Vermont's Bennington Museum displays its famous Jane Stickles quilt annually---
this year from August 31-October 14, 2019.
https://benningtonmuseum.org/portfolio-items/1863-jane-stickle-quilt/
Jane Blakley Stickles (1817-1896)
In the corner:
"In War Time. 1863
Pieces. 5602."
Pamela Weeks, curator at the New England Quilt Museum has studied Jane's life.
Jane had family in the fabric business. Her younger brother Erastus was listed as a tailor in the 1850 census.
One motivation for such time-consuming work is explained by an account of the 1863
Bennington County Agricultural Fair in the Bennington Banner.
The premium list included mention of a $2 prize for "Best patched quilt" to "Mrs. W. P. Stickles." A reporter also did a short piece on the Ladies Section.
"Mrs. J. B. Smith of Manchester, Mrs. Taft and Mrs. Stickles presented each a very extra bed quilt. Mrs. Stickles is an invalid lady, having been for a long time confined to her bed, but her ambition to do something to kill the time induced her to piece this quilt. It contains many thousand different pieces of cloth, no two of which are exactly alike. Upon one corner is marked in plain letters, 'made in the war of 1863'."
They cancelled the 1862 fair in Bennington County
"on account of the present unhappy state of the country."
Read Pam's article "A Masterwork Worthy of Reverent Whispers," published in the Summer 2013 issue of the Bennington Museum's Walloomsack Review.
And see more of the quilt here:
3 comments:
This is on my list! I want to see and make one. Thanks for the reminder!
We went to see the quilt several years ago and I am in awe at the quality of the workmanship! Jane was an expert needlewoman and took pride in her sewing.
What shocked me was the number of women dashing in to see the quilt and leaving without taking the time to tour the rest of the Bennington Museum! They have an excellent collection of needlework tools and doll quilts, a room full of nothing but Bennington Pottery and an entire wing devoted to the largest collection Grandma Moses paintings in the US.
When you go, please take the time to tour this little gem of a museum!
I really need to get to see this! I've made one, without all of the outside triangles pieced. I pieced the corner and one for the middle of each border. I'm working on my second Dear Jane, not sure whether I'll do the borders or not.
Post a Comment