Illustrated above is an extraordinary, hand-sewn, silk coverlet dating to about 1850. It’s an amazing composition with a shimmering mix of colors and patterns. Each of the 79 star squares is made from 16 tiny geometric shapes which are sewn together in inventive ways to create a variety of shapes and patterns. The reverse is a mustard colored silk which is shown above left. The quilting is approximately 8 stitches to the inch.
The coverlet measures 75 x 75 and the overall shape of the coverlet, with its two cut-corners, indicates it was made for a poster bed.
It was purchased from the Billings family of Bowdoinham, Maine, and became part of the Birchfield Farm Collection in 1999. The Birchfield Farm Collection is the corporate collection of Drum & Drum Real Estate.
