Honeybee, c. 1890 (Block Format Quilts)
Honeybee, c. 1890Maker: Sarah Chambers This quilt was mistakenly dated circa 1850 because of its trapunto, appliqué and quilting techniques. But researchers found no record of its maker in that era. A closer look at its fabrics proved a later date; after 1880 American manufacturers were cutting costs by producing an inferior cotton fabric with lower thread count. With this new information, researchers found Sarah, who lived and died in Medina County, Ohio. She never had children of her own and probably made this quilt as a wedding gift for her grand-niece Charlotte, who came to Spokane about 1915. |