Tuesday, November 17, 2009

stitches in time


As if the thought of a house full of books wasn't wonderful enough, the sight of the textile collections at Stenton really sent me into a tizzy. In fact, I do believe there was some squealing involved...as quilt after quilt was pulled out, and cupboards opened to reveal straw bonnets, satin shoes and embroidered white cotton gowns. Mary Norris, the daughter of Sarah Logan and Isaac Norris, granddaughter of James Logan, and wife of John Dickinson (after whom, incidentally, my alma mater was named), was a renowned needlewoman. She was responsible for several of the quilts in the collection, including perhaps the blue-green silk quilt pictured above, dating to the late 18th century. Stenton's collections also contain more humble objects, such as linen sheets, pillow cases, and laundry bags ~ extraordinary for the very fact that they have survived the rigors of everyday use.

It is so rare and wonderful to see such a variety of original textiles in a house such as Stenton. And I am not done yet, there is something really lovely yet to show you. So, until tomorrow...good night.

7 comments:

Blue said...

Looking forward to the quilts - there's nothing like good quilting.

Pigtown*Design said...

I was quite stunned with the quilts and the other textiles, too. I called the colour "eau de nil" not being able to think of another name.

Janet said...

Blue ~ seeing these makes me {almost} want to pick up a needle and become a quilter. It is so rare to see examples like this in the US.

Meg ~ you are a romantic a heart..."eau de nil" is far more evocative than "blue-green."

Home Subjects said...

More squealing!

pve design said...

I have one on my bed that I found for a song and it reminds me of things like this...it is all white.
pve

P.Gaye Tapp at Little Augury said...

These are so beautiful- squealing would be in order-indeed-I would be heart sick if you had not. Other than- guess? Books- Textiles, as blind to their beauty as some are diamonds and pearls (not bad either) G

Janet said...

So glad to know I am not alone in the squealing...!