the Boston News-Letter on 5 Sept. 1765 notes that within the items for a child was one quilt.

Source: Classic Crib Quilts and How to Make Them by Thos. K. Woodaard and Blanche Greenstein

DOUBLET & BREECHES - 1630's

Source: Quilts 1700-2010 Hidden Histories, Untold Stores by Sue Pritchard

Pg. 25 - 27:

A rare quilted item made from what was two previous quilts, as per the stitching and seams of this item. The style of the doublet & breeches means they were made into clothing approx. 1635. English. Ivory silk satin.  So far no matching pieces of the prior quilts have been located. V&A Collection.

DOUBLETS & BANNERS - 1500's

In 1589 The Tailors Pattern Book by Juan de Alcega was published for the secrets of the tailor trade.  In his instructions for doublets for both men and women he notes that if the item is to be quilted “cut up to three extra finger breadths” than is needed if not quilted (pg. 22 – 23).  He also includes instructions on how to make a patchwork banner (pg. 54 – 55). I personally found this book very interesting for the historical context as well as the directions.

This book has been reprinted and is available.  I bought a copy at an SCA event.

Source: De Alcega, Juan. The Tailor's Pattern Book. 1589.  

QUILTED SHOE - approx. 700 AD

Another item, though not European, does remind us that textiles were recycled until nothing usable was left, because any fabric was too precious to waste.  According to Liddell and Watanabe, and also Rice a quilted shoe was found in a rubbish heap along the Silk Road.  It is dated approximately 700 A.D.  The shoe was patched with leather and because of the quilting design layout, it was originally something else. The quilting pattern on this shoe is sometimes called Baptist Fan now, and is a common modern quilting design. Obviously, the quilting design is not so modern after all.

Sources: 

            Liddell, Jill, and Yuko Watanabe. Japanese Quilts. E. P. Dutton, 1988.

Rice, Martha. Historical Quilting. Ipsley House, 2002.