Kentucky Library and Museum Online -- Quilts

Quilts

The Kentucky Museum quilt collection is one of the finest public collections in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Composed of approximately 130 examples, these quilts include 70 piecework, 18 applique and two white or stuffed work textiles. The collection also includes twenty-seven crazy quilts and nine variations of the Log Cabin block.

The majority of quilts were made between 1850 and 1900, but the time span covered extends from circa 1810 to 1989. Many popular pieced patterns are represented including Crossed T, Diamond Field, Double Wedding Ring, Sugar Loaf, Irish Chain, LeMoyne Star, Lone Star, Mariners Compass, Mosaic, and Tumbling Blocks. Rose of Sharon, Whig Rose, and Princess Feather are examples of traditional applique patterns found in the collection. Variations of the Log Cabin block include Sunshine and Shadow, Barn Raising and Pineapple.

Notable quilts in the collection that have appeared in different publications include the Chester Dare Crazy Quilt, the Margaret Younglove Calvert Tumbling Blocks Quilt, the Godey Quilt, the Henry Clay Presentation Quilt and the George A. Yarrall Spectrum Quilt.

Objects are available for researchers subject to museum policies and procedures. For more information contact the Museum Registrar/Collections Curator (Phone: 270-745-2592 )or write The Kentucky Museum, Western Kentucky University, One Big Red Way, Bowling Green, KY 42101-3576. Prior appointment is required.

Objects featured on this web page may not be on exhibit. To learn more about what is currently on display, link to our exhibit pages.